People have asked me, where do u get your ideas for your blog? They come from a variety of places, a response to a previous blog, an article I read, an event that occurred, something from my nutrition classes, but this week the idea came at my sons baseball game. I happened to get there early and watch all of the kids rushing to get to practice before the game. Many of them running with some type of fast food item being shoved down their throats french fries, burger, nuggets and some sort of sugary drink, so that they had something to eat before the game.
While I totally understand squeezing in a meal to ensure our kids eat, it is really not the best choice to feed them all that processed food before a game. A friend of mine is a volleyball coach and she said that she has had to pull parents aside and encourage them to not have their child fill up on fast food, a slushie or a big gulp before a game. The kids do not have the energy they need to function during the game. It is not only not good for them, but it impacts the team when a player is not at their best.
I will admit, I have been that mom before just trying to get by. With four very active kids, I used to drive thru somewhere all the time. Why not? I thought, it’s an easy way to get them food and they won’t complain about eating it. Well I have learned my lesson the hard way and now try to limit the amount of drive thru runs by planning ahead. For those of you whose children are smaller, it is much easier to start out developing healthy habits than it is to change bad ones.
In this situation it would be better to give your child an apple, a banana, some type of protein bar or shake, or some nuts ( if they can have them) to give them fuel before the game. Remember, food is fuel, and if we don’t put in the right type of fuel, our bodies wont function properly and our kids won’t be at their best. Most food portions are way out of control as it is and while these options are not a full meal, it will give them the energy needed to sustain them and be a healthier choice.
Last week my son had his first hockey game for his AA travel hockey team. We said we were going to go out for lunch to celebrate my other sons 13 birthday. Danny said, “I can’t go mommy. I need to make sure I eat healthy before the game. I can’t eat junk.” I told him that we would go to a sit down restaurant (not fast food) where I would help him make a healthier choice. He and I shared a salad with grilled chicken. He ended up playing a great game and scored 4 goals that evening. He was proud of himself and knew that making a healthier choice before the game made a difference in his performance.
I have to admit it is moments like this when the boys realize themselves how food actually makes them feel, that it makes it worth all of the pain and heartache of changing their diets around to focus on the healther choices, which in today’s society is NOT always easy to do.
The next time you are running late or are trying to squeeze in some fuel before an event; For Meals on the Run, think about keeping one these on hand and ready to go – a piece of fruit – a granola bar or zbar – a bag of nuts – better yet a home made Protein bar
– 1 cup of Peanut Butter OR Sun Butter
– 1 cup oatmeal
– 1 cup protein powder (We use Shaklee or Melaleuca Protein Powder)
– 1/2 cup raw natural honey
– depending on the type of butter you may need to add a tsp of water if its too dry
No baking necessary. You can roll them into balls, or shape into bars and put in the frig. They look like raw cookie dough balls, but much healthier. For an added treat, you could dip them in chocolate, coconut or crushed nuts and ENJOY!