Healthy Snack Options (or lack there of...)

[Esoteric]

Hello, I am looking for advice from gym owners/managers on how best to express a concern at our gym. We are fairly new there, just under a year, but now that my 6 yo daughter has made the level 4 team, I have concerns about her, as well as the other childrens, at gym snack options.

The gym has an enclosed glass counter filled with prepackaged snacks as well as a list of available refridgerated options available for purchase. You will find chips, "fruit" roll-ups, mini bags of chocolate chip cookies, the crackers with never needs to be refridgerated cheese that is spread on by a piece of red plastic, candy bars and pop tarts. The refridgerated options are soda, canned energy drinks, and individual tubs of pudding.

These seem priced slightly above what the original cost would have been, (I think- I do not purchase any of these products,) but comparable to what the cost of healthier options would be. I assume gym owners are not profiting from the snacks they sell, so why not sell healthier options and just mark up each a nickle or something to cover fuel/labor costs for the time taken to make a trip to the store?

I would give anything to see fresh fruit, low fat muffins, even oatmeal cookies or chocolate covered raisins if you need the sweetness factor, apple sauce, I am pretty sure they make fruit leather with real fruit, also, and by all means, to see the candy bars replaced with Cliff, Kashi or Odwalla kids energy bars and the potato chips replaced with veggie chips or dried fruit. The refridgerator should be filled with yougurt, string cheese, baby carrots, and although I feel water is the best hydrator for athletes, I know Apple and Eve as well as V-8 make individual sized juices that contain a full serving of fruits and vegetables in each one.

It would also be nice if they had a microwave to allow the children to reheat leftovers from home. (There is one available for the staff, but not the athletes.)

I was a gymnast in the 80's, and my awareness of how what goes into my body directly affects what comes out stems from that time. Our coach/owner was adamant we knew how to make healthy food choices. The parents of all the team girls had to learn how the dietary needs of gymnasts were different than those of "endurance" athletes, and I recall one of our fundraisers being a member contributed cookbook full of recipies that were optimal for gymnasts.

I do not want to come across as a "know it all" or elitist, yet I feel there is a huge disservice being done by having these "food" options. If anyone has any advice on how I could tactfully deliver my concerns/suggestions, it is greatly appreciated.

FYI- the gym owners have 3 of their children on team at the gym- so I don't want them to think I am implying they do not care about their own childrens nutritional needs. I understand how feral parents can become about that sort of thing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Flippers Mom]

Wow. Our gym doesn't have snacks that they sell, but they do send home notes on a regular basis asking that only healthy snacks be sent to they gym. Flipper is 11 and can feel the difference in how she feels when she eats "real" food instead of junk. Mind you, she loves the junk food, but can't make it through a workout without eating "real" food. Even at parties, healthy eating is stressed.

I supposed your gym is taking the course of least resistance. Real food has a much shorter shelf life then the prepackaged stuff that you mentioned. And, many parents have given up and let their kids have whatever they want, so the junk probably sells better than healthy snacks.

It also helps that the older, highest level gymnasts at our gym set a good example of healthy eating. Flipper comes home asking me to get her the same snacks as the big girls - and those are great snacks that I am happy to supply for her.

 

[Ingwe]

Our team girls are given a list of what foods can be brought into the Gym as a snack. Basically it's fruits, veggies, etc. They are only allowed to bring in water to drink.
Our gym doesn't sell snacks either. They do sell water for $1 per bottle.

 

[Esoteric]

I do pack snacks for my daughter to bring, always healthy, but she is always wondering if she can get snacks like the other girls. I explain my reasoning, which she grasps as well as a 6 yo can, but I see her look longingly at the snack counter- haha.

I am wondering if I should bring up the subject armed with literature, or just pose it casually, or leave it alone all together. I find it unlikely I could gather much inital support from the other team parents, as they all seem to give a few dollars to their kiddos to get what they choose. I usually stay at the gym and read or work on my laptop since we have such a long haul, and the only consistantly present parents seem to be those of the rec kids.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Shelovesthebars]

When my older daughters did gymnastics, we were in the same situation. I always packed their dinner and snacks and let them know that the snack bar was never an option. We have always packed lunch for our kids at school too and school lunch was never an option either. It would be nice if we could just give our kids money and know that healthy foods were at least an option. My dd's current gym does not have a snack bar.

 

[gym law mom]

Since you said you spend most of the practice at the gym, take a few minutes and just chat with the owner or the person that is usually at the front desk. Just a casual inquiry about choice of snacks shouldn't be taken as being too pushy.

You may find they tried having healthy selections in the past and it didn't work well, as someone else said the shelf life for some healthy foods is shorter etc. Maybe they just never thought about it.

Our gym has some snacks---a few are healthy/some aren't. I usually put snacks in my gymmie's bag for practice, but I won't lie and say they're all healthy---basically as healthy as I can get and still have her eat them.

 

[gymdog]

This is a pet peeve of mine because I have dietary restrictions and generally don't find standard American food to be very healthy. When I work at gymnastics events like babysitting, camps, etc often the food for the kids is pizza, goldfish, or packaged cookies and juice that is full of red dye and high fructose corn syrup. Overtired kids who have just eaten this are not easy to handle. I have to admit I'm always a bit shocked by it. I understand the argument of "we don't want to waste what they aren't going to eat" but I would have thought there would be something like orange sections or baby carrots. I have had kids come who can't have whatever and there is nothing they can eat because it all has dairy or wheat in it. I assume the parent just forgot to pack them something or maybe assumed we'd have something like apples or bananas the kids could have.

On one hand again I can see the point of "they won't eat it, too much of a battle." But on the other hand if this is what we are offering how can we expect them to try other tastes and textures? It is kind of a conundrum for me because I don't want to have to supervise mass chaos of food rejection but at the same time I'm like, okay can't we at least find something with less additives and sugar? I am not the most adventurous eater myself (nothing spicy or strongly flavored) but I can still find most common fruits and vegetables acceptable like apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, etc.

 

[AGM78910]

I do pack snacks for my daughter to bring, always healthy, but she is always wondering if she can get snacks like the other girls. I explain my reasoning, which she grasps as well as a 6 yo can, but I see her look longingly at the snack counter- haha.

I am wondering if I should bring up the subject armed with literature, or just pose it casually, or leave it alone all together. I find it unlikely I could gather much inital support from the other team parents, as they all seem to give a few dollars to their kiddos to get what they choose. I usually stay at the gym and read or work on my laptop since we have such a long haul, and the only consistantly present parents seem to be those of the rec kids.

Thanks again for your input.

I think the casual approach is the best. But I would make it in the form of an email inquiring about adding some healthy choices. Apples, baby carrots, peanut butter, and oranges have a pretty long shelf life, if that is one of their concerns. Some of the protein bars are not too bad, just check the sugar content and make sure they do not contain high fructose corn syrup.

One of your allies might be the coaches. Our head coach hands out printed information on healthy snack choices. He uses the approach that they need protein to build muscle and they don't get that from junk food.

Personally I send cheese sticks, fruit, whole grain crackers, protein bars, and water with her. With a workout after school from 4-8 they need something.

 

[Esoteric]

I think the casual approach is the best. But I would make it in the form of an email inquiring about adding some healthy choices.

Good idea! I think I will do some investigative comparison shopping and present my findings. Perhaps I will even offer to do some personal shopping to introduce a few healthy choices- and if they sell, I can be reimbursed, if not, I can bring them home for my own kiddos.

 

[mariposa]

Looks like you found your first step! I think your last post was perfect. See if they sell. How about yogurt for the fridge? Lots of kids like yogurt, cheese sticks, too.

DDs gym doesn't sell snacks, but they have a vending machine with mostly junk in it. I have always talked about food choices, etc, so my DD knows she isn't getting any junk food. I always pack her good snacks.

And I am always amazed at some of the snacks she says friends bring, YIKES?

 

[nevertooold]

We stocked the machines in our lobby with water and propel, and reasonably healthy snacks, granola bars, popcorn, nuts, sunflower seeds, sun chips, etc....

The kids were always asking when were we going to put candy in the snack machine.

And the parents were always asking when we were going to put soda in the drink machine.

I refuse to sell candy/soda in the lobby... so we got rid of the machines. To each their own to eat the crap they want, they will just have to buy it somewhere else.

Your gym probably sells junk b/c it's what people want. My advice if you want to talk to them about it is instead of making it a healthy vs. junk issue, make it an allergy issue. People tend to get up in arms and defensive about healthy vs. junk food. You are likely not going to change the mindset of someone who would make the decision to sell junk food to child athletes so instead if you make it about allergies and say that your child would like to be able to purchase snacks at the gym too but is "allergic" to many of the additives in the foods they offer, would they mind carrying some applesauce, cheese sticks, or cliff bars, you might get somewhere without them feeling judged.

 

[Twosmiles]

Another way to bring it up is to do some research on community sponsored agriculture (if its around you). CSA allows individuals to contribute to local farmers and get a portion of their crops which are typically organically grown.

A couple of them deliver to homes / businesses and while I was doing research on this yesterday, I noticed that two of them deliver to local gyms.

Maybe your gym could become a delivery site and also sell some of the produce in the snack bar each week. Its good cross-marketing for both so maybe they could get a deal.

In terms of cost, we have one around here that always packages 6 different kinds of fruits and 6 different kinds of veggies each week in a box that sells for $18. Its a really good deal for organic produce (at least in our area)

 

[Cynical-Chick]

Many of my friends' kids like hummus with pitas or veggies. Healthy, easy to make, and super-versatile (you could do garlic one week, roasted red pepper the next, or whatever).

 

[staceyb]

Looks like you found your first step! I think your last post was perfect. See if they sell. How about yogurt for the fridge? Lots of kids like yogurt, cheese sticks, too.

DDs gym doesn't sell snacks, but they have a vending machine with mostly junk in it. I have always talked about food choices, etc, so my DD knows she isn't getting any junk food. I always pack her good snacks.

And I am always amazed at some of the snacks she says friends bring, YIKES?

Or if there isn't a fridge freeze the yoghurts and put it in a cool bag, by the time it comes to eat the the yoghurt it will be defrosted enough to eat.

 

[Cynical-Chick]

Here is one list of hummus recipes. Offer it with some veggie sticks and toasted pitas.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Here is one list of hummus recipes. Offer it with some veggie sticks and toasted pitas.

I LOVE hummus and pita bread!!! Could live off of it!!! Thanks for the recipes!

 

[bogwoppit]

I could live on roasted red pepper hummus and brocolli!

 

[Esoteric]

Well, my email went over like a lead balloon.

I was friendly and mentioned that now that my dd was training harder I had done some research on sports nutrition, and volunteered to do some inital legwork into looking at some variety in the snack options, not only for health, but for alergy reasons. I recognized the "picky eater syndrome" and offered to pay any up front costs and if the items sold I could be reimbursed.

I received an email reply this am that said simply:
"You are welcome to continue sending in your choice of snacks for your daughter. Being a member of our team does not mean you need to purchase your snacks at the gym."

2 sentences. At first I was shocked, but then I giggled. Such is life. Thank you all for commiserating with me.

@Twosmiles: I LIVE at the farmers markets- we are very fortunate to have a long growing season and very talented organic farmers nearby. I am a proponent of buying local whenever able!

@Cynical-chick: Hummus is a staple at our home, my oldest daughter is vegetarian. I make it myself more often than not, but I appreciate the recipes- there are some new ones there. During the autumn I love mixing in some canned organic pumpkin and nutmeg- highly recommended!

 

[MdGymMom01]

I received an email reply this am that said simply:
"You are welcome to continue sending in your choice of snacks for your daughter. Being a member of our team does not mean you need to purchase your snacks at the gym."

2 sentences. At first I was shocked, but then I giggled. Such is life. Thank you all for commiserating with me.

That sucks that you got such an uninterested reply. But, you know, some people are just set in their ways and don't go the extra mile to look after the best interest of the gymnasts health. Oh well--you tried at least

I would just try to lead by example and pack your dd's meals and snacks with healthy nutritious foods and hope that the other kids get interested in what she is eating. Sometimes actions speak louder than words .

Nice try, though!! :thumbsup::applause:

 

[bogwoppit]

You have to laugh at such sillly people. In this day and age the fact that adults care so little about childhood nutrition is embarrassing. Thanks for the giggles.

Good for you for trying to help every kid! Keep sending in the good stuff, my kids lunches are very popular at school, I send no junk but I make a big effort to make their healthy food interesting. They often are asked for their food, usually by the kids who show up with the junk!