Real Mom Nutrition
A no-judgments zone about feeding a family.
Coaches are role models, and they set the tone for the season. They also play a critical role in getting junk food and sugary drinks off the sidelines of youth sports. When I’ve taken my Snacktivism mission to the coaches of my children’s teams, I’ve been grateful that they’ve all been on board (read: “THAT Mom: The Sequel“). I was …
Leaves are falling. Soccer balls are flying. Naturally, my thoughts turn to healthy team snacks. Since I first voiced my frustration over junky soccer snacks a few years ago (read Soccer Mom Soapbox), I’ve advocated for fruit-and-water team snacks. I’ve also made the case for simply eliminating the team snack altogether (read The End of Soccer …
Remember when soccer snacks were simple orange slices on the sidelines? Someone’s mom brought a Tupperware container full of them for halftime. You sucked out the juice or peeled the fruit from the rind while getting a pep talk from your coach, then ran back onto the field. Flash forward a few decades and orange …
Two years ago, I tromped around the soccer fields in my community, snapping photos of the snacks I was seeing. I set the photos to music and turned them into a video slideshow called “Soccer Mom On A Mission”, with the hopes of raising awareness and mobilizing a new wave of Snacktivists to create change. After …
“McDonald’s is, like, the official restaurant of everything.” That’s what my nine year old said to me as we were watching the Olympics the other night. That’s because every 10 minutes that McDonald’s commercial was on the screen. You know which one I’m talking about: the split-screen showing an Olympian biting their gold medal on …
The longer I am a parent, the more irritated I become about sports drinks. I am irritated that million-dollar marketing tactics are used to woo children with star athletes, logos splashed all over televised sporting events, and online comics and games. It’s wrong. How wrong? Last year, Gatorade actually developed a video game in which the player maneuvers …
It was a case of poor planning. My husband and I had taken our nine year old, Henry, to an outdoor center to play mini golf and hit balls at the batting cages. It was steamy hot, and while I had remembered the hats and sunscreen, I had forgotten water. There were no water fountains, …
Something happened on the soccer fields last weekend that made cupcakes seem tame by comparison: A rep from 7 Up worked the crowd, offering free diet soda to parents and kids. When I found out about this through some friends–and confirmed it with a call to our rec center–I felt my blood pressure rise about …
Wish there were healthier team snacks on the sidelines of youth sports? I can help you make it happen! Several years ago, I had a moment of clarity as I watched my son’s pee-wee soccer team gobble frosted cupcakes, cookies, and chips after a Saturday morning game: Why are kids given so much junk food on …
My son’s day camp at the local university had everything going for it: Flexible drop-off for working parents, after-care swim lessons, a full day of sports and activities that made bedtime blessedly early. But alas: The snacks. The first day, the campers were given Fruit Roll-Ups and Powerade. The next, it was Cinnamon Toast Crunch …
By now, most of you know that I get a little feisty about soccer snacks. And t-ball snacks. (Read “Soccer Mom Soapbox” and “That Mom: The Sequel“). I know a lot you feel the same way. (Though some of you don’t.) Last fall, I decided to start documenting the snacks I was seeing on the sidelines of …
Apparently, when six-year-old boys aren’t talking about Star Wars, they’re talking about pop. All of a sudden, Henry is full of tales about kids who brought Pepsi in their lunch to camp or drank Mountain Dew at their cousin’s birthday party. And he’s asking me questions like, “What does Sierra Mist taste like?” and “What’s …
