Athletes with an intellectual disability may be at risk of having inadequate nutrition. If healthy food is not eaten, you could be at risk for poor health status and future complications like obesity/overweight, vitamin deficiencies, poor growth/development, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Healthy eating is important for maintaining overall health as well as a healthy body weight. Education, physical activity, and a willingness to eat healthy will help athletes develop a healthy lifestyle now and for the future.

Healthy nutrition can also help:

• Your body grow and form strong bones.
• You have more energy and stamina
• You get sick less often
• You become more independent because you know how to make the right healthy choices

In order to maintain a healthy body weight and support optimal development, athletes should be following Canada’s Food Guide and eating their recommended food guide servings every day. The food guide also encourages you to try a variety of different foods and flavours.

Is your food intake meeting your needs?

1. Follow the Canada’s Food Guide plate model and Healthy eating recommendations.
2. Go to the activities section for fun and interactive games that focus on achieving daily intake goals.
3. Download a free copy of Canada’s Food Guide and print copies of "My Food Guide" servings tracker. Track all foods consumed for a few days and compare to your young athlete’s needs. Canada.ca/foodguide
4. Go to www.Canada.ca/FoodGuide/ to download a PDF of the Food Guide Snapshot. This site also offers an online suite of resources including actionable advice, videos and even recipes.

Source: © All rights reserved. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. Health Canada, 2007. Modified and reproduced with permission from the Minister of Health, 2016.

Health Canada does not assume any responsibility for any errors or omissions which may result from modifications, revisions, adaptations and / or translation.