It’s nine in the morning and we have just traveled an hour south for a series of soccer games for my six-year-old. It’s twenty minutes into a game and my three-year-old has already hit his attention limit. With a grimace, I desperately toss him our travel snack bag. He then digs into a pack of gummy snacks followed by Cheez-Its, but he is quiet and we have a few more games to go before we get to head home.
I know I’m not the only parent making serious nutritional compromises as families with other younger siblings are either doing the exact same thing or exasperatedly negotiating with their little ones while trying to catch the action on the field. Tis the life of a soccer mom.
Once, a very long time ago, I was playing soccer almost seven days a week, most of the year. I remember packing into our large conversion van to be shuttled here, there and everywhere for practices, tournaments, games and camps, often resorting to drive-thru in between to fill up after a day of calorie burning activities. And then there was the trusty ol’ orange slices meant to refuel us, usually followed by some kind of sugary baked good. Even now I can smell the summer grass, the feel the sweat dripping down my brow as sticky hands dig into another orange slice then a cupcake or brownie. And I felt gross and tired, but somehow still hungry.
Now that I am living the life that my mother did before me, I know firsthand that those on-the-go food choices don’t just affect my little athlete but myself and her brother as well. And there is simply no time between soccer games, dance class, and ice-skating lessons to dive into the check boxes to meet everyone’s nutritional needs. That’s why we’ve spent so much time investing in the science and the ingredients, so that you don’t have to worry about that grab-and-go food item or the guilt that goes with it. For now, sit back in your sports chair, and cheer for your kid. The next entry we will cover the sports science.
By Josette Hammerstone Huber