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March 15, 2013

Soccer Season is Here. Are You Ready, Snacktivists?

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Right now, in many communities around the country, kids are trying on cleats and shin guards and parents are busting out camp chairs and coolers from storage. Soccer season is upon us. And so are soccer snacks.

If you’re fed up with soccer snacks (or baseball, swimming , or basketball snacks), if you’re done with frosted cupcakes, donuts, cookies, chips, and sugary drinks on the sidelines after games, if you’re ready to make a change on your child’s team, now is the time to act!

Talk to your child’s coach–ideally before the first or second practice but definitely before the first game. Let him or her know about your concerns and ideas. If the coach is open to a healthier snack policy, you’ll want to spread the word and organize right away (or consider eliminating the snack completely. Read “What if Soccer Snacks Just Went Away?“)

Here’s an example of the kind of email you can send. Feel free to cut, paste, edit, and make this your own.

Hi Coach ____,

I wanted to introduce myself. I’m _____’s mom, and we’re all excited about the upcoming season!

I’m writing because I’d like to discuss the topic of team snacks with you. I’m concerned about the junk food I’ve been seeing on the sidelines of kids’ sports, and I’m wondering if you would be open to a fruit-and-water snack policy for our team this season (remember the orange slices we ate on the sidelines when we were kids?). Children don’t need Oreos, cupcakes, Doritos, and sugary punch on Saturday mornings–or in the evening, especially if families are having dinner after the game. One of the reasons we have our kids in sports is to encourage physical activity and good health, and these kinds of snacks derail that goal. I’ve discussed this with other parents on the sidelines, and it seems like many of them would love to see an end to the junk food too.

If you’d like, I can draft an email to parents on the team about the fruit-and-water snack policy. I’m also happy to organize the snack schedule for you. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you!

Here are some more tools to help you:

Sample Team Letter: Explaining the fruit-and-water policy and providing examples of kinds of fruit to bring.

FAQ: In case you’re met with questions.

Slideshow: Photos I took on the soccer fields of snacks (from Krispy Kremes to bananas) set to music, plus powerful statistics that will hopefully get coaches and parents aware and on board.

I’m also here to help you in any way I can. So feel free to stop by my Facebook page and leave me a message–or post a success story!

Make THIS the season you push for real change. Good luck!

Hi! I'm Sally, a dietitian-mom.

I believe that EVERY mom can feel successful and confident about feeding her kids, lose the stress, and finally enjoy mealtime again.

Sign up for my weekly emails for support and inspiration (plus dinner ideas!) and I'll send you 16 game-changing tips for feeding your kids--even the super-duper picky ones.

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Filed Under: Sports Snacks Tagged With: junk food, snacktivism, sports

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    March 18, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    Sally — I’m wearing my Snacktivist badge and am ready to get to work on the soccer and t-ball snacks! I’m thinking of contacting the organizations involved and ask them to provide info on healthy snacks to all the coaches. I’ll let you know what kind of response I get.

    Reply
  2. Erin says

    March 24, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    Biggest kitchen cleaning challenge? The range hood & backsplash!

    Reply
  3. Angela says

    April 21, 2013 at 5:04 pm

    Score one for the food-obsessed mom!! I have two out of three spring sports teams agreeing to NO snacks after baseball games! The third decided to just do a few games over the season (kindergarten softball team), but it’s better than every night! I tried to do “healthy snacks” last year, but that just didn’t work (my idea of healthy is way different than some other families’). This year I asked all the coaches to just let kids bring their own snack, that way WE can decide for our own families what is a good snack after a baseball game.

    Reply
    • Sally says

      April 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm

      Bravo, Angela!! That is terrific news, and thank you for sharing it with me–and making GREAT change for your child and so many other children too.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Super Snacks on the Field | Dont Panic, Mom! says:
    March 17, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    […] rec department was that desperate.) Fortunately, I’ve been reading Real Mom Nutrition and her quest to make soccer snacks less crappy. Take a peek at her slideshow […]

    Reply
  2. When Soccer Snacks Get Personal — Real Mom Nutrition says:
    October 23, 2013 at 8:45 am

    […] long known there are parents in my community who aren’t on board with my soccer snack mission. That’s okay. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from coaches and parents. And I […]

    Reply
  3. Kids Don't Need Snacks in Recreational Sports! - 100 Days of Real Food says:
    March 4, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    […] not the only one who is fired up about this. Sally from Real Mom Nutrition has a great post that includes all the tools you need to be proactive about being a “snactivist” when it […]

    Reply
  4. Kids don’t need Snacks in Rec. Sports! | Moxie Fit says:
    March 5, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    […] not the only one who is fired up about this. Sally from Real Mom Nutrition has agreat post that includes all the tools you need to be proactive about being a “snactivist” when it comes […]

    Reply
  5. Soccer Mom On A Mission…Watch It! — Real Mom Nutrition says:
    March 13, 2014 at 9:23 am

    […] Mom On A Mission”, with the hopes of raising awareness and mobilizing a new wave of Snacktivists to create […]

    Reply
  6. Health Through Stealth? “The School Wellness Ninja” says:
    March 13, 2014 at 9:25 am

    […] Bucking this trend can sometimes be hard, though, and many parents have reported getting a surprising amount of push-back from fellow parents, or recalcitrant principals, teachers or soccer coaches, when they’ve asked to improve the snacks and treats offered to their kids.  (Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition coined the excellent term “Snactivists” for parents who try to take this issue on, especially in the context of kids’ sports leagues.) […]

    Reply

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