Hey Team Moms-
Are you tired of bringing the same old granola bars and juice boxes for your kids to eat after their sports games? Are you looking for new snack ideas that are healthy, delicious AND easy to pack to practice and games? Below are some ideas of snack foods that will get you out of the rut!
These girls are tired from all that play! They need water and a nutritious snack to refuel!Before buying snack for the entire team, there's a couple of things you need to know. First, be sure to check for allergies before deciding on which snacks to bring. Also, check for any other food restrictions, such as vegetarians, etc. Second, you want to minimize germs, so give a quirt of hand sanitizer to each player before handing out snack.
During The Game
If you're giving out a snack during half-time or another break, you want to make sure the food is easy to digest. Choose something mild so that the kids don’t get a stomach ache once they're up and moving again. Fruit is always a safe choice, along with water.
After The Game
The main goal is to help the child recover and rehydrate from exercise. I’m not a nutritionist, so if you have questions, please consult a doctor.
Food To Avoid:
Caffeine sodas. They act like a diuretic, further dehydrating the body.
High sugar snacks, such as candy bars, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, etc. They spike blood sugar, followed by a steep drop in blood sugar, which can cause fatigue. These foods also lack antioxidants, which help protect the body after exercise.
Junk food, like potato chips, etc. Serving these after exercise is not modeling a healthy lifestyle.
Foods to Consider:
All of the snacks mentioned below are finger foods, and do not require utensils to eat. They can be packaged individually for the entire team. I have snacks arranged by category, but of course you can combine foods from different categories if you want. I also have some suggestions of things that go along with the food by the side.
Vegetables
Baby carrots, Red bell pepper slices, Celery sticks, Cherry tomatoes, Cucumber slices, Sweet Potato chips (these are cooked), Great to serve raw veggies with salsa, hummus or ranch dip.
Fruits
Apple Slices - can go with almond butter or peanut butter, Applesauce, Bananas - can go with animal crackers, in sandwiches with peanut or almond butter, Blueberries, Clementine tangerines, Grapes, Melon cubes, Oranges – can go with mild cheese (like Bonnie Bell), Pears, Raspberries, Watermelon
Fruits, especially berries, and be mixed together in small plastic bags for a nutritious snack high in antioxidants. Another idea is to make fruit kabobs, with 3 different pieces of fruit on a skewer.
Dried Fruits and Nuts
Raisins, Dried Cranberries, Almonds, Cashews, Trail Mix (low salt), Plain Popcorn, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Soy nuts
A fun idea: Have each player bring their favorite dried fruit, nut, popcorn or whole grain cereal to the game. Mix them all together to make a ‘team trail mix’. Divide out the resulting mixture among the kids!
Dairy
Cheese cubes, Cheese sticks, Cheese slices cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, Yogurt sticks, Frozen Yogurt, Hard Boiled Eggs
Whole Grains
Healthy Muffins – zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, banana, Corn bread, Cereal Bars (watch for sugar though), Whole grain cereals in baggies - Cheerios, granola, Whole grain crackers with fruit spread or nut butters, Bagels – with peanut butter, cream cheese, almond butter, Oatmeal cookies (low fat, low sugar recipe with dried fruit)
Other
Tortilla chips with bean dip and salsa, Tofu cubes, Tofu dogs, Mini rice cakes with peanut butter, Turkey cubes
Cold Stuff
Frozen Yogurt, Frozen Fruit Bars, Frozen Grapes
Drinks
Water (the best to rehydrate hot, sweaty kids), 100% fruit juice (can be high in sugar, but better than soda), Soymilk, Chocolate Milk, Sports Drinks (only after 1 full hour of exercise)
Other sources for Healthy Snacks
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Center for Science in the Public Interest
I hope this helps you choose some healthy and easy snacks for your kids on game day. By choosing healthy foods, you are setting a great example of wellness for your child!
Cheers!
Jessica