How busy parents fuel their sporty kids

BETWEEN sport, work and school, it isn’t always easy to fuel kids with the good stuff. Here’s how one busy family stays on top of it.

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THIS busy family doesn’t let their busy schedule get in the way of providing delicious and nutritious meals for their mini-athletes.

UNDERSTANDING the difference between healthy and unhealthy food can be pretty confusing for kids these days. There are so many mixed messages around nutrition, such as sporting heroes downing sugar-loaded “energy” drinks and kids being given lolly snakes at half time by parents who are always telling them lollies are bad.

Brisbane parents Michael and Philippa Spork have worked hard over the years to teach their three sporty children about the importance of healthy eating, exercise and food as fuel. Their son Darcy, 14, does rowing, rugby and soccer.

Their youngest son, Sam, nine, plays cricket, rugby and touch football. Their eldest, daughter Maddie, 17, has done rowing, netball and water polo over the years and is a mentor for the modified rugby program. Needless to say, keeping their kids fit and firing is a top priority for this mum and dad.

“Keeping them busy through sport even after school finishes is a great way to teach them about making healthy choices. You can’t play sport as well as possible if you don’t look after your body,” Philippa says.

As much as she’d love to cook from scratch every time, Philippa says the reality is just too difficult when you have three kids to ferry around to training sessions and games and you’re juggling a busy career with lots of work travel.

Along with Michael, she often turns to the convenience of frozen vegetables knowing she’s not compromising on taste, quality or nutritional value. It also means they can ensure they’re eating Australian-grown produce.

“As much as I’d love to be one of those mums who pre-cooks on the weekends and freezes weeknight meals, I very rarely get around to it. During the week I’m often finding myself only starting to think about dinner at around 4pm. So for me, it’s about always having a range of foods at the ready that I can create last minute dinners with and that’s where frozen veggies come in,” she says.

“Frozen corn and peas are my favourite veggies to add to a last-minute chicken casserole, and they are also the perfect addition to home baked savoury muffins which are great lunch-box snacks.”

As for Michael, frozen vegetables feature regularly in his repertoire of family meals. “I use frozen veggies in curries, fried rice, stir-frys and meat and three veg dinners. They are quick and easy and a massive time saver. And the kids love ‘em,” he says.

Michael also packs loads of frozen vegetables - always opting for the Australian-grown variety -  into his signature healthy bolognese.

“The kids love it and nobody really knows what’s in it,” he says.

As a family, the Sporks love spending time together outdoors playing beach cricket and going for bush walks with their dog. “It’s hard to please everyone so a run on the beach or a bush walk wins every time,” Philippa says.

Even in their downtime, the boys love playing cricket in the big backyard where the stumps are always set up. Darcy and Philippa also play mixed turf hockey together in the summer months.

Dietitian and mum to two active kids, Kim Tikellis, says parents are the key to families living a healthy lifestyle.

“You need to model an active and healthy lifestyle to your kids. This can be as simple as walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift in buildings, supporting kids to do sport, not only taking an interest in watching the games but helping them practice too, and planning family active days that everyone can enjoy at different levels such as swimming, bowling or bike riding,” she says.

When it comes to keeping energy levels up, it’s all about good food, regular exercise and sleep.

“This may mean that meals and snacks are planned to accommodate healthy choices, such as school lunches, after school or sport snacks. Regular exercise is important as while this makes you tired in the short term, it builds resilience and immunity in the long term.  Regular physical activity also helps the kids sleep better; always a bonus,” Kim says.

Making healthy choices not just at meal times but for snacks too is common in the Sporks household. “The kids love green apples. We go through two bags a week,” Philippa says.

Homemade banana bread and cheese and crackers are also popular. For a special treat, chocolate chip biscuits and ice-cream after bush walks help support ideas around balanced eating plans.

“The key as a parent I think is about keeping healthy foods, Aussie grown where possible, readily available at home,” Philippa said.

“I believe that affects the choices they make without even thinking when they’re out of home. It’s funny how kids do gravitate to what they know.

“But if you block the kids from having anything naughty any of the time they’ll just go overboard when they go to a party or a BBQ because it’s been forbidden. It’s good for the

Originally published as How busy parents fuel their sporty kids