If your child is involved in any kind of organized sport activity, you are probably familiar with the last minute scramble to find inexpensive snacks and drinks that the whole team will like on your scheduled day. It's just one more thing on the endless list of things that we moms (and dads) do for our kids. Children are becoming involved in organized sports at early ages, as young as three years old. And, between the practices and the games, our children are committed to anywhere from 2 to 7 days of the week. Unfortunately, while they are benefiting from the physical activity,the fake foods and drinks they are often consuming at these events can easily cancel out those benefits.
In the busyness of our lives, it's easy to not realize how often kids are eating and drinking processed foods with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, refined grains, trans-fats, artificial colors and flavors.
As a mom, you can ask your child's coach to consider allowing each player to bring his or her own snack and beverage, which will give you more control over what your child consumes. If that is not an option, you can let your child know that as his or her parent, you have decided that you are going to be packing healthy snacks for practices and games. It is our responsibility to take care of our children's health, and this is one way to do that. If your child resists,you'll want to be consistent and also appeal to his or her desire to perform optimally, like his or her favorite professional athletes. Find a high school, college or professional athlete in your child's sport that is a good role model for Real Food nutrition. (See our January 2008 Real Foods Newsletter available online.)
If you are tied into the snack schedule, whether it is for sports, school or church, set a good example. Take the extra few minutes or spend a little extra to buy a Real Food snack, like string cheese or fruit. Make some homemade whole grain cookies or protein bars. Keep the beverage water, which is what young athletes need most.
With kids, there's no way around the craziness of our schedules, but as moms who love our kids, we need to be advocates for their health. We can do this through educating ourselves and through leading by example.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
