
As I am now an adult and attend my child’s sporting events, I started to think - Where are the Oranges? Our kids are still putting out top notch performances just like we used some 20-30 years ago but after the events they are now rewarded with salty chips, cookies, and candy. The natural sugars from the oranges that made our fingers and chins so sticky are now replaced with the stickiness of marshmallows, frosting, and chocolate. The natural juices from the oranges have been replaced with sugary fruit drinks. As I look out across the field, court, or pitch, I don’t see much in the form of healthy nutrition being supplied to our young aspiring athletes. If I am lucky, I see a bottle of spring water basking in the sun as it sits by its lonesome waiting to be drank; but it is usually overlooked for a sport drink.
We spend so much time, energy, money, and effort to watch them succeed, to give them the best resources to compete on a high level but we place nutrition on the backburner. Not to mention, the efforts that our children are giving cannot be in vain in relation to the nutrition that we then give them after their efforts. Why does nutrition, more times than not, take a back seat. Let’s not short change our young athletes from a nutrition standpoint but educate them on healthy living. These benefits we can provide our children give them the ability to perform at their full potential. It starts with us. So let’s start one slice at a time and make our children’s nutrition a priority. My challenge to everyone reading this – buy a huge bag of oranges, slice ‘em up, and tell those kids – dig in!!