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Parents Resource Page
Parent's Roost
Where would any club be without their #1 fans? This page is created for Parents, Friends and Family. This site will provide parents with helpful information to help your Son or Daughter have a great experience playing soccer in the Lakes Community.
Lakes United FC Parents
Helpful Links
MYSA Parents and Coaches working Together Program
PACT helps parents and coaches work together to create a positive climate for youth soccer players and their families.
Concussions - What to Look For
Heads Up: Valuable video from the CDC about concussions to coaches, parents, and athletes involved in youth sports.
Great Nutrition Tips for Soccer Players
Learn how a soccer player should properly fuel his body with this guide to soccer-specific sports nutrition.
Nutrition Connection
Nutrition “101” for our Young Athletes
When you play soccer or any other sport you use the proper equipment, shoes, protective gear, balls etc. You would never be able to play or compete without these essentials. You should also be equipping your body with the proper nutrition so you can play and compete. Professional athletes know this and wouldn’t ever think of fueling their bodies with anything but the best foods and nutritional products.
We all need protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, minerals and healthy fats in our daily diet to achieve a healthy and fit body. Proteins are found in dairy, eggs, beans, nuts, meats and seafood are an essential part of our diet. Carbohydrates found in vegetables and whole grains are the best sources, and vitamins derived from fruits, vegetables and minerals are all building blocks for a healthy young athlete.
So what makes feeding your young athlete different from your own daily caloric needs? Our kids, especially those under 12, need about 1600-2000 calories a day, and these needs rise as they get older, depending on activity level and whether they have begun puberty or not. Don’t forget they also need sufficient amounts of water ALL DAY and not just during a hot summer game.
With our busy lives sometimes home cooking is not an option, and although “fast food” is appealing for its convenience, a better choice for a young athlete is a pre-game or pre-practice protein shake or bar, along with plenty of hydration.
We all know about the popular packaging on electrolyte drinks and energy products, but getting our kids used to over sweetened, or overly chemical laden products is not only expensive but it’s not healthy for them. There are other options available that have beneficial sweeteners, i.e. carbohydrates, that are easily converted and used for energy, without being overly sweet, and players should choose drinks with natural sources of energy such as Ginseng. Ginkgo and Guarana instead.
With proper amounts of exercise, and a diet consisting of a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats for ourselves and our children, we can model good behaviors for generations to come.
Contributed by Beckie Ortega Be Well/Nutrition Connection beckiescraps@aol.com
LUFC players and their parents receive a FREE Wellness Evaluation by visiting the Be Well/Nutrition Connection Center located at:
662 S Lake Street, Forest Lake, MN 55025
