Parents, You Are Failing Your Young Athletes: Stop Feeding Them Rubbish Food Before Training
- Total Taekwondo
- Aug 22
- 3 min read
Let’s be brutally honest for a moment. If your child is playing sport, training multiple times a week, and trying to excel as a young athlete, then what you feed them matters.
And yet, too many parents are sabotaging their child’s performance before they even step onto the field, court, or track. I see it all the time athletes showing up to training with rubbish food, energy drinks, or sugary snacks stuffed in their mouths minutes before they’re expected to train.
Let’s call it what it is: failure.
If you care about your child’s health, development, and athletic potential, you cannot fuel them with fast food and expect them to perform at their best.
Why McDonald’s (and Junk Food) Has No Place in Pre-Training Fuel
Here’s what happens when a young athlete eats fast food before practice:
Blood sugar spikes, then crashes. That “energy” from energy drinks is short-lived. Once blood sugar crashes, so does their performance leading to sluggishness, poor focus, and faster fatigue.
Digestion steals energy. Heavy, greasy meals take a long time to digest. That means instead of sending blood and oxygen to muscles for training, their body diverts resources to breaking down that fast food sitting in their stomach.
Nutrient poverty. Yes, fast food is calorie-dense but it’s nutrient-poor. Your child gets lots of salt, fat, and sugar, but almost none of the vitamins, minerals, and clean carbohydrates they actually need to fuel muscles, hydrate cells, and recover properly.
Imagine fuelling a Ferrari with muddy water. That’s exactly what you’re doing when you feed an athlete junk food before training.
Parents, It Starts With You
The truth is, your child doesn’t drive themselves to McDonald’s before training. They don’t buy their groceries. You do.
You set the standard. You create the habits. You build the foundation or you tear it down.
If you’re consistently choosing convenience over quality, your child is paying the price with poor energy, increased risk of injury, and stalled athletic development. Worse, they learn to normalise terrible eating habits that follow them into adulthood.
Your child doesn’t just need a coach at the side of the ring they need a nutrition coach at home. That’s you.
What You Should Be Feeding Them Before Training
The best pre-training meals and snacks are:
High in complex carbs for steady energy (think oats, brown rice, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, fruit).
Moderate in protein to support muscles (chicken, turkey, eggs, yogurt, beans).
Low in fat and grease (save those healthy fats for after training when digestion isn’t competing with performance).
Hydrating (water, electrolytes, definitely not fizzy sugary drinks).
Simple Pre-Training Meal & Snack Ideas:
Whole grain wrap with lean turkey and fruit on the side.
A banana with peanut butter.
Greek yogurt with berries and granola.
Oatmeal with honey and sliced banana.
A smoothie with fruit, yogurt, and milk or a dairy-free alternative.
Quick. Nutritious. Effective. No excuses.
The Bigger Picture
Feeding your young athlete properly isn’t about being perfect it’s about being consistent. They don’t need gourmet meals or expensive supplements. They just need real food, prepared with intention, eaten at the right times.
Every training session, every match, every competition is an opportunity for them to grow not just as athletes, but as people who learn discipline, habits, and respect for their bodies.
Don’t throw that away because a drive-thru feels easier. Don’t trade long-term potential for five minutes of convenience.
Your athlete deserves better. And frankly, so do you.
Final Word
Parents: stop failing your young athletes. Stop letting fast food rob them of energy, performance, and progress.
You have the power to fuel their success or to fuel their downfall. The choice is yours, every single day.
So next time you’re driving to training, ask yourself: Am I giving my child the fuel of a champion, or the fuel of a quitter?
Because at the end of the day, you’re not just feeding them food you’re feeding their future.
Check out this FREE guide for parents:
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