Missed Opportunities

We all know that we, and especially our children, are being bombarded by unhealthy food choices every minute of every day.  You have come to expect it at the movie theatre, at the circus, even after every children's activity, birthday party, etc.  However, I have to tell you that I found myself more than disappointed today when I took my son to Rice Soccer Camp and the only food items they were selling in their concession throughout the camp day was candy and gatorade.  I really expected more from college level coaches and athletes when it comes to making the connection between consumption and performance.  These children idealize these coaches and players and the message of the importance of eating well for optimum athletic performance would have been so well received from this group.  Everyday parents tell me that they might as well be speaking to a wall, because their children absolutely are not responding to their pleading, nagging, etc. around making healthier food choices.Which is why I truly believe that this was a huge missed opportunity.  Unfortunately, this is just one of many missed opportunities when it comes to our kids and making healthier choices.  I am not suggesting that kids should never have special treats or that there is not a time for candy, however it seems that these days it is the rule instead of the exception.

I certainly made my own mommy mistake today, but hopefully I did not MISS a golden OPPORTUNITY.  I left William at camp at about 9:15am this morning and headed back home to work for a while before the 11:30am pick-up.  I briefly thought to myself as I was driving home that I should have thrown a snack in his bag, as the camp did not provide any.  I knew he had plenty of water so I decided he would be fine and that I would send it tomorrow if he got hungry.  HUGE MISTAKE!  When I got up to the field at 11:25am, I see William out on the field playing, however his face is bright red and he is very upset/crying.  They finish up the last few seconds of their play and as everyone heads for water and parents, he is still bawling with his coach.  He sees me and of course really lets loose.  He said he got hit in the head, but what I quickly found out was that the ball in the head was just the straw that broke the camels back.  When all of the other children were buying candy at the concession stand, he had no money and was hungry.  Now he was hot, thirsty AND hungry - and I felt SOOOOO bad.  Well, fortunately, I got him cooled off, fully hydrated, and to the point where he could actually have a calm conversation with me.  We went to look at the offerings at the concession (I did let him get a ring pop for a special treat after his lunch), but most importantly got to have a great conversation with him about a good snack for the best performance at camp.  I was still feeling pretty bad for "starving" him to death at camp today, but through our conversation, we decided to go to the store for some high-quality energy bars for him to take to the remaining days of camp.

We probably cannot make a big impact on what foods they offer at the movie theatre, the circus, or even our kid's camp, but as your kids' strongest influence, I beg you to take a step back from your crazy busy activity-filled days and look for the OPPORTUNITY to have a conversation or two or 200 about healthy food/life choices and why it makes so much impact in their performance on the field, in the classroom, or just hanging out with their friends.  If we take the stance of "their just kids" or "it's just one treat" multiple times a day or even just once a day, we end up with a generation of children that are 50% overweight or obese and getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease before they are teenagers.  Oh wait, that is exactly where we are, and if we don't TAKE THE OPPORTUNITIES when they come, we will find ourselves in an even worse position than this.

If you agree with me, let me know.  If you don't agree with me, let me know that too.  Let's at a minimum start the conversation, because this generation of kids are getting heavier and sicker everyday that we do nothing.

Here is great quick and easy snack instead of that bag of chips, crackers, etc.

"MY FAVORITE" Trail Mix
Servings:  6

Ingredients:
2 Cups 100% whole grain cereal (less than 10 grams of sugar per serving)
1/2 cup mixed unsalted nuts
1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
1/4 cup dark chocolate 60% or higher cocao (optional)
Other optional ingredients could be seeds or pretzel sticks

Directions:
Mix above ingredients together in a large bowl.  Place 1/2 cup servings into small snack-sized bags.  Any trail mix that will not be eaten within a week can be stored inside a resealable bag in the freezer.  This is delicious by itself as well as over some yogurt and fresh fruit.  If serving over yogurt and fruit, reduce serving size to 1/4 cup.  This is a great way to start a conversation with your kids about healthy choices as they help pick the ingredients for their favorite trail mix.  GET CREATIVE!

Here's to fresh, fast, and fantastic food!

Aimee