Healthy Snacks for Healthy
Kids
Lora Heatwole and Jody Alvarez
Health and Physical Activity Institute
James Madison University
July 21, 2008
Children have different
needs...
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Sweat at a lower rate
Tolerate temperature extremes less efficiently
Get hotter during exercise
Have more skin surface for their body weight (that
results in excessive heat gain in extreme heat and
heat loss in extreme cold)
Have hearts that pump less blood
Adjust more slowly to exercising in the heat a
child may require five or six sessions to achieve
the same degree of acclimatization acquired by an
adult in two or three sessions in the same
environment).
Individuals have different
needs...
Age
 Weight
 Climate
 Exercise intensity and duration
 Hydration before exercise begins

General Guidelines for
Children
Children should drink before, during,
and after activity
 Children should be reminded to drink
5-9 ounces every 20 minutes
(depending on weight – teenagers
should drink more) during activity
 Young children should have a water
bottle with marks showing how much
they should drink

Questions to Consider...
 What
is “Activity?”
 Drink what?
Activity
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Activity: from Merriam - Webster
1) the state of being active
2) vigorous or energetic action
Activity
How much time do your students spend
being truly “active?”
John Crawley, a researcher from Cornell
released a study stating that high
school gym students spend an
average of 16 minutes being active
during gym class.
How does this differ from other grade
levels?
What Not to Drink
Vitamin water, fitness water, or
enhanced water can add extra
calories, artificial sweeteners,
caffeine, or herbal ingredients
 There are few studies on the effects
of herbal products and children
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What Not to Drink
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Energy drinks may be the “cool” thing for
middle and high school students/athletes
Are high in caffeine which can lead to
jitteriness, headaches, and frequent
urination
Are high in sugar which can lead to weight
gain and dental problems
May have other ingredients such as herbal
supplements and amino acids that may
have unknown effects
What Not to Drink
Fruit drinks and juices may contain
added sugar and be so processed that
they are left with very little nutrition
 Can lead to dental problems and
weight gain
 High amounts of fructose may cause
an upset stomach

What Not to Drink
Soda is not recommended due to the
high amounts of sugar and caffeine
 Carbonated beverages may cause an
upset stomach
 High amounts of sugar can lead to
weight gain
 Caffeine acts as a diuretic and may
cause dehydration instead of
preventing it
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What to Drink
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Water is the best way for children to
replace lost fluids following activity
lasting less than 90 minutes
Does not contain any sugar that will
cause a rise in blood sugar or weight
gain over time
Children get plenty of electrolytes from
the food they eat
What to Drink
Sports drinks may be beneficial for
activity lasting more than 60-90
minutes
 If a sports drink is used for
rehydration, choose one with 4-8%
carbohydrate – higher loads of sugar
can cause an upset stomach and slow
the absorption of fluid
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What to Drink
To determine the percentage of
carbohydrate in a sports drink:
(# of gm of CHO X 100) / total ml = %
carbohydrate
Example: 1 cup regular cola has 27 grams
carbohydrate
27 X 100 = 2700
2700/240 ml = 11.25% CHO
Fluid Replacement
Water
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No added “extras”
which may have a
negative effect on the
child
Child may drink less
due to lack of flavor
Readily available
Free
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Sports Drinks
Has electrolytes which
may be beneficial in
exercise lasting more
than 60-90 minutes
Has flavor which
encourages child to
drink more
One 20 oz. sports
drink per day can lead
to a 13 lb weight gain
in a year’s time
Fluid Replacement
There is some evidence that unless
children are exercising in extreme
conditions or longer than 5-6 hours,
the amount of electrolytes lost is not
significant and does not need to be
replaced by a sports drink.
General Guidelines
Age Group
Total Water
(Cups)
Water from
Beverages
Water from
Foods
Children 1-3
5½
4
1½
Children 4-8
7
5
2
Girls 9-13
9
7
2
Boys 9-13
10
8
2
Girls 14-18
10
8
2
Boys 14-18
14
11
3
Snacks to Hydrate
Foods with a high water content
include fresh fruits and vegetables,
milk, yogurt, and soups
 Fruit also contains fructose which may
cause an upset stomach when playing
sports
 A salty snack such as celery or cheese
may increase a child’s thirst and fluid
intake
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Snacks to Hydrate
Fruit Kabobs
 Celery or Apples with Peanut butter
 Cucumber sticks in vanilla yogurt
 Cherry tomatoes
 Soup
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Wellness Programs
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Promote healthy
items in vending
machines
Promote healthy
foods and increase
nutritional
knowledge among
students
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Price it out for
them
Childhood obesity is
partly our
responsibility
Performance Bars
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Cereal Bars
Diet Bars
Protein Bars
Energy Bars
What to look for in a QUALITY
Product
Consider activity level
 Type and amount of fat
 Complex vs. Refined Carbohydrates
 More than 2.5g of Fiber
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Lets Look at a Label
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Hint:
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Common among
athletes
Lance Armstrong
and Michael Phelps
are among some of
the spokesmen
Calories
Calories from fat
Total Fat
Saturated
Trans
Total CHO
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
240
35
4 g 6%
.5g 3%
0g
42g 14%
2g
9%
22g
10g 20%
And the winner is…
Guess the Label
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Hint
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Brand also makes
cereals
All natural
Calories
Calories from
fat
Total Fat
280
45
5g
Saturated
3g
Trans
0g
Total CHO 49g
Fiber
6g
Sugars
33g
Protein
13g
8%
16%
16%
24%
20%
One More
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Hint:
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Promoted by
“Worlds Strongest
Man” assoc.
Calories
400
Calories from fat
110
Total Fat
12g 19%
Saturated
6g
Trans
0g
Total CHO
44g 15%
Fiber
2g
Sugars
27g
Protein
31g 63%
31%
9%
References
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Atkins, V. et al. Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Drinks.
Center for Weight and Health, UC Berkley. Retrieved July 16, 2008,
from
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh/PDFs/CWH_Sports_Drinks_F
A
Q_Sheet_7.07.pdf
Gavin,M. (2008,April). Power Drinks: Should Your Child Drink
Them?
Kids Health For Parents. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from
http://kidshealth.org/parent/food/general/power_drinks.html
Texas Cooperative Extension. (2004,November). The Importance of
Hydration
During Physical Activity. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from
http://fcs.tamu.edu/food_and_nutrition/nutrifacts/issue6.pdf
www.powerbar.com
www.kashi.com
www.met-rx.com
www.kidshealth.org_cerealbars “Kids and On-the-Go Nutrition”
Mary L Gavin MD April 2008