Half-Time Snacks

For the past month, we have been in full soccer mode.  Our Saturdays are spent at the soccer field, and with only two children on teams, we regularly have practices 2-3 nights per week.  The kids are loving the time outdoors, the competition, and the new friendships, and we are truly enjoying spending our weekends watching games and killing downtime on the playground.  There is, unfortunately, one thing we are not loving about soccer season—half-time snacks.

At some point in the last twenty years, an appropriate half-time snack went from orange slices and your own water bottle to oreo cookies and Hi-C juice boxes.  I’ve also seen Fritos, Doritos, and even Twizzlers.  I’m serious.  As a former Division 1 collegiate athlete, I am horrified.

I’ve seen my coaching husband have to chase children back onto the field as these children clung to their Hi-C juice box and fig newtons.  I then watch and deal with the tears as my own younger two children grab and ask for any “leftover” team snacks. Apparently the majority of adults in our town are completely unaware of the obesity problem in our country?  And it isn’t just our town.  My husband recently informed me that a neighboring town has banned half-time snacks because the snacks were unhealthy.

Just to clarify, soccer games are 40 minutes playing time, and no more than an hour and 15 minutes between departing and returning to your own home.  A snack of any kind is completely unnecessary, let alone a snack that is simply junk food.

Yet I am continually amazed at how seriously parents take the “snack sign up” sheet, and I almost laughed at another mother’s horror as she realized someone had forgotten to bring the half-time snack.

As someone with a number of years of experience in competitive sports and proper training/nutrition, allow me to clarify a few things–

1)  When working out for less than an hour, it probably does more harm than good to consume any food.  It is best to eat something low in fat prior to the workout (preferably 1-2 hours beforehand) and then eat again after the workout.  If your child feels low energy during short workouts, consider having him consume something higher in protein about 1.5 hours beforehand (my personal preference is a hard boiled egg!).

2)  Avoid extra sweet foods during a workout–examples include candy, soda, cookies or cake.  These cause a spike in blood sugar, and then cause sugar levels to drop.  At best kids can become dizzy and sluggish, at worst, the sugar will cause an upset stomach.

3)  If other kids or coaches insist on a snack, even for a short 40 minute soccer game, here are some good suggestions–orange slices, bananas, apple slices, or grapes.

It was my turn to bring a snack last week.  I opted for oranges.  They were not popular, there were even some complaints.  At least my younger two had their fill of uneaten oranges.