You can absolutely fuel your athletes effectively for after school sports with real food snacks that are convenient and packable!
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The learning curve
It wasn’t necessarily a part of the plan. When my kids were little, our days were really focused on open-ended, unstructured and outdoor play. I didn’t put them into sports while they were young – not that there is anything wrong with that! I was mostly just in survival mode at that time, I think! We spent our days fueling them for play and fun, and even enjoyed baking and making cute real food kids snacks. As they got older, they became more interested in trying team sports, and I really had to shift that thought process…
A very real fuel need
It only took a short sports season for me to realize these kids were burning through food faster than I was used to keeping up with. And the cutie little snacks I used to make when they were little were not exactly backpack friendly for day in and day out fueling needs after school.
A brief panic…and shift back to the basics
The more I read about fueling athletes for recovery, the more frustrated I got. The typical advice of keeping fruit snacks, sugary gels, and candy in their backpacks for quick energy was not something I was on board with putting into my growing kids’ bodies. There had to be a better way. And there was. Any time I get frustrated with making real food work, all I need to do is get back to the basics and every frustrating, seemingly impossible situation is suddenly clear as day.
Effective fuel for real food kids
It was very apparent that these hard working kids needed a boost in carbs for energy during practices. My frustration with the typical sugary gels, candy, and fruit snacks led me to re-think how we could pack effective, fast working carbs with a clean source into the girls’ backpacks. And really, once I got to brainstorming, the ideas were endless! Nature has so many great quick carb sources for energy, that also pack well too!
Why carbs?
I know, I know, you might be from the generation that vilified carbs like I am. Fats were the bad guy when I was a kid, and into my early adulthood, the low carb craze had all of us backing off on nature’s most potent and effective energy source. (No wonder so many of us were running on empty!) These athletes are using their muscles at full force, over long periods of time. All of our muscles have energy tanks that help them work – those energy tanks use glucose as their gas. You cannot run a car without gas, and our kids’ muscles cannot work well without glucose…carbs!
How to fuel for practice
Fueling for after school practice begins…with breakfast. And school lunch for that matter. Shoving a bunch of food down on the way to practice doesn’t do them any good. Ensure they get all 3 macros at breakfast and lunch with substantial meals, and all they will need is a quick snack boost before practice. To see more how I plan these kind of days out, check out one of my 2 week “what we actually ate” meal plans, and you’ll see how I fuel the girls for breakfast and lunch to make it count – especially on practice or game days.
Our favorite backpack snacks for after school practice fuel
So here is a list of our favs and snacks that we have found effective at fueling our kids so they can practice hard without running out of gas!
- Packable fruit :: Apples, grapes, and bananas are affordable, accessible (for most), and pack really well. Literally the easiest real food carb source, and also packs some electrolyte punch. It really is nature’s perfect energy.
- Fruit Pouches :: The next best thing to a piece of fruit! Fruit pouches have become more affordable and are also accessible. They are a convenient option to pack enough pouches for the whole week! I typically just stick to the organic applesauce pouches from Costco.
- Honey packets/sticks :: This was my answer to the sugar gels that runners use before races. I just couldn’t get behind it. Honey makes for the same kind of quick carb hit that a runner needs before a race, and won’t inflame the body with processed sugar. My gymnast also uses honey halfway through a 4 hour practice with conditioning. It is so effective! This is our favorite honey pouch with an electrolyte boost. We also like these too. This is also a good choice that is super affordable and works well.
- Dried Fruit :: This is a convenient way to pack fruit that won’t go bad for a whole week. My girls keep a container of dried mango or dates in their backpacks at all times. I typically stick to the organic dried fruit from Costco to keep it super affordable.
- Something to satiate hunger until after practice :: Adding a peanut butter pouch to that apple, or a meat stick with that fruit or honey pouch is a great snack addition to satiate the kids until after practice too. Granola bars (homemade or store bought), and protein bites (homemade like my chocolate protein bites, monster cookie energy bites, or PB FIT protein bites, or store bought) are another idea that pack well and will satiate hunger until after practice.
