Sports Nutrition Basics

Eating a regular breakfast is important to a teen's health and to maintaining a healthy weight, says a study in the journal Pediatrics.

Whether it's training for a soccer game or playing a backyard game of catch, children's athletic performance, development, and growth depend largely on eating the right foods. Unfortunately, most children (and adults) forget just how important nutrition is to good health and athletic performance.

Whether it's training for a soccer game or playing a backyard game of catch, children's athletic performance, development, and growth depend largely on eating the right foods. Unfortunately, most children (and adults) forget just how important nutrition is to good health and athletic performance.

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Salt tablets are a bad idea, and here's why.

Well-meaning parents and coaches, who advise youth athletes to take dietary supplements in an effort to promote early athletic development, improve performance, or to provide nutrition "insurance" are, unfortunately, misinformed. Simply put, there is no place in the diet of a healthy child for megadoses of vitamins, minerals, or other ergogenic aids (dietary supplements that supposedly enhance performance above levels anticipated under normal conditions).

There are a surprisingly large number of myths about nutrition. Here are some of the common myths and the truth about vitamins:

Want to know what vitamins and minerals your family is consuming when it sits down for a meal? Here's a list of the vitamin and mineral content of some commonly eaten foods.

Iron is critical to the formation of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier within red blood cells. Here's a listing of foods containing iron.