Teaching Kids Nutritional Habits

Below is an excerpt from Brett Klika's article titled 'How to Finish a Youth Training Session' from the International Youth Conditioning Association website (see link below). Brett Klika's website, www.spiderfitkids.com, is a wonderful resource for all things related to youth fitness! 

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Kids develop their nutrition habits at a young age. The sooner athletes discover the link between nutrition and performance, the sooner they have the accelerated potential to perform.
After working with kids for over 20 years, I discovered one of the most significant lasting impacts I had was on their nutrition. One of the tenants of my youth training programs was that they had to bring a post-workout snack with a carbohydrate, protein, and fruit or vegetable.  We didn’t have to specify fat, as it was usually naturally included.
At the end of training, they would have to show what they had brought and how it “complied” with the “rules..  Years later, these kids would come back as adults, talking about how this helped them learn how to eat properly.
Doing short, simple, visual demos or giving them simple nutrition homework works well too. Try the following at the end of training:

1. Discuss what proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fruit/veggies do for athletes.
2. Bring three “Athlete Superfoods” that (insert sports star) uses to get big and strong (spinach, rice, meat, whatever parents want their kids to eat more of).
3. “Vegetable a day.” At the end of training when parents are there, go around and ask each child what vegetable they had already eaten that day. They start asking for veggies in their lunch.
4. Do a quick demo of a peanut butter/banana/tortilla wrap. Or send home a smoothie recipe, “The Muscle Monster” (Yogurt, frozen berries, coconut water, handful of spinach). Have one with you and drink it in front of them.
5. Rule: Before they leave training, water bottle has to be empty. Talk about what water does for athletes.

As a coach, you have a tremendous impact on kids’ behavior outside of when you train them. They will emulate what you do and say. This is a great vehicle to create basic athletic nutrition habits.
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I highly suggest your read the full article here: 
http://iyca.org/finish-youth-training-session/