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I have an 11 yr old son who demonstrates above average athletic ability for his age...has good speed and quickness and body control...he is, however, only 53 inches tall...realizing height is essentially an inherited trait, what nutritional advice can you give that might help stimulate growth. pdow

I think, as Jeff said, the most important thing is to have your athlete's on a balanced nutritional plan. I feel that if your athletes are eating the right things (which they usually aren't), then supplements (with the exception of vitamins, some oils and maybe whey protein) are not necessary for the most part.

Of course, if you are talking the average athlete, they will have little to no knowledge of what a proper diet should look like. So, here are some GENERAL guidelines:

Fats: Fats are not "bad" as they were labled in the 90's. Athletes should be getting a proper ratio of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsatrated fats. Each category should make up ~1/3 of their total fat intake. Of course, the Omega 3 fatty acids are the key here, which lie in the polyunsaturated group (PUFA). Fish oil, flaxseed oil and cold water salmon are the best ways to get your Omega 3. Omega 6 fats are also needed, however if your athletes are eating meat, they are probably getting a sufficient amount.

Carbs: Lower glycemic carbs will be the best bet here. Most vegetables and fruits will be in this category. Some good habits to develop in regards to carbs include, switching from white bread or pasta to wheat bread and pasta, switching to brown rice, eat fruit rather than drink fruit juice and eat sweet potatoes and new potatoes rather than full grown baking potatoes (sweet and new potatoes are lower on the GI). Basically, with each meal the athlete consumes have him or her eat a serving or two of vegetables and (or) fruit. They should eat a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables...reds, greens, yellows, oranges, purples, blues, ect. If your athletes are overfat, cut down on the carbs and try to eliminate higher glycemic carbs from their diets all together. However, ensure that they are consuming enough carbs to perform their workouts and practices efficiently. This is very important.

Protein: Protein is needed to build muscle and should be a staple in each meal the athlete consumes. A minimum of 1 gram per pound of lean body weight should be consumed and if the athlete is trying to gain mass, then 1.5 up to 2 grams of protein per lb of LBW should be consumed. This is where Whey Protein would probably come in handy as trying to eat 250 grams of protein from food sources isn't easy. The thing to remember is that young men will have Testosterone flowing through their bodies during their high school years, so adequate protein and a proper strength training model will increase their Lean Body Mass as if they were on steroids. That being said, there is really no need to consume any supplements other than whey protein (and possibly Branched Chain Amino Acids) in regards to building muscle.

Recovery should also be an issue when dealing with athletes, however that is another entire topic in itself.

The biggest problem we all face is to get our kids to eat pproperly especially when leaving for school in the mornings. We have peanut butter sandwiches available in our coaches locker room whenever a kid needs something to eat. Coach Campbell