Suppertime Survival
Suppertime Survival
By: Anita Eggink, Registered Dietitian
Swim Club keeps our kids active but it also runs through the supper hour and keeps parents going every which way except to the supper table. Families who eat together eat better but it’s difficult to find the time to prepare healthy meals unless you’re organized.
Follow these simple steps to help you get nutritious and delicious meals on the table:
- Make a Plan. Making a plan can be as simple as taking items out of the freezer the night before and placing them in the fridge to defrost overnight!
- Try to eat together as often as possible. Research shows families that eat together for at least two meals throughout the week enjoy benefits such as improved nutrition, better communication and reduced risky behaviors.
- Make one supper the whole family can enjoy. Avoid becoming a short order cook. Include a variety of different meals over the week that will appeal to your family.
- Serve part of supper before supper. The after-school crowd is usually starving when they get home from school! Serve part of your meal before they head off to after school activities.
- Keep mealtime interesting by trying new recipes! Go online or to the public library for recipe ideas. Talk to friends and family and see what works for them.
- Keep a well-stocked pantry. Try to limit grocery shopping to once a week. You will be amazed at how much time you can save if you avoid dashing to the grocery store on your way home from work. By planning your meals, you will know which groceries you need.
- Cook once and eat twice. If you are making lasagna, stew, casserole or sauce make enough for at least 2 meals. Store extras in the freezer.
- Get the kids involved in meal preparation. Learning how to prepare and cook healthy meals is an important life skill. Determine age appropriate involvement in meal preparation and let them help out. Young children can set the table or wash lettuce. Older children can be responsible for a full meal such as ham sandwiches with baby carrots, and berries with vanilla yogurt.
Check out these great websites for ideas on surviving suppertime and feeding your budding athlete!
Eat Right
EatRight
Healthy U (www.healthyalberta.com) - Many people have very busy lives but still need to find time for healthy eating – even when eating out or eating before rushing off to an activity! The collection of articles on this website gives you ideas for making sure that active kids and active adults get the nutrition they need. Healthy U includes lots of recipe collections including recipe ideas that your children can help you with!
Dietitians of
Suppertime Survival (www.suppertimesurvival.com) – This website features a series of cookbooks by the same name written by Registered Dietitian. It also features a free suppertime survival meal planner and tips to to help you get supper on the table faster!
Cooking for the Rushed (www.cookingfortherushed.com) - Sandi Richard is the mother of seven children, and when eating became the enemy in her house she began searching for solutions. That was two decades ago and she never looked back. Sandi is the author of a series of cookbooks called Cooking for the Rushed. In addition to previewing her cookbooks, this website features free grocery list generators – a great time saving tool!
Nutrition for Swimmers
Good nutrition can't replace excellent coaching, effort, talents, and personal drive. But there's no question that what your child eats and drinks can make a difference in their reaching peak performance during the swim season. Nutrition does not make and average athlete elite, but it can make and elite athlete average.
For sports and everyday living, carbohydrates are your body's foremost energy source - and main fuel for working muscles. Training and a healthy carbohydrate-rich diet work together to boost the competitive edge. Training helps your body use carbohydrates efficiently and store more as muscle glycogen. Stored in muscles, glycogen fuel is ready to power your child's swimming.
So what is a healthy diet to boost the competitive swimming edge? The research is very compelling that eating well on days of practice is just as important as eating well right before a swim meet. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds will help your child train harder so that he or she is better prepared for competition.
What your child eats right before the meet can also help, but more importantly a healthy carbohydrate rich diet for several days prior to the meet makes a difference. Again, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, low fat or nonfat dairy and lean choices of protein are the foods that are going to provide the nourishment a competitive swimmer needs.
What to Eat before the Meet
Eating a hearty high-carbohydrate dinner the night before is important. Pre-meet dinner ideas include: your child's favorite pasta dish (preferably with whole wheat pasta), whole grain roll, and their favorite vegetable with fruit and angel food cake for dessert. Another possibility is chili made with beans and some lean meat, bread, and their favorite vegetable topped off with a serving of fresh berries and ice cream. Whatever the dinner menu, just make sure it is loaded with complex carbohydrates and some lean protein.
In the morning getting kids to eat before a swim can be tough. But eating breakfast before an early morning swim meet is especially important because it replenishes glycogen in the liver (which later can be used for fuel when needed during a race) that may have been used by the body while sleeping. If at all possible, it's important not to skip breakfast. Following are some ideas of light, high-carbohydrate breakfast meals or snacks. Many of the foods can be put in baggies for eating on the way to the swim meet or shortly after arrival if your child's appetite for breakfast hasn't quite kicked in.
* hot or cold whole grain cereal with fruit and milk
* pancakes with syrup, fat-free yogurt, and strawberries
* toasted whole wheat waffle topped with fruit and yogurt
* smoothie made with yogurt, low fat or nonfat milk, or soy and fruit or 100% fruit juice
* whole grain toast with peanut butter and jam, 1% chocolate milk
* whole grain bagel with light cream cheese and jam, fruit and juice
* whole grain crackers, cheese stick, banana, and fruit juice
* bran muffin, yogurt, and berries
* leftover cheese pizza slice and orange juice
During Competition
For starters, keeping kids hydrated is key, especially during those hot summer days. Water is best, but sometimes a slightly sweetened beverage such as a sport drink or slightly diluted 100% fruit juice can be a good choice. These drinks will help maintain your child's blood sugar levels, boost stamina, and help replenish their muscle glycogen. Drinks high in sugar such as sodas and other sweetened beverages can actually cause mild dehydration because water is pulled into the stomach to help dilute the sugar concentration of the sugared beverage. So, whenever possible, avoid highly sweetened drinks during the actual meet and before practice.
During the meet healthy high-carbohydrate, low-fat and low fibre snacks are key for replenishing the body's fuel source. These foods are digested quickly and are the primary fuel for all forms of physical activity. Once you start exercising, undigested food stays in your stomach and can cause cramping so swimmers should eat small amounts frequently throughout the day. The most important thing is to choose foods you are familiar with to avoid stomach upset and cramping.
High-fat snacks including cookies, candy bars, and potato chips take longer to digest and can actually slow your child down on race day. Healthier snacks for competition day are low in fat and high in carbohydrates such as fresh fruit sliced, wedged, or whole, whole grain crackers, pretzels, bagels, rice cakes, fruit bars, smoothies, and nonfat yogurt.
Never try a new food or food combination on competition day. You do not want to risk an upset stomach on the day of a meet!
Recovery Foods
After strenuous exercise, it is important to refuel your muscles. Your muscles store energy but it gets used up during activity.
The best time to replace the used energy is within 15 minutes of ending the activity. Within this time, it is easier for your muscles to replace energy. Choose foods that are high in carbohydrates, like breads, cereals, pasta, fruits and vegetables.
Meal After Swim Meet
It is also important to plan a recovery meal within 2 hours of ending the meet. To build and repair muscles after exercise, your body needs protein. Foods from the Meat and Alternatives food group are good sources of protein to include in your after-activity meal. Remember to keep your meals balanced by including at least three of the four food groups. This will help your body to get the nutrients you need. Also remember to drink enough fluid for adequate hydration.
For more information such as sample menus, visit www.healthyalberta.com.
