This post is by blog team member, Kiran. To learn more about Kiran, check out our team page!
Last year I wrote a post on snacks that kids receive in recreational sports. Specifically, I was referring to my 7 year-old’s soccer team where she “played” for 45 minutes and then was given junk food to “recover.”
I honestly had no idea what a positive (thank goodness!) reaction would come of it. I was overjoyed to hear how many people were on board with the notion that kids who are playing rec sports needn’t be given a cookie and a Capri-Sun after each game.
Cost
On that same topic, I did have a couple of comments from parents who felt that it came down to cost – specifically that it’s cheaper to purchase the bags of Cheetos or Doritos than to do my suggested “real food” snacks. So I want to debunk that theory.
But before I do – I want to mention that this not only relates to recreational sports … one other area that has always been an object of irritation to me is at preschool. Similarly, they are feeding the masses, and I’m guessing that the administration assumes that it’s more cost-effective to buy the huge container of cheese balls to serve to the kiddos.
So I went to Wal-Mart. While I personally don’t shop for food there on a regular basis, I feel that this is a very reasonable store (cost-wise) that is fairly accessible to many people and therefore a good choice for this exercise. Since I had a tough time finding organic, I went with the best options that I could find. I needn’t say more; I believe that my numbers below support my message.
I also want to mention another great tie-in that can definitely up the “cuteness” factor of these snacks, but more so, offer inspirational messages for teams and sports. You often see these Lunchbox Love cards used in Lisa’s school lunch photos (and are actually one of our favorite lunchbox items for my kids, as well!).
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These would be really cute to staple on to the bags of popcorn or to simply hand out to the team players. And since Lunchbox Love is one of our partners they are offering our readers (you!) 20% off of all purchases with the “100days” code.
And now without further adieu, I present the snack list!
Option 1: Popcorn (Large Container vs. Mini-Bags)
You may be thinking that the mini bags of popcorn are a good option to go with, but did you know that it’s just as easy to pop your own kernels using the popcorn trick? I compared a box of 10 bags with a large jar of kernels plus the plain brown bags. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also avoid Refined Oil, Artificial Flavor, Added Color, and TBHQ.
Option 2: Trail Mix vs. Raisins
There are so many issues to address here … so let me first start with the notion that you may assume that trail mix, including a mixture of nuts (good for protein, right?), raisins and the oh-so-colorfully attractive bits of candy look good. Was it the sweet or salty that sold you? But get over that initial impression, because oh-my-goodness look at this ingredient list! Save yourself (and your kiddos) from the soy (that’s likely GMO), the refined oil and the food dyes, which you know we are not fans of.
A simple box of raisins is just as easy to hand out. Oh, and I know we have some parents of kids with nut allergies who are giving me a huge (virtual) high-five right now, too!
Option 3: Cheese Sticks vs. Chips
Alrighty … next up is a huge pet peeve of mine. What gives with the bags of chips? I mean, didn’t your kid just hit the baseball field to get a healthy dose of some outdoor fun and exercise? And now we’re handing him and his teammates bags of chips? Grrr.
Instead of a cheesy bag of chips, how about a cheesestick to go along with a cup of fresh water? I’m not even gonna go there with all of the ingredients (ahem, Maltodextrin, Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar, MSG, Food Dyes, and so many more) that you can avoid. And just check out which one is cheaper…
Option 4: Mini-Donuts vs. Mini-Apples
I know you’re thinking – how do donuts compare to apples? And you’re right. Aside from both being cute and little and round, they don’t have much in common. Which is the point.
This is one where the cost is slightly higher for the real food option. But for the 8 cents per apple, you are saving your kiddos from highly processed ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, dextrose, and numerous preservatives. Need I say more?
Option 5: Gatorade vs. Water
This last one is such a small yet impactful change you can make. Please … whether your child is playing sports, or she’s trying to concentrate in school – just simple water is best. Ideally it’s in a reusable bottle, but I understand that these minis are convenient. These pictured G2’s contain Sucrose, Dextrose, Monopotassium Phosphate, Glycerol Ester of Rosin and Blue 1. Save your child from these highly processed ingredients – and save some money, too!!
My Thoughts on Snacks Overall
If you read my earlier post on snacks, know I still stand my ground. I don’t believe that in recreational sports there needs to be a snack given at all. But on the occasion that they are, there are so many other great (and affordable!) ideas for real food snacks that can feed the teams and classes!
I’d love for you to share your ideas with us in the comments below.
Just goes to show you how marketing (and I’m a marketer!) can sway people to believe they need something that they don’t. It’s what makes businesses money but that, in this case, harms us. In my opinion, if it doesn’t come from the earth naturally, it probably shouldn’t be eaten.
Love the post. I agree w u. The issue i face is that kids just dont like the healthy alternatives. In my home, i have a daughter who loves fruits, nuts, cheese and healthy food but if given the opportunity she’ll take the capri sun w chips. I at least can control most of what she eats and thats fine w me. Also i have a step son and step daughter that refuse to eat anything healthy. They rather go starving for the rest of the day than eat an apple…
Ginger Gold apples don’t turn brown when you slice them. It’s the only apple I know of which has this property. Good for preschoolers & older kids w/ braces! (Works in school lunches.) Ginger Gold seems to be an early apple & can be hard to find. Bought some in supermarket at beginning of September (in northeastern USA). these were conventionally grown.
It’s a good eating apple and has good texture & sweetness. My family prefers MacIntosh if we’re eating an apple at home. But if you want apple slices in a bag lunch, you can’t beat Ginger Gold.
Ginger Golds are yellow-green in color.
I’ve had good luck with Gala apples. I slice them and keep them in a container with a lid — when packed full, they don’t go brown. Whether preschool or high school, they ALWAYS get eaten! Plus, it doesn’t take many apples to feed a big group when you slice them first :)
Here in Australia at half time soccer or whatever sport. Kids are usually just given a huge tray of sliced up oranges. Simple. :)
I would like to see this post compare foods in identical quantities with similar nutritional qualities (the good ones). I.e. trail mix and raisins aren’t really comparable. To make a legitimate comparison, doesn’t it make more sense to compare a diy mix made with nuts, seeds and fruit to the commercial mix with added candies and other unwanted ingredients?
Silvie-Exactly what I was thinking:)
Thank you for this post. Hopefully readers will post other ideas too. This year my son eats lunch at school at 10:30! We can send a snack for later but we have to send enough for the whole class. It cannot be homemade or contain wheat or dairy. I sent bags of apples but I can’t afford to send 25 snacks every day! Hopefully I can get other parents to maybe sign up to bring snacks so our kiddos aren’t starving by 3:30.
It is ridiculous that you have to send enough for the whole class. Many schools/classrooms offer a snack time. They should just say parents can send a healthy afternoon snack for their own child. It is not a party, there is no reason to have to share with everyone. I would take that up with the principal. Ridiculous! (I taught public school for 9 years).
I usually pop big things of popcorn. It’s my cheapest go-to. But, with a large group of kids, especially indoors, it’s pretty messy. Other snacks are not as much so.
And for us, cost is definitely an issue. Glad to see some side by sides.
I was convicted by your previous guest post – thank you! I wanted to spark some healthy snack bringing to my kid’s soccer game, so, I brought water and little oranges – I couldn’t hand them out fast enough! The kids were so excited! It also inspired other moms to bring healthier snacks, too. Thank you!
LOVE it!! Kudos to you!! :)
I’m struggling with this right now. The preschool I teach at allows no food prep at all- we can’t even wash apples. It’s amazingly difficult to find snack ideas to feed the kids that are at all nutritional, and the choices we’ve come up with get old pretty quickly (especially since we’re supposed to keep the cost low, too…). My co-workers and I compromise our nutritional ethics a lot for the sake of variety- I would never feed my son a gogurt tube, but we serve them at school because we’re not allowed to either serve yogurt from a big tub or spend enough to buy decent yogurt cups. It’s very frustrating!
you should fight this. It’s so ridiculous the rules schools are coming up with. If you can purchase a large yogurt container, and take it unopened, then portion it out, there is no danger and it is much cheaper! Ugh, this makes me irate! I would never send my child to a school that does this. They are WASTING their education efforts by pumping our children full of sugar and chemicals. This causes severe problems in behavior and concentration! But the schools decide to spend as little as possible on quality food, then we have to turn around and spend an abundance on health care! Sorry for the rant, but this seriously upsets me.
The schools are going this route because there is a problem of cross contamination. Is the person who is dividing the yogurt into smaller portions wearing gloves to ensure that whatever they have come into contact with before scooping doesn’t touch the food? Are the gloves latex free to assist with those with latex allergies? Then there is the question of what has the spoon or implement used to scoop out the product been in contact with? Was it sterilized after the last use? And yes, I said sterilized not just washed for allergen concerns. And let’s not forget the counter or board that food was prepared on – has that been sterilized?? You obviously have never had to deal with a child or family member with severe food allergies. You would be amazed at the small amount of allergin that can trigger a huge reaction. The schools are doing this to keep the kids safe. Is it a pain yes, but wouldn’t you rather be put out a little than know that you caused another child’s death?? Because, yes, unfortunately, kids die from food allergies every day.
If a child has a severe allergy, then first of all, the parents are responsible for ensuring their safety. Secondly, THEY should bring their own food and be restricted from the common food. The minority should not drastically effect the majority. And because of a very few, the mass are being POISONED very slowly with stuff that shouldn’t even be called food. I understand a “peanut free” zone, but other than that, it is very uncommon for a possibly fatal allergy, and it’s an injustice that, in reality, schools are just trying to save their a**es from parents who would sue in a heartbeat if their child had an allergic reaction there. So, really, this has nothing to do with keeping [a few] kids from allergens, but from avoiding law suits. If a child has a food allergy- PACK THEIR FOOD and stop inundating the masses with JUNK. Allergies are not an excuse!
I couldn’t agree more about the snacks being completely unnecessary! However, you don’t want to be “that” parent who doesn’t bring a snack. In the past, I have opted to give out cut up watermelon, orange slices, string cheese, carrot sticks. I have to say, I always get compliments from the other parents and the kids love it! It may take a little more effort than buying prepackaged junk, but isn’t it worth it?! :)
Our recreational sports days are long over, but our daughter’s soccer coach always insisted that one parent each week bring orange slices. Orange juice and sports drinks were discouraged. Water and real oranges were the preferred forms of refreshment.
We make popcorn in our stock pot. Follow the directions from Cooks Illustrated. Perfect every time. Save the paper bag and skip the microwave. Popcorn kernels in bulk are actually even more affordable. A go to snack for us!
I love this post. I especially love that it speaks to those who have trouble affording good wholesome food. Organic can be hugely expensive. Sometimes reading and hearing about real food can be so discouraging (just ask many of my Medicare patients). We need to do more to encourage people to start where they are and do their best. I would rather see someone eat nonorganic fruit than fruit snacks or prepackaged trail mix.
So well said, Jennifer. We all can do what we can do. And as I mention within the post, we absolutely suggest organic – but we realize it’s not possible for everyone every time. Each effort that we make DOES add up!
Who eats one mini-donut? More like $1/person.
Karen, the cost was for the little packages (I believe there were 4 in each package).
My son is an athletic Type 1 diabetic. We work hard to ensure he is properly (read: healthily) fueled up before he starts a long distance run or a baseball game. We also ALWAYS have more snacks available in case his blood sugar drops. This is a medical need for him. It’s frustrating when the other kids in the dugout are eating chips and drinking soda- not even pretending with Gatorade! And when the coaches decide to ‘reward’ the team with ice cream… ugh.
Bought bottles of water? Get a reusable bottle and fill it from the tap. Cheap, simple, green and healthy (at least for those of us lucky to live in countries like NZ with clean water supply.
My son plays “travel” baseball, so they usually have weekend tournaments and often have 2 or more games in a day, with each game about 90 minutes long. In between games, the kids would beg for snacks from the concession stand. My son would get so upset when we said no, since it’s what the other kids were eating. This year I was overjoyed when the head coach told them that he would bench anyone caught eating concession food, and the parents were to bring healthy sandwiches, fruit, etc from home. He never asked for concession food once!! Yeah!!!!
That’s awesome to see coaches standing up for kids health. It seems like coaches are all too caught up in the game these days and not truly invested in the kids and their health.
It’s not sports, but while at Meet the Teacher night, my son’s teacher mentioned that lunch was late this year. It’s at noon…a normal lunch time. But because lunch is “late,” they have a morning snack now. Which I feel is completely unnecessary. He doesn’t get sent with one.
He did used to be in a rec soccer group. They did provide snacks, which didn’t bother me. But I do see that it’s not necessary either. Thankfully, though, everyone brought healthy snacks.
When I lived in CA the snacks were varied. Some parents brought junk, others brought fruit and as a coach I always brought a huge jug of water. When I moved to Hawaii, it was a potluck, full dinner or lunch for the entire family after every event. I really enjoyed hanging around and interacting with the families after an event instead of grabbing a bag of chips and juice box and leaving right away.
I agree kids don’t need snacks at sports or everywhere they go, Just water.but when my son played soccer and it was my turn to bring a treat I sent Orange wedges or watermelon. In Canada (Ontario) only healthy snacks are allowed to be given out at school…no candy.
Great options, thanks! I’ve never heard of mini-apples, but my kids love the little oranges.
I am absolutely on your side about serving healthier options to groups of kids. I also agree that it is often the more frugal option. However, many organizations and schools mandate that all food must be prepared in a commercial kitchen and sealed in order to serve it. It causes me a great deal of stress when it’s my kids’ turns because I want to serve something healthy, but it is difficult to meet those commercially-prepared “safety” parameters and ensure variety without getting very, very pricey. Oh, and they also prefer it to be individually packaged and shelf-stable….please help. Perhaps an article just on this :-).
– commercially prepared and sealed
– individually packaged
– shelf stable
– dairy free, nut free
– healthy
– variety (they tire of raisins pretty quickly)
– 30 kids
– affordable
This is so right-on.
When this post was originally posted, I really took it to heart. I am a director of Children’s Ministry. I had always thought that our snack was just once a month. But, after reading this post I was reminded that Sunday School is 4 times a month and Kid’s Club once, but the kids also do girl scouts, sports, and other activities. If they were getting a treat at each, it was nearly every day. So, we have eliminated snacks. Our kids can live an hour at Sunday School without a snack. For VBS, we served fruits, veggies, and a few whole grain snacks. They were supposed to have cookies, with frosting and candy sprinkles. Some of the kids hated the change, but most of them love the fruit. Thanks for drawing my attention to this.
That is FANTASTIC news!! Good for you; this makes me so happy to hear it!!
Thank you for this post! I am also frustrated with candy or other processed snacks used as rewards for childrens’ activities and at school. I am not a Walmart shopper, but many people are, and this post proves that you can find alternatives to highly processed foods at these types of stores. Thank you again for this experiment!!!
You lost me at Walmart.
So nice to see these non-judgmental comments!
When my children played soccer, we always had a cooler for water and gave out orange wedges for a half time pick-me-up! Anyone who had a child with an allergy brought a snack for their child. The responsibility for the snacks rotated each game, with all parents taking a turn. The kids loved it.
Great ideas! Last year on my “snack night” for soccer, I brought a big bowl of popcorn and little cups the kids could scoop. It was a HUUUUGE hit! For Parents and kids alike. I have also brought popcorn in paper bags as birthday treats instead of homemade cupcakes. Still a bit work, but nice to offer something different than kids usually get.
And quartered oranges are always a favourite.
Lol Sheila I brought applesauce (individual pouches) and water bottles to my son’s baseball game and a couple kids were like “eeeew” (they are used to Gushers and “Froot” Roll ups). My kids eat applesauce like it’s cake (and trust me they get plenty of actual treats) so I was kinda surprised.
Andrea, I was the same – I brought the squeezable applesauces and water since we were *required* to bring something. A few kids turned it down; my kids were happy to have more! :)
Our snacks for afternoon or after play are either a Banana or apple and water! It does drive my crazy when they give my kids unhealthy snacks at school – cheezits and animal crackers – they’re better off not having a snack!!
My daughter (4) has recently started gymnastics. At the end of the lesson the teacher gives each student a red-licorice stick. This really bothers me as it isn’t something I would normally let her eat. I know it’s “just one piece,” but it has so much dye in it. Of course my daughter is so happy since she doesn’t get much candy. These 4 year-olds don’t need to be bribed. They love gymnastics. So, I’m really not sure why they’re giving them the treat at the end.
My daughter’s gymnastics teachers have always done stamps on the kids hands. Maybe you could suggest that? They all love it and can’t wait to see what there stamp is that day. I’m sure in the long run it’s cheaper, too!
They do stamps too. LOL! I thought about asking them not to give out candy. One of the little girls just throws it away because she doesn’t like licorice.
Thoughts on those boxed raisins… last I checked, Great Value wasn’t organic, and aren’t grapes (ie: raisins) on the Dirty Dozen list?? Obviously they’re a better alternative to the trail mix, but… I’d be curious to see how organic raisins would stack up cost wise
Lindsay,
We absolutely suggest organic when feasible – but this experiment was to show that even if Wal-Mart is the only store available, or if budget is a concern, there are good options available. And Wal-Mart did not have organic. However, the next time I am shopping I will try to check the cost of the organic raisins and compare – or please share if you see them!
Organic raisins are not much more expensive than conventional. Like, $1 per box usually.
I recently bought a six-pack of organic raisins for $1.99. The little boxes are 1.5oz each.
Plus, Who’d want to give their kids a WHOLE box of raisins, just think of all that concentrated sugar. Trader Joe’s has individual packages of raisin and nut trail mix, though I’m sure it costs more, it would probably be cheaper to mix one’s own and bag it.
Our school started a new rule this year – no food snacks allowed, and I am very grateful. Last year, the kids received so much garbage and candy it was ridiculous. It used to irritate me so much that these people got to decide that they could feed my kid this garbage. I think that all schools should adopt this rule. Kids are allowed to bring one healthy snack from home to eat during the day, which is great because it lets me decide what my child will be snacking on, rather than someone else who doesn’t understand the all the stomach issues we’ve had to deal with. And if that sounds judgy, then oh-well. They didn’t have to pay our medical bills.
My daughter is a varsity tennis player. Kids playing at the high school level really do need something to eat between school and sports, so they take turns bringing a drink and snack to away matches. Today, it’s her turn, and she practically begged me for “grapes, and just regular water, PLEASE. No one wants gatorade!” At a certain point, kids start to take their own needs seriously. It’s a great thing to see!
I couldn’t agree more! This past weekend I volunteered to bring snack for my 6 year old daughter’s soccer team. I was hoping to set the standard by bringing something healthy but it didn’t end up how I had hoped. The kids (other than my own) literally REFUSED to take the fruit and bottled water. They looked at the snack and walked away! The other team handed out Cheetos and big Gatorades. I think they were wishing they were on the other team. It worked out for me-I had lots of oranges and grapes ready to go for my kids lunches for the week.
I don’t have kids, but as an environmental educator and someone who is active and used to be a competitive swimmer, I understand the need to fuel up.
The summer camp we ran we provided breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. This was an active, outdoor camp for underprivleged kids ages 6-12. They always acted like they were starving. We also were on a tight budget. Though some really loved their “junky” food, they also craved fresh fruit and veggies. So we would buy a watermelon and cut it up the day before, Goldfish (which are a better alternative to chips), we would take individual bags and half them,they loved oranges, carrots, celery with PB. Even if it wasn’t organic, we tried our best to offer a better alternative. You do the best you can do!
How do you combat the “must be in an individually packed sealed container” that a lot of schools are doing now? This is where I run into issues. I can’t even bring anything in unless it is sealed and from the store. I personally find this ridiculous, I understand their point if view but respectfully disagree. I defiantly like all of the options you presented but a few are not options we would be able to use in our district. Do you have more ideas for those of us that face this particular issue? Feel free to email me if you want.
Lindsay,
I’m not trying to be smart – but would oranges, bananas or even apples count? Surely being in natures own “container” would hopefully suffice? I have not personally been up against this so I’m not familiar with the rules. At my kids old school we did have to have store-bought, but not necessarily in a “sealed container”. Maybe a bag of the apples or a bag of the oranges?
You can combat this by bringing the packaging, even if not “individually packaged”. No one can force you to feed your child something you do not want them to eat. I put my kids in preschool last year, and actually worked there as an afternoon aide, and the snacks were HORRIBLE. They were sugar filled, processed, nasty stuff. Why should a 2 year old eat a large, packaged rice krispy treat (w 26 g of sugar) for a snack?? This is just one example. I told the director, I was not comfortable with feeding my children the provided snacks, twice a day, every day. She was offended, but I held my ground. She said everything had to be peanut free (then berated me when I asked about almonds, not even closely related to peanuts) and made in a peanut free facility and that I had to provide all labels and ingredient lists. Whatever, that’s fine. I’ll do it to prevent my children from consuming about 50g of sugar a day through snacks. They cannot force you to feed your children anything. You can fight it!
I’m in total agreement with you, in theory. However, I run an urban nonprofit youth after-school program, and I know firsthand how difficult it is to feed truly healthy snacks multiple times a day to 30+ kids on a limited budget and with next to no staff. Since I took over, the kids are no longer eating Ramen and fake cheddar/PB crackers, but I haven’t yet found a way to move away from “organic” gummy treats and portioned popcorn. You’re right that a large container of popcorn is cheaper than the bags, but who’s going to cook it? And where? And when are we preparing this? Because there is never enough time, ever, ever. (All of my attempts at cutting fresh veggies with hummus proved this to me.) And what are we putting it in to make the kids all get equal amounts and don’t stick their hands in a communal pot? And after we procure those individual glass (cringe) or plastic serving bowls (and not paper or plastic, because those are expensive as repeat purchases and they cause excessive trash and stress on our planet), who’s making sure they don’t end up in the trash (you’d be surprised) and making sure the kids wash them in the bathroom that has exactly 90 seconds of hot water available?
I’m not arguing your ideals, but I’m suggesting you look for a happy medium. This stuff is HARD, and even those of us who are aware and really do want to provide the best options have limitations. Serious ones. I love your blog, I think you have wonderful ideas, but sometimes, the posts are a little judge-y. Work WITH the people who have the experience, not against them.
As a mom of a child with severe food allergies, I wouldn’t let my child eat something like popcorn that was prepared at someone’s house. The rule tends to be that it needs a label if my son is going to eat it. I don’t care what it is. I would also tend to not do dairy. Every sport team my kids have been on have had kids with dairy issues, from intolerance to severe life threatening allergies.
Also, I thought the poster Em said a lot if good stuff. I like this blog, but sometimes the real world examples aren’t really real world. Don’t get me started on the food stamps posts.
It’s true that a lot of healthy snacks are not going to work for the “real world” challenges faced in an urban after school program or even a suburban sports team with no kitchen for prepping snacks. But most of the examples given here are pretty basic in terms of preparation and give you an even swap of less healthy for more healthy. Raisins in a box or bottled water instead of Gatorade require absolutely nothing of you- they are in single serve packages and require no special storage. Apples instead of donuts- both have a shelf life of a few weeks so are similarly perishable, but do not need to be refrigerated. The popcorn in paper bags instead of the microwave mini bags- both require a microwave, but if you already serve microwave mini bags, swapping them for the paper bag version requires almost no additional effort. And you pop one bag per kid and serve in the bag. It works for 10 kids, but not for 50. The only possible issue I have is cheese, but not because “some parents don’t consider it healthy.” It is being suggested as a swap for artificial cheese flavored chips, and I’m pretty sure even fewer parents consider those healthy or let their kids with dairy allergies partake of them. But, unlike chips, cheese requires a refrigerator or a cooler. It cannot be tossed in a hot trunk for hours or stored on a pantry shelf. Perhaps individual bags of sunflower seeds would be a more comparable swap?
Em – while I understand your frustration, I think you are misunderstanding Kiran’s post.
This particular post is addressing snacks parents bring for after school activities to feed the entire group/sports team. Your after school program involves you (and perhaps a handful of other adults) running an after school program that provides the snacks. I don’t know the number of adults who work with you who can help with food/snack preparation, but comparing what you do to one parent bringing one snack to an event perhaps once every few weeks doesn’t really line up. Of course you are going to have more time issues than that one parent. (Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you, but I’m pretty sure you are preparing the snacks and not parents bringing snacks in to share.)
The popcorn is, in my opinion, an easy fix. If you click on the link in Kiran’s post, you’ll see that 100 Days suggests using a paper bag to pop the popcorn in the microwave (if you have one available to you). The paper bags are reusable, or can be recycled. I don’t see how this is different than microwaving the bagged popcorn compared to in the post, so I’m not sure why you/your staff wouldn’t have time for this. If you don’t have access to a microwave, then you don’t pick a snack that needs microwaving.
Slicing veggies and larger fruit can be accomplished quickly with a mandolin slicer (just watch your fingers!). If you’d like to keep something fresh, this is certainly an option that can remain for adults to use. Alternately, you can buy baby carrots (which I’ve found to be amazingly inexpensive, even when purchasing organic), and no slicing would be needed.
Depending on their age, the children can help prepare the snack. I’m assuming you have children in a variety of age groups, so certainly giving some of the older or more able children an opportunity to assist would be useful in them developing life skills and knowledge about the value of fresh and real foods.
I’m not trying to belittle your concerns – certainly you have difficulties that I will never be aware of; however, I have to say I find it ironic that you would follow a real food blog and then complain about the bloggers writing posts that encourage parents to bring real food snacks instead of processed foods full of synthetic chemicals and artificial dyes.
I see nothing judgmental about Kiran’s post here today. She is writing this to answer questions from parents (and probably complaints) that bringing real food snacks is more expensive than the fake, artificial junk food. It’s a quick comparison to show that if the time is invested to actually compare costs, real food is actually less expensive.
I don’t think Kiran, Lisa, or anyone else who posts on a real food blog need to change their ideals. This is their passion – if you don’t feel that real food is the most important, that is fine, but suggesting others change because you don’t agree is not the way to go. It sounds from your post that you are here because you are looking for healthier options for the children you serve – that is truly great! However, it is up to you and your staff to determine what is appropriate for those children, and not the staff at 100 Days.
I agree with all of these, but I would avoid cheese due to allergies and differences of opinion on dairy. We all define “real food” a little differently. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t include fruit, vegetables, and water in their definition.
This is a great post. My husband and I couldn’t agree more this idea of giving junk to kids after they have some exercise. My husband is head coach for his daughter’s team and at first he did not even want to offer it. But him and the assistant coach agreed the only options parents are allowed to offer is water and a piece of fruit.
I am so happy you wrote this post because I have not seen a lot of people expressing this idea.