Category Archives: Nutrition

Body image and eating disturbances among adolescents

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: November 20, 2012
body image 1

In this 2nd part in the series we look at the causes and warning signs of eating disorders, how it affects performance and how to assist an athlete who presents with an eating disorder. Causes of Eating Disorders in young Athletes There is no single cause of eating disorders or disordered eating in young athletes. [...]

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Body image and eating disturbances among adolescents

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: October 8, 2012
body image 1

This is the first in a 3 part series on the subject of body image and eating disturbances which affects a number of young sports people. Young people are constantly bombarded with messages and images of the ideal body. This ideal body is often portrayed as unrealistically thin or overly muscular. In contrast to this [...]

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Bone health in adolescents – Part 2

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: March 19, 2012
Bone Xray

Calcium Needs during the Growth Spurt and Low Bone Density Last week we looked at skeletal growth and the factors that influence skeletal growth particularly during the adolescent stage. Two of the factors affecting skeletal growth are physical activity and nutrition, specifically the need for calcium. We looked at calcium sources, the amount of calcium [...]

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Bone health in adolescents

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: March 11, 2012
Calcium.jpg

Calcium Needs during the Growth Spurt and Low Bone Density Calcium is one of the essential minerals in the body and has many functions. One of its key functions is in relation to the development of bone particularly during adolescents. In this article we address the factors affecting skeletal growth and the role of nutrition [...]

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Feeding active kids 3

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: July 26, 2011
Feeding Active Kids 3 - cereal

Our third and final article in the series Feeding Active Kids focuses on eating for competition days and multi-event competition. Article one and article two are also available. COMPETITION DAY The night before Ensure sufficient carbohydrate intake and appropriate fluid intake. Keep food simple and include carbohydrates, some protein foods and plenty of nourishing drinks. [...]

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Feeding Active Kids 2

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: June 9, 2011
Snack foods

This is the second article of three in our current series, “Feeding Active Kids.” In our first article we looked at the need for proper nutrition to optimise growth and development as well as how to include adequate carbohydrate, protein and fat in your active kid’s diet. If you missed it, click here. In this [...]

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Feeding Active Kids 1

By Nicki de Villiers - Registered Dietician | Published: May 24, 2011
Lunchbox ideas

It is important for active kids to develop a healthy relationship with food and recognize the value of healthy eating in exercise performance. In this series of 3 articles we seek to provide you with practical tips to assist you in providing your children with the required nutrition for an active life. In this article [...]

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