Get the Best Family Activities
- Drinking sports drinks in lieu of water is fine, says Dr. Short, particularly if the drink offers some calories for energy. However, make sure the sugar content is no more than 10 percent of total calories; high sugar content prevents the fluid in the drink from reaching the intestines, which is where it must go to hydrate the body. Caloric drinks are very important for athletic activities that require running for an hour or more, like cross-country running or basketball.
- Salt tablets are a no-no. It was once thought that salt losses in sweat were significant enough to need replacement, but the salt content in your child's body actually increases in concentration after she sweats because she's losing much more water than salt. To add salt tablets to that is dangerous.
- One sport-specific note: if your teenager is on the wrestling team, be extra vigilant about fluid intake. Because wrestling is categorized by weight, athletes are often encouraged to lose pounds to qualify for a particular wrestling class. This is sometimes accomplished, says Dr. Short, through purposeful dehydration (for example, using diuretics, wet suits, saunas, and even, incredibly, spitting). This is extremely hazardous and can stunt your child's growth permanently.
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It seems the intense media blitz and warnings from the medical community have now rung a bell with children. According to the first in a series of KidsHealth KidsPolls, which surveyed over 1,100 children ages 9-13 about weight-related issues, 52 percent believe there is a problem with kids being overweight. What’s more, nearly two-thirds report trying to lose weight themselves. Of the 59 percent of children who have tried to shed pounds, here’s how they said they did it:
- Went on a diet – 17 percent - Ate healthfully and exercised – 64 - Ate out less –14 percent - Took medicine – 5 percent
Although more than half of the kids consider themselves “about the right weight” (55 percent), half of those respondents say they worry about their weight. The results further show girls worry or stress more about weight than boys — 67 percent versus 41 percent, respectively. Not only do children appear to make the connection between weight and nutrition and exercise, a hopeful statistic finds that 69 percent of children say that “eating healthy and exercising” are the best way to control body weight, well ahead of the second favorite response: going on a diet (17 percent). A project of the National Association of Health Education Centers, the KidsHealth KidsPolls reveal kids’ opinions regularly throughout the school year on issues such as bullying, stress, and peer pressure. For more information on the latest survey, go to www.nahec.org/kidspoll. — Kirsten Matthew