Need snacks on the go for your little
athlete? Here are some simple and healthy snacks that help provide the right
nutritional balance at the right time.
Keep these stocked:
·
Fruits – easy to
carry and non-messy to eat like apples, oranges, banana, grapes, blueberries,
strawberries
·
Single serve juices
(sugar free), milk etc.
·
Single serve
sugar-free yogurt packs
·
Granola bars
·
Whole grain
crackers, pretzels
·
Nuts
·
Sugar-free fruit
sauces, jams
·
Whole grain
pretzels
·
Fish chips
(on-the-go packs)
Pre-practice/ pre-game
Kids should be given snacks around 3
hours before the kid starts playing. Ideally this snack should include
easy-to-digest carbohydrate, some protein and ideally, no fat. Carbohydrate
will bring in the bout of energy that will help in performance during the work
out or the game.
Good pre-practice snacks include:
·
One portion of
cereal or grain snack and a fruit.
o
Cereal and grain
snacks you can choose from:
§
Peanut butter,
whole grain crackers, granola bars, whole grain pretzels
·
Preferably serve
fresh fruits, but you can also look at serving fruit leather or fruit sauces
that do not have added sweeteners.
Important: Do not feed the kid an hour
or less prior to the game. Ideal time would be 3 hours before the game but if
there’s a time crunch, you could look at two and a half hours or maybe 2 hours,
if you are really hard-pressed for time. But in that case also, feed easy
digesting carbs so that the kid does not have stomach ache while playing.
Banana would be ideal. Do not feed dairy even 3 hours before the game. Dairy
takes a lot of time to digest and can cause abdominal pain while the body works
out.
While playing or working out
While the kid is playing, her body does
not need nutrition. All it needs is hydration. Water works best. Sports drinks
are good too, but personally I advise against them, since natural is best for
kids. if your child sweats a lot or gets muscle cramps while playing, make this
all-natural sports drink at home for her.
Squeeze a lemon in one-liter lukewarm
water. Add half a teaspoon of salt and one-two teaspoons of sugar. Mix well.
empty this mixture in a sports bottle that’s convenient for the child to use
while playing.
Serving this all-natural sports drink
will keep the child hydrated while keeping up the essential mineral and salt
balance of the body. Plus, you can save the money you put into buying expensive
sports drinks.
After practice/game
After the game, body needs extra
carbohydrates and proteins to repair and rebuild the muscle and tissue damage
that occurs while playing. Before the child gets her wholesome meal, a snack
after the game is a good idea.
The ideal snack should include one portion
of grain snack, one portion of fresh fruit and either milk or yogurt along with
it. The single serve yogurt, milkshake and hummus packs will come in handy
here. You can also serve nuts to the kid after the game. Popcorn with cheese
sprinkled can also be a good idea.
The meal you serve after the game
should contain veggies, lean meat and eggs amongst other things like bread or
pasta.
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