Q: It was my sister's turn to bring some of the post-game snacks for her 10-year-old son's soccer team last fall, and as a good aunt I volunteered to supply them. I brought water, orange and apple slices, a bunch of cut carrots and celery, and yogurt bars with raisins. The kids barely touched them. Instead they went for a pile of doughnuts, chips and juice boxes another mother brought. How can parents do that to their kids? - JoAnne M., Cincinnati
A: Kids need a snack and beverage after they have a game or practice, to rehydrate and replenish electrolytes (minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate and magnesium) they lose by sweating profusely. That should come from water, strawberries, watermelon, almonds, raisins and peanuts for snacks, and from fish, turkey and chicken if they want protein-packed foods too. That's how to restore energy, repair muscles and build strength.
Unfortunately, loading up on post-game empty calories is all too common. A recent study from Brigham Young University and Texas A&M found that the average energy expenditure per game of soccer, flag football, baseball or softball for kids is 170 calories, but their average caloric intake from post-game snacks is 213 calories. And before, during and after a game kids down an average of 26 grams of added sugars (that's more than the daily limit of 25 grams recommended by the American Heart Association, which should be spread out to no more than 4 grams in any hour). Sugary drinks were the worst culprit.
Fortunately, there's a solution. The researchers have been reaching out to parks and recreation departments to have them inform parents about the importance of post-game healthy snacking. In one city, the effort paid off quickly; 16% of snacks then included water instead of a sugary beverages, and parents who brought fruits and vegetables increased from 3% to 15%. So spread the word in your community and help your kids achieve peak performance and better health.
Q: My sister is proud to say, "I've never met a vegetable with a good personality." She thinks that's funny, but I think the fact that she never eats vegetables has caused her no end of health troubles and general grumpiness. Is that possible? - George G., Richmond, Virginia
A: You are onto something, George. If you don't have an abundant supply of fruits, veggies and only whole grains in your diet, you're a candidate for heart problems, various cancers, gastrointestinal woes and mood disorders. And now a new Canadian study found that consuming fewer than three different types of fruits and veggies a day ups your chance of developing an anxiety disorder by 24%! And if your total body fat is above 36%, the researchers found it raises your risk of having an anxiety disorder by 70%. (A healthy percentage of body fat for folks ages 20 to 40 is 21% to 33% and for ages 41 to 60 it is between 23% and 35%.)
That's because you need at least that many diverse servings of produce to avoid chronic inflammation and maintain a healthy gut biome, which research shows influences not only your blood glucose level and immune system health, but emotional wellbeing as well.
It's tough to get an adult to change eating habits unless they are expressing an interest in doing so. Only 12.2% of American adults meet the recommended daily allowance for fruit, and 9.3% meet the standard for vegetables. You need to make healthy food choices available to your sister without criticizing her or insisting she try them, and discover how to season them with herbs and spices she loves. And show her this column as proof of how much you care about her wellbeing. Then if she asks, let her know that the recommended daily intake is one-and-a-half to two cups of fruit and two to three cups of vegetables. Good luck!
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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