My 8 yr old son loves sports. If there is sport being played you can be sure he is participating. Soccer, basketball, baseball, you name it he is playing it. At this age parents are asked to provide after game snacks for the kids. It is not always easy to think of healthy, easy to distribute, affordable snacks to bring so I thought I would try to help by offering a few suggestions.
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Granola bars
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String cheese
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Peanut butter crackers (preferable the ones that aren’t recalled). Be sure to check with the other parents to ensure that no one on the team has peanut allergies.
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Fruit: Bananas, apples, & grapes are easy to distribute.
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Mini bagels: Plain or with cream cheese, peanut butter, or almond spread.
I would suggest staying away from high sugar non-nutritional snacks like candy, donuts, fruit roll-ups & potato chips.
Remember, after game snacks are meant to rehydrate and replenish nutrients those hard working little bodies have just burned off. They are not meant to be a treat (you can save the treat for later)
A good rule of thumb when picking after sports snacks for the kids is to pick a food and drink that you yourself would like to eat and drink right after exercising. Chances are it wouldn’t be a hot chocolate and a donut (at least not until after you have showered and cooled down)
After an hour + of running around you can bet that the kids are thirsty too. A couple of drink choices might be water or a small G2 Gatorade.
You should stay away from sugaring drinks like soda & Capri sun. These types of drinks don’t hydrate the body and add empty calories.
I hope you have found these suggestions helpful.
We would love to hear your suggestions for healthy after sports snacks! (I bet the kids would appreciate your suggestions too)
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Looks like a nice recipe to me. I will try this tomorrow for sure.
Great suggestions. Bananas are always good for replenishing energy. Processed foods are not the way to go, game or no game. Would a hearty meal be advisable or safe after a game or exercise?
These are all good suggestions…my wife and I always try to bring healthy after-game snacks when it is our turn (all the parents on the team take a turn)…I can think of few things more irritating than when parents show up after the game with Twinkies and soda.
Another suggestion for drinks: There is a product called First Juice, that is an organic fruit/veggie juice that is low in sugar (50% less than 100% juice)…so it's not sweet, but it is healthy and fun. It comes in cool, reusable sippy cups too, so it is perfect for after the game. It's always a hit.
Thanks for the suggestion Troy! I will have to look into those. Especially with baseball season coming up…
Thanks for the comment Shannon. Good point on the processed foods. My son usually doesn't want to eat a lot right after a game but within an hour or so we need to get a meal into him!