I don’t remember a time I didn’t have active kids whether it was busy playing, going to the park these little divas have always been on the move. Maybe this post should just be a snack for kids but I have some tips of especially what to snack on pre- and post activity. For those who don’t know, I am the Mama of three little diva’s which aren’t so little anymore. The older they get the more places I have to drive them and when I am trying to think of snacks not only for my kids but for myself as well I have a small criterion.
Snacks before activity
- Snacks should not me mindless choices to keep you occupied.
- Pre Workout Snacks should be intentional small meals to fuel your body for the demands of the activity.
- You should also account for proper hydration and the consumption of fluid pre and post meal and their effect on their performance.
- Everything we put in our body has a purpose to nourish our body you should be making intentional decisions.
What kind of snack should active kids have?
Including more than one light snack daily with an active kid is recommended. These “light snacks” should provide a significant amount of carbohydrates which is known to be one of the primary fuel sources for highly active cells and helps to avoid gastrointestinal (GI) issues that occur with very large meals to meet calorie needs. (Kerksic, C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. 2015)
Your snack should also contain a protein source. Studies reveal an improvement in both strength and body composition with frequent protein intake throughout the day; in comparison, not enough doses of protein intake.4 (Mamerow MM, Mettler JA, English KL, et al. 2014)
Things to eat pre and post workout:
The snacks that you choose pre and post workout need to help optimize glycogen stores and maintain glucose levels so the body is ready to adapt to the needs of training. The closer you get to your training session the meal should be smaller and less protein, fat and fiber but not too small that you get hungry during your workout.
You also don’t want a snack that is too large because it can give you those gastrointestinal issues (GI) during your training. Snacks should also be high in carbohydrates. You want foods that are high-glycemic because they are easier to digest and enters the bloodstream faster.7
Pre- Activity
30-60 minutes Prior:
- Banana
- Beet juice or cherry juice
- Dried fruit
- Rice Crackers
- Pretzels
- Water
- Nuzest Good Green Snack
Eating too heavy can put your child’s digestive system on overload. It’s best to leave the heavy meal hours prior to activity or afterward.
Drinks that are Ideal for Pre Activity
Some better choices in Pre and post-activity drinks are drinks that are high in dietary nitrates. For example, beet and cherry (for the flavor) juice prior to a workout is a better alternative to drinks on the market. Beet juice is a high source of nitrates, polyphenols (a great source of great source antioxidants). Cherry juice is also a common pre-workout for the positive performance benefits it has during exercise activity. (Jones AM, Vanhatalo A, Bailey SJ.2013)
Can you snack during exercise?
Most children don’t need to snack for the workout are moderate intensity and last up to 90 minutes. Endurance-type or high-intensity sports lasting longer than 60 to 90 minutes you need to try to get in at least 30-60g of protein within the hour to help extend endurance performance but again that is dependent on your child’s activity. It also acceptable to consume carbohydrates during exercises for children who are not well-nourished or didn’t have a pre-workout snack. That is also something that you should speak to your pediatrician.
Ideas of during-exercise snacks, as tolerated:
- MomSanity Branch Chain Amino Acids
- Applesauce Pouches
- Bananas
- Crackers
What do I feed my active kids after a “workout”?
After a workout, I want to get protein and carbohydrates in at least 30-45 minutes after the girls finish their activity. It is very important to help them recover and I think what they eat is important. It’s also larger than their pre-workout snack because they just burned lots of calories and are usually feisty hungry.
Ideas of post-exercise snacks:
- Momsanity CRAVE in Milk
- Nuzest Fruit and Veg Smoothie
- Greek yogurt with banana
- Cottage Cheese and Apple
- High protein cereal with milk and fruit
- Egg on English muffin, fruit
- Lean meat or peanut butter sandwich,
- Raisins
- Dates and Almond Butter
- Hard Boiled Eggs and Baby Carrots
The Worst Snacks for Active Kids
I think that it can be really simple to fuel your active kids. Ultimately, when considering choosing snacks for your active child not to choose only processed sports foods as snacks. When only highly processed sports foods replace whole foods at snack time, a great opportunity to consume fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals is missed. Eat real food and limit the junk.
My biggest tip would be when thinking of nutrition be intentional, not mindless. Eat well and eat often and try to make quality, intentional nutrition choices.
What are some snacks that you serve your active kids?
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Reference:
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Burke L. Practical Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics; 2007. Print
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Kerksic, C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing. J Intl Soc Sports Nutr. 2008;17. Accessed January 5, 2015.
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Carlsohn A, Nippe S, Heydenreich J, Meyer F. Carbohydrate intake and food sources of junior triathletes during a moderate and an intensive training period. Int J of Sports Nutr Exerc Metab. 2012;22:438-443. Print
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Mamerow MM, Mettler JA, English KL, et al. Dietary protein distribution positively influences 24-h muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults. J Nutr. 2014;144::876-880. Print.
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Phillips S, Bandini LG, Naumova EN, et al. Energy-dense snack food intake in adolescence: longitudinal relationship to weight and fatness obesity research. Obesity Res. 2004;12:461-472. Print.
6.Andrea Q. Vintro, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, owner of Nutrition Logic, LLD in Portland, OR.
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Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SHS, Jeukendrup AE. “Carbohydrates for training and competition. J Sports Sci, 2011;29 (suppl1): S17-S27. Print.
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van Loon LJC. Role of dietary protein in post-exercise muscle reconditioning. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2013;75:73-83. Print.
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Spiegel K, Tasali E, Leproult R, van Cauter E. Effects of poor and short sleep on glucose metabolism and obesity risk. Nature Rev Endocrinol. 2009;5:253-261, Print