Gymnastics, as an activity, has been around for more than two thousand years in one form or another, from ancient Greek Olympics, to Roman ceremony, to today’s modern meets.

As an organized and truly competitive sport, gymnastics has existed for a little more than a century. It was introduced in mid 1800s to United States, where it inexorably gained in popularity within school systems.

Amateur associations gathered together by late nineteenth century, offering classes and opportunities for young people to join in on fun. Eventually, these associations began to have their own championships.

In 1896, at first international Olympic games in Athens, Greece, sport we all know and love enjoyed its first large-scale debut. Included in Olympic tournament were vaulting, parallel bars, pommel horse, and rings events for men. The first women’s Olympic gymnastics events were held in 1928. After Olympics began to officially host gymnastics, World Championship gymnastics meet emerged in early 1900s, and it is still held to this very day.

Thus began a noble tradition that continues even in modern Olympic games and in local, regional, national, and world meets all over.

If you’re parent of a young gymnast, odds are, people are going to ask you, “Why did you choose gymnastics over swimming, ballet, football, baseball, or soccer?” It is an easy question to offer, but not a simple one to answer.

Their curiosity is entirely understandable--to uninitiated, may have a lower profile than others. However, if you are indeed very serious about your child participating in sport, you can tell those people, with great authority, that gymnastics is an excellent way to spend time. Not only does it have a long and illustrious history, but it also requires attention and discipline on part of a child--more so, perhaps, than one involved in any other sport.

In order to become successful at sport of gymnastics, your child will have to get into a routine of practice.

Nutrition is extremely important for any young person, especially an athletic one, and even more so during developmental years of their life. Whether your child is involved in soccer or football, gymnastics or swimming or Little League, he or she needs a good nutritive balance in order to be successful in any endeavor. It cannot be stressed enough that anorexia and bulimia, chronic malnutrition, are absolutely devastating not only to an athlete’s career, but also to overall health and well-being. You should always watch for decreased eating in your child, no matter how robust and healthy they may seem.

Interestingly enough, very few scientific studies on nutrition of child athletes have been published. You don’t really need to be a scientist (or an alchemist) to create a healthy menu for your active youth, though. All you need is a little bit of creativity, and, of course, facts about different kinds of foods. As is dictated by common sense, it’s necessary for kids who are active to consume more caloric energy than their couch potato counterparts. Sometimes, they must take in several hundred - or even a thousand - healthy calories more than average child, depending upon their age and upon intensity of sport they’re participating in.

So what types of food should you give your gymnast? I'll help you out.

In General

Everyday nutrition calls for a healthy balance of protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. The most important type of caloric intake for a child athlete is carbohydrates. Without carbohydrates, body cannot readily replenish its stores of energy in muscles and in liver.

Simple carbohydrates, like those found in most candies and chocolates, are usually not enough: they are used up too quickly and if eaten before competing can cause changes in blood pressure (of course, you can splurge every once in a while -- just not constantly).

Pasta, bread, and rice -- in other words, foods from grain -- are best overall for carbohydrate intake. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of carbs and of vitamins and minerals. Dairy products are especially important for building strong bones and teeth. Meat -- or meat substitute -- is needed for protein intake.