Jump to content

Menu

Soccer Snacks


mamaraby
 Share

Recommended Posts

Soccer snacks are quite possibly the bane of my existence. The first couple of seasons it was a juice box and a little package of goldfish crackers or teddy grahams. Not, perhaps the most healthy snack, but not a calorie bomb either. Lately, though, it's gotten worse. The snack for dd's team today was a huge treat box with easily 500-800 calories worth of food/juice. I'm really not exaggerating. There were somewhere around 5-6 different things in the box in about 100 calorie portions. I wasn't there today or I would have nixed the goodie box.

 

My youngest practices at 6pm so after dinner and right before bed. Her team has decided that they should have snack after practice and after game. The other dd had a double header one day and when I suggested that perhaps the kids didn't need two snacks they looked at me like I suggested the most horrible thing imaginable. They insisted that the kids would burn so many calories that two snacks was absolutely essential.

 

My dh gets a little "walk to school uphill in a blizzard both ways" with his rant about orange slices and water at half time. I don't want to be the mean mom who tells my kids they can't have a snack and I hate being the weirdo bringing oranges and water.

 

It's YMCA soccer so I would think this snack issue should fall under encouraging healthy lifestyles. I'm tempted to send an email to the guy who heads up the youth sports and ask that they consider a fruit/water only policy or eliminating snacks altogether.

 

There is no way these kids are burning more than 200 calories tops. Have we really gotten so calorie naive that we think kids need a snack after games and practices?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with you. We bring apples or watermelon on our turn. Today the kids got a drink box, chocolate dipped chewy granola bar and a fruit roll up thing. Both had partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. I'm not going to let them eat it, but feel bad that they took it when offered because I didnt know the ingredients.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree with you! I remember when ds was just a little guy and played soccer for the first time. Snacks. For. Everything! Drove me nuts! And each "snack parent" would try to outdo the previous. It got to the point of utter ridiculousness. I mean, what kid needs a bag of crackers, a brownie, a fruit rollup AND a capri sun for running around, chasing a ball for less than an hour?

 

Ds is now playing on our (very tiny) middle school's soccer team. Sometimes I wish there was a bit more communication with the parents. However, the other day I realized that I am no longer forced to provide snacks for every little thing and I decided then and there that I wouldn't complain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ds is now playing on our (very tiny) middle school's soccer team. Sometimes I wish there was a bit more communication with the parents. However, the other day I realized that I am no longer forced to provide snacks for every little thing and I decided then and there that I wouldn't complain.

I would feel the same way! Ds also plays on a YMCA soccer team and other teams in his grade level do snacks, but last year his coach announced that they wouldn't be doing snacks because the kids didn't need it. I had the uncontrolable urge to hug the guy. There was a lot of turn over this season in players so they have a bunch of new kids, but I think I'll take it. :0)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have that problem here thank goodness. Parents bring their own snacks for their kids if they think it necessary. My kids go to karate and somewhere in the middle they are allowed two minutes for a drink of water....sometimes they get an extra water break if its summer.

 

I'd be very annoyed if there was a snack. The kids finish at 6.30 and come straight home and eat dinner...they don't need a snack in between.

 

In my opinion kids only need a snack if it runs over a regular mealtime or smack bang in the middle of the afternoon where its been ages since they had lunch but still a few hours till dinner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's YMCA soccer so I would think this snack issue should fall under encouraging healthy lifestyles. I'm tempted to send an email to the guy who heads up the youth sports and ask that they consider a fruit/water only policy or eliminating snacks altogether.

I think you should send the email. For my kids German class, parents take turns to provide snacks and we were reminded not to bring treats. None of the teachers want "sugar high" kids after recess.

 

Fruits, pretzels, lemonade, hummus, carrots are what parents typically bring. There is a hot/cold water dispenser so we don't need to provide water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really haven't the foggiest. I understand it even less when it's handed out to my 4yo who spent at least some of the time staring off into space.

 

 

Dd says the same thing when our five year old granddaughter gets handed snacks after soccer. She marvels that daydreaming burns enough calories to warrant both a snack and a sugary drink.  I remind her that the dear child also picked some flowers and chased a few butterflies during the game so maybe that's where she burned calories. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate snacks.  It seems like parents want to give snacks for every thing.  I was so excited when DD's and older DS's teams stopped doing them around age 9.  I wish that my youngest's team would do away with them.  I hate the junk food, but also my DS has a severe food allergy which makes things tricky.  So far all of the parents and kids have been good about not complaining about it, but a few parents have forgotten.  I end up having to have a spare snack in the car for afterward just in case.  I really appreciated the coaches that at least encouraged healthy snacks.  Today in DS's snack bag he had fruit snacks (mostly sugar), gatorade, and apple slices.  Not too bad considering what he sometimes gets.

 

Having said that, DS's treat turn is on his birthday, so I am considered doing cupcakes even though I usually do healthy treats.   :blushing:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Having said that, DS's treat turn is on his birthday, so I am considered doing cupcakes even though I usually do healthy treats.   :blushing:

 

Once we choose to volunteer to bring snacks on my older boy's birthday (younger boy's birthday was few days later).  We brought all the healthy snacks and two small (about 16" round 3" high) birthday cakes for 30 kids and more than 10 adults. The children were happy getting two small slices of cake and they love frosting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They never got bad on our team, but one year a mom asked that everyone keep them healthy and there were a lot if apple slices and raisin boxes that year. Then the next year, another mom said, do they really need a snack every time? And we all just stopped doing it. So... can you just say something to everyone?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least it's just snack. In Hawaii (I think they still do this) there was a picnic meal after each game. It wasn't just drinks and goldfish; it was Real Food and a true picnic. That's just the way it was and people expected to Eat after the game. The food was shared by all families, not just players. But still, it's a bit much.

 

I was glad when ds2's U10 coach decreed no snacks as the boys were too old for such things. If parents wanted to share a drink rotation, that was ok, but no snacks included. :thumbup1:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They never got bad on our team, but one year a mom asked that everyone keep them healthy and there were a lot if apple slices and raisin boxes that year. Then the next year, another mom said, do they really need a snack every time? And we all just stopped doing it. So... can you just say something to everyone?

I could, but my suggestion regarding the single snack for the doubleheader was met with stony silence and sideways glances followed by several moms who disputed my assertion that the kids just weren't going to brun enough calories where a second snack was required.

 

There were, for the record, two snacks that day. Dh limited dd to one. She was disappointed, but handled it well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read this recently: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/03/04/kids-dont-need-snacks-recreational-sports/

 

It includes a quote from a RD saying, basically, that kids don't need snacks after recreational sports.

She had some good snacks on the list. Towards the bottom she had a link to the Real Mom Nutrition site and if I wrote a letter, I was thinking of going with some version of what RMN posted. It's a shame none of you are on our soccer team. We could band together and out an end to the silly snacks.

 

I think when it's our turn next week we're going to do orange slices just so I can get the old man in my dh to shut up about how things were back in his day. Lol, poor guy. The kids tune dh out every time he starts up.

 

I think we're going to do orange slices

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No snacks for practice, but we do have game day snacks. Each parent does it once. Usually it is a small Gatorade, some crackers or small chips and a fruit snack or fruit slices. It's a once a week thing, so I'm not that worried about it.

 

Our kids play a 90 minute full field game, though. They are not supposed to eat anything heavy immediately before the game, and I would guess they get a real workout, especially the U14. Maybe it's the area we are in, but the games are intense. The kids go through multiple bottles of water during the game, as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our kids play a 90 minute full field game, though. They are not supposed to eat anything heavy immediately before the game, and I would guess they get a real workout, especially the U14. Maybe it's the area we are in, but the games are intense. The kids go through multiple bottles of water during the game, as well.

Yeah, see, we're still in the herd ball stage, 60 minutes with multiple water breaks, substitutions and smaller fields. Intense game? Snack would be warranted. 3-4 yo children who spend equally as much time watching clouds as they do running? 1st/2nd grade YMCA soccer? It's not exactly an intense workout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least it's just snack. In Hawaii (I think they still do this) there was a picnic meal after each game. It wasn't just drinks and goldfish; it was Real Food and a true picnic. That's just the way it was and people expected to Eat after the game. The food was shared by all families, not just players. But still, it's a bit much.

 

Not just a picnic, a potluck meal! They set up pop ups, tables, bring pans of teriyaki chicken, rice, mac salad, etc. we played in military leagues and didn't experience it directly, but I have witnessed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last year there was a kid on ds's team whose mom would bring themed goodie bags when it was her turn for snacks. (Not just food, but tattoos and hats, etc.) The last two years, the expectation has been a healthy snack and drink at halftime and a "treat" snack at the end. This year we were told drinks at halftime, treats at the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least it's just snack. In Hawaii (I think they still do this) there was a picnic meal after each game. It wasn't just drinks and goldfish; it was Real Food and a true picnic. That's just the way it was and people expected to Eat after the game. The food was shared by all families, not just players. But still, it's a bit much.

 

I was glad when ds2's U10 coach decreed no snacks as the boys were too old for such things. If parents wanted to share a drink rotation, that was ok, but no snacks included. :thumbup1:

We do football but it's military leagues, thank goodness we haven't experienced this.

 

I was team mom last season and we just did regular snacks and drinks, no one went overboard, but we had one person bring a whole lunchable for each child. Our end of season party was a big potluck at the pool though, with lots of treats and food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought DS5's coach last season was too controlling about snacks (U6 league), but now I appreciate her stance.

 

She said NO Gatorade for kids that young as its NOT necessary. She suggested the little bottles of water, even over juices/Capri suns. She also encouraged fruit over cookies, but suggested maybe a little of both since the kids seem to expect sweets.

 

But she's a rare one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a reason you are counting your young child's calories?

 

My kid plays club soccer and high school soccer. He requires about 3000-4000 calories a day. I can't get enough food into him.

 

His little fruit snacks and tiny Gatorade never hurt him when he was small.

I don't count her calories as a general rule. It's hard not to consider the calorie content of the snack box. Not all kids are like your kid. Some of the kids on dd's team could use a little calorie deficit.

 

That's really beside the point, though. I'm also not talking about a little fruit snacks and tiny gatorade (well, I'd prefer juice to gatorade, but that's secondary). I wouldn't have a problem with that. My problem is that it's never just a little fruit snacks and tiny gatorade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a reason you are counting your young child's calories?

 

My kid plays club soccer and high school soccer. He requires about 3000-4000 calories a day. I can't get enough food into him.

 

His little fruit snacks and tiny Gatorade never hurt him when he was small.

My daughter just told me that she has lost 10 pounds since starting HS soccer. She was is 5'5" and 120 pounds. Not like she really has 10 pounds to lose and we are only 1/2 thru the season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd let it go. There may be bigger issues in the future to bring up, and you don't want to be known as one that complains (even though I can see your point!) about everything. If it's a big box full of items, I'd let mine pick one thing, and hide the rest away. FWIW, I'm speaking from experience and I've learned to pick my battles. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

calandalsmom - You don't think it's a problem. I don't think it encourages healthy habits. You interpet me to me running around counting everyone's calories. I do no such thing. You insist otherwise. There's a circle forming here. We'll agree to disagree on the matter.

 

Again, I'm not talking about club soccer, full field 90 minutes, intense activity. I'm talking recreational soccer at the Y where the activity level is much less intense, the fields are much smaller, and the periods of play are much shorter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The games my kids have last 32 minutes.  Each individual kid will be on the field for 16 to 24 minutes. Most of the kids never actually run during that time.   This is no where near enough exercise to call for Gatorade (they once got 20 oz bottles each) plus multiple junk food items every week.  I haven't even brought up the "goodie bags" of plastic junk and more candy for the end of the season that follows the game snack.  Sometimes there is a pizza party and cupcakes too.  It is insane. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

calandalsmom - You don't think it's a problem. I don't think it encourages healthy habits. You interpet me to me running around counting everyone's calories. I do no such thing. You insist otherwise. There's a circle forming here. We'll agree to disagree on the matter.

Again, I'm not talking about club soccer, full field 90 minutes, intense activity. I'm talking recreational soccer at the Y where the activity level is much less intense, the fields are much smaller, and the periods of play are much shorter.

One snack a week will not ruin healthy habits enforced the rest of the week. If you don't want your kid to have the snack just tell him not to take one. There are weeks when I tell my kid no to the snack. My oldest is 14, I've learned to pick my battles. No matter how much it bothers you, you are not going to change others behavior on this. Even if you were successful you will have to fight it again next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Treat Box??!!  My daughter started playing soccer in 3rd grade now plays U14 travel and on her middle school team.  The only snacks she's ever had were from tailgating at tournaments (which is really fun!).  Same for basketball - I can't imaging having to bring snacks for the entire team just for a practice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would send the email.  Our soccer teams had gotten to the point of a halftime snack (one cookie or cracker pack) and gatorade then an end of game snack (2 cookie or cracker packs) and gatorade.  When it was our turn to bring snack I brought oranges and water for halftime and cheezit packs and water for the post game snack.  It was about a 50/50 split between the parents who couldn't believe I was so lazy and those who were glad I finally broke the cycle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One snack a week will not ruin healthy habits enforced the rest of the week. If you don't want your kid to have the snack just tell him not to take one. There are weeks when I tell my kid no to the snack. My oldest is 14, I've learned to pick my battles. No matter how much it bothers you, you are not going to change others behavior on this. Even if you were successful you will have to fight it again next year.

 

But for a lot of kids it's not just one snack a week. Every activity my kids did had this kind of thing, even the ones that weren't especially physically active. 

 

My son's choir had snack time. When he first joined, it made sense, because rehearsal was right after school for most kids, and they wouldn't have had time to get home and have a snack before arriving. Plus, rehearsal ran right over a traditional dinner time. So, sure, a "snack" mid-way through rehearsal seemed appropriate. 

 

But then they moved the rehearsal time around, and the kids were still having snacks. 

 

Then they put rehearsal back to its original time, but put off snack until 30 minutes before the end of rehearsal, meaning that kids who would otherwise have had a snack after school had nothing and kids whose families opted to do dinner after rehearsal were bringing home kids who had consumed two or three snack-sized bags of chips and at least one "juice" pack half an hour ago. 

 

A kid who has an organized activity a few days a week is being handed these "snacks," which keep getting larger and less healthy with every passing year, at every single activity.

 

And here's the thing: I have no ax to grind, because my kids are done and out the door. Plus, because they are vegans, they could never eat the snacks provided by other families, anyway. So, it's not personal for me. I've just watched from the sidelines and think it's gotten really out of hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jenny, you hit the nail on the head. Soccer gets the bad rap for snacks but it's not just soccer- it's the accumulation of snacks at every activity. Our kids had snacks at theater rehearsals, AWANA, 4-H, homeschool co-op, t-ball, soccer,  even Sunday school classes served doughnut holes and 'juice'. 

 

Birthday parties used to be such a big deal when I was a kid because we got CAKE.   But when our kids were school age, they had snacks and treats at every activity so birthday party treats weren't even special treats anymore.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Snacks for my younger two soccer teams (U6 & U8) are generally decent enough though more than they "need".  Its usually a Quaker granola bar and something else (cheese stick, squeeze yogurt, etc.) and then some kind of pouch drink.  My daughter's U10 team, though...the kids who are working much harder out there...the snacks after their games?  This week they had a pack of double-stuff Oreos, last week was one of those bottle suckers that have the flavored powder in the bottle part and the week before that was a candy bar.  We eat fairly decently and we don't have a lot of sweets through the week, so I'm not too bothered that the snacks aren't ones I'd choose.  But Oreos, suckers and candy bars?!!  

 

Our new Awana church has a snack before it starts each week.  Almost always quite sugary ones.  Tonight, little cups of ice cream.  Fine. But then they also had to add syrup to them.  Then they each got a sweet in their classroom (Oreos or candy).  THEN they had a cookie during their group lesson/story time (it related to the story somehow, they don't usually have treats during this part).  

 

One Sunday at our last church, they gave the preschoolers powdered doughnuts & cupcakes.  In the same day.  And it was just during one service!  

 

Now that my kids aren't preschoolers anymore, it seems that we have less instances where every activity has to have a snack.  And for that I'm thankful.  Not just because of what the snacks often were but also for the oneupmanship that seemed to go on when snacks were provided by parents.  I didn't have the mental energy to keep up with that in high school, I really don't have it now.  :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was recently in charge of a snack served in the middle of an event where some children would be in attendance from 11:00am-5:30pm (depending on siblings' activities), so we tried to have a substantial snack.  We had a snack table with apples, oranges, bananas, and corn chips with a warm chili bean dip.  One child came by and said "when are we going to have snack?"  When we pointed at that this was snack, his response was, "Don't you have something else in the kitchen, like cookies or cake; I thought we were going to have snack."  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.

 

And here's the thing: I have no ax to grind, because my kids are done and out the door. Plus, because they are vegans, they could never eat the snacks provided by other families, anyway. So, it's not personal for me. I've just watched from the sidelines and think it's gotten really out of hand.

I'm not disagreeing that it's crazy. What I'm saying is that you are not going to stop it. If you do you will have to do it over and over and over. If you don't want them to have the snack then either tell your kids no or, if you aren't there for snack time, tell the teacher they can't have the snack and let them do w/o or provide your own snack.

 

Not every kid is in tons of activities. The only activity we have that does a group snack is Soccer. Every other activity we do either has no snack or I provide a snack.

I don't consider it being the snack police to educate the people who run recreational sport programs about the importance of sending out healthy messages around food.

 

I disagree.

 

We are Paleo at home. I don't go around telling parents they shouldn't feed their kid grains. If they ask I'll talk to them about it. It's up to them to decide what works for them.

 

My daughters select softball team has a parent who us a trainer. Her has offered FOR THE GIRLS WHO WANT IT to meet with them twice a week to workout and teach them proper nutrition. This is a guy who is trained and works with professional athletes. He's offering, not pushing/demanding.

 

It's not our place to tell others what to do. You can tell them you don't like it, but don't think your going to change it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were actually the first on the snack schedule this season. I brought oranges and bottles of water. It was amazing what followed suit with other parents. Now they are all bringing fruit and a drink. Now, it is still Gatorade or juice but I think it is a step in the right direction. I wouldn't feel comfortable stepping up and asking for a no snack policy but I do think when it is your turn, you don't have to do what everyone else does. Maybe you can be an example and others will follow suit?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I don't see why you can't stop it ? Place running recreational soccer sends out an email saying "Please bring healthy snacks. Examples of healthy snacks are..." My daughters' ballet school does this and it changed the culture. Girls that turned up with chips for a snack, started turning up with carrot sticks and hardboiled eggs. Much better for them.

Our rec. soccer League no such email is sent, they only communicate with coaches, rarely the entire league (which is thousands of kids). All the coaches are volunteers. As a coach I don't get paid enough to try to police snacks. If someone wants snacks every week they can make a snack rotation, if no one does then we won't have snacks, but if parents start complaining to me about the snacks being brought I will happily tell them they are welcome to take over all communications for the team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our rec. soccer League no such email is sent, they only communicate with coaches, rarely the entire league (which is thousands of kids). All the coaches are volunteers. As a coach I don't get paid enough to try to police snacks. If someone wants snacks every week they can make a snack rotation, if no one does then we won't have snacks, but if parents start complaining to me about the snacks being brought I will happily tell them they are welcome to take over all communications for the team.

 

I have to agree with you.

Personally I find this to be an issue some just like to get all sanctimommy about and explain how every other parent is an idiot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

Ă—
Ă—
  • Create New...