The Best Snacks for Kids After Play
At the end of last fall, my son participated in a two-day football tournament at the end of the season. It was long, cold, stressful days, and the parent of one of his teammates promised them a special snack after their last game over the weekend. It turned out that this snack was a huge Skittles bag that needed to be shared among the team. Hmmm, I thought. “It looks like it’s not the best post-game snack I’ve ever seen.” (The children were delighted, of course.)
This moment came to my mind recently when I read an article in The Conversation about how often the snacks that kids eat after a soccer or basketball game actually contain more calories than they just burned:
We found that, on average, children get 27 minutes of physical activity per game and burn about 170 calories. We were not surprised to find that children playing soccer were the most active and softball players the least active. In four out of five games, or 78%, parents served an after-game snack.
When the snack was served, it averaged 213 calories — an average of 43 more calories than the children consumed in sports. The most common snacks were baked goods such as pastries, cookies, and pastries, followed by fruit snacks, crackers, and chips. We were even more concerned that the average sugar provided was 26.4 grams, which exceeds the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 25 grams of sugar per day.
I’m certainly not going to start counting my son’s calories, but many of us have room for improvement in the way we feed our kids and their teammates after the game. Juice box and Doritos bag, while easy to transport and popular with the public, are not the best choices.
Jay Maddock and Laurie Andersen Spruance, authors of The Conversation, have created a one-page newsletter about smart and healthy snacks for young athletes. In general, it is best to avoid over-processed foods that are nutrient-poor and high in sugar. Here’s a list of the best options for replenishing and rehydrating your kids:
Fresh fruits, vegetables and cheese
You can’t go wrong with a snack after the game with fresh fruit or vegetables, or even a little dried fruit. Licensed nutritionist Brandi Thompson writes for Food & Nutrition Magazine that these are the best low-cost options for young athletes:
- Apple slices or carrot sticks . Children love to crunch. Refill them with fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants after a big game.
- Orange slices . Ideally, the smile turns orange and cheerful as the kids reap the juicy benefits of natural juice, fiber and vitamin C.
- Bananas . This appetizing snack is rich in potassium, which can be lost during sports activities.
- Raisins . Original “fast food” with nutritious taste.
String cheese also pairs well with fruit (or a small handful of whole grain crackers) and is a good source of protein.
Mix
Nuts themselves are a good source of fiber and protein. You can also mix them with a variety of other healthy, small-sized foods such as whole grains, dried fruit, pretzels, or muesli to create your own homemade mix.
If you want to cheat a little and make the mixture more appealing to those with a sweet tooth or crunchy crackers, add a few chocolate chips or whole grain Goldfish crackers. To really go out of your way, you might even try something like these no-bake energy bites .
Become whimsical
When it comes to after-game snacks, especially for the youngest athletes. Kara Rosenblum shares these ideas in Today’s Parent :
- Skewer fruit and cheese, or wrap cheese strings and crackers in bags.
- Serve popcorn or food mix (popcorn, raisins, cereals, pumpkin seeds) in paper cups or cones.
- Make bananas for messages: write “good game!” on bananas with a toothpick. When the labels turn brown, a message will magically appear.
- Add character stickers to apples or pears, or freeze yogurt tubes.
(I personally love the message banana idea for kids of all ages.)
Of course, there is also the classic ” ants on a log ” snack, which is traditionally made with celery, peanut butter and raisins. But not all kids love or can safely eat celery, peanut butter and raisins. So the culinary writer at Healthy Little Foodies has created a fresh list of possible logs, fillings, and ants for a wider range of flavors.
Finally, just stick to the water
Occasional sports drinks or sugary drinks are not the end of the world, but water should be the primary means of rehydrating children. Buy them a special water bottle, fill it with ice and H2O, and skip the post-game Gatorade.