BEFORE AND AFTER RACE SNACKING with Review of The Official Snack Guide for Beleaguered Sports Parents, Photo by Carol Goodrow What to Eat | Pre and Post Race Chart | Sample Recipe WHAT TO EAT Just getting to that fun run isn't enough to insure success for today's kids. They need a lifestyle that involves daily exercise and good nutrition to become healthy and fit kids, as well as to become strong and powerful athletes. But here we are and it's the day of the fun run. They'll probably exert more energy than usual. The question is, "Just how should they fuel their bodies both before and after the event?" The following chart is adapted (with permission) from The Official Snack Guide For Beleaguered Sports Parents by Weatherwax, Heikenfeld, Manzo, and Shuman. KidsRunning.Com highly recommends this book which can be purchased from http://www.SN2G.com/. How to Fuel your Body Before and After the Event Time Period Calories Fats Carbs Protein 3-4 hours Pre-race 700-800 15-30% 60-65% 12-20% 2-3 hours Pre-race 400-600 15-25% 60-70% 12-20% 1-2 hours Pre-race 200-300 5-15% 65-75% 5-18% <1 hour Pre-race 50-200 0-15% 70-100% 0-15% Post Race Snack 100-300 or Meal 400-600 0-30% 55-100% 0-25% QUICK ANALYSIS 1.Calories should decrease as the event approaches. 2. Calories should increase immediately after the event. 3. If you need a snack immediately before the event, increase your carbs and decrease the percentage of fat and protein. 4. Carbs are a MUST, soon after the event. WHAT ELSE WILL YOU FIND IN THIS BOOK? This book is more than a quick read. It is a resource on: hydration, pre and post race (game) nutrition, and fast food. It also includes lots of recipes, all of which are coded nutritionally. SAMPLE RECIPE COACH EDA'S WHIPPED DELIGHT Less than an hour to race time or post race 1/2 cup fat-free whipped topping, room temp. 1 TBS. reduced sugar orange marmalade preserves (or any flavor) 2 cups washed and freshly sliced fruit (serve your child's favorites or mix and match strawberries, bananas, grapes, peaches, nectarines, kiwi, melon, blueberries, or any other seasonal fruit) By hand, mix marmalade and whipped topping, until blended. Serve fruit in individual bowls, spoon 2 teas. topping on each serving. Regrigerate any unused topping in a covered container for up to two days. Serves 3; serving size 2/3 cup. EDITOR'S NOTE Just as every experienced teacher knows NEVER to try anything brand new before an observation, kids should not try new foods right before a major race. They should 'practice' eating 'before race snacks' before training, just to make sure their bodies react favorably to the different types and amounts of foods. Then on the day of the 'big event' they will have more confidence that their bodies will be fueled to the optimum. The above recipe was chosen because it seemed to be In the spirit of KR's Eat a Healthy Rainbow Everyday theme. There are many, many more recipes in this book: all with snappy names, yummy ingredients, and guaranteed to delight children. For more info, please email goodrow@infionline.net