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Home Articles REAL Food Outside Influence (School/Sports/Church, etc.) Is Your Student Athlete Being Fueled by Fake Foods?
Is Your Student Athlete Being Fueled by Fake Foods? Print E-mail
Written by Angelle Batten, HHC, MEd   

It’s great that there are so many opportunities for our children to be involved in sports. They benefit from the physical activity, the self-discipline, learning new skills, the stress release, the socialization, and from just having a great time. 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 – 7 days of the week. Unfortunately, while they are benefiting from the physical activity, the fake food and drinks they often consume at these events are loading them up with empty calories. Sugar, enriched flour and artificial ingredients.

Most kids, especially young ones, are not working up a sweat. Even if they are, it’s for a short amount of time. The calories getting consumed usually exceed the calories a child expends during the athletic activity. 

Since kids and young athletes in particular snack frequently, as a parent, it is important for you to consider how much Fake Food your child is having weekly. Between athletic events, church events, school and other functions, it can add up to a lot of health-robbing foods. Talk with your child about the need for REAL Food nutrition, especially as an athlete. If your child’s body is continually dealing with fake food ingredients, it certainly will not be at it’s best out on the field, court or dance floor.

“A report from the University of California at Berkeley warns that inactive students who drink one 20-ounce sports drink every day for a year may gain about 13 pounds. Considering the ingredients, this comes as no surprise.” ~ Jorg Mardian, Registered Holistic Nutitionist and Certified Personal Trainer

And, it’s not just a matter of weight. Many children with slim physiques are still dealing internally with the ramifications of fake food, and it will eventually catch up with them in poor health. As a parent what can you do?

Try these ideas to help support your young athlete’s health:
  • Don’t buy into the hype. Stop buying sports drinks for your child (and for yourself). Offer water, herbal teas and fruit flavored water.
  • Explain to your child that when athletes give their bodies REAL foods and drinks they perform better. Find a high school, college or professional athlete in your child’s sport that is a good role model for REAL food nutrition.
  • Ask your child’s coach to consider allowing each player 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.
  • Ask coaches and parents to focus on healthy snacks and water.
  • Set an example and bring healthy snacks for the team on your day. See examples. 
  • Feed your child an hour or two before a practice or game. Include protein, good fat and healthy carbs in the form of whole grains and vegetables.
  • Make sure your child drinks plenty of water every day, before - during - and after physical activity. 
  • If your child participates in strenuous physical activity, offer a healthy snack within 30 minutes after playing to help refuel muscles.

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. Play hard, eat well, be healthy.

Related  Resource:
Feeding the Young Athlete by Cynthia Lair
 

Angelle Batten, MEd. is a Holistic Health & Parenting Coach and co-founder of nourishMD. She teaches parents how to feed their children REAL food and parent in a more connected way every day - so despite a crazy busy life they can raise healthier, happier children who make the world a better place.