Editor,
Every week this fall a different parent in Laguna Beach has complained to me about the snacks other parents are bringing to the soccer fields for our kids. Here is a sampling: chocolate donuts, cookies, candy apples and candy.
The reason people feel compelled to tell me is because I am a pediatric registered dietitian and spend my professional life teaching families how and what to feed their kids to optimize their health.
If you want your kids to have a donut, take a trip to the donut shop where they belong. Don’t bring them to the field as a snack for the team. These sugary snacks are sending the wrong message to our kids about taking care of their bodies during and after they engage in physical activity. Even if kids are on the thinner side, it’s no excuse. Sugar coursing through their veins after a hard played game or practice is not recommended in any sports nutrition literature I have read. Sliced oranges, bananas, grapes or a cheese stick should suffice.
Melanie R. Silverman, Laguna Beach
