Eating Healthy in Camp by Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

Health & F tness

Eating Healthy in Camp

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

It’s here! The magical time of year, otherwise known as summer. It’s now the time of year when we are busy packing up our kids and sending them to summer camp. Sleepaway camp is an incredible opportunity for children to gain independence, foster creativity, and create lasting memories. When children are living at home, we ensure all their needs are met, both emotionally and physically. We encourage our children to do their homework, eat healthfully, and maintain proper hygiene. When we send our children to summer camp, we relinquish the majority of these responsibilities to the capable hands of the camp staff and trust that our children will be happy and healthy. However, we should still help our children maximize their summer by subtly encouraging healthy habits, even though they are far from home. Summer is also the time most children experience a growth spurt so it is important that they eat healthy, nutritious foods.

There are so many things we can do to ensure our children have a fun and healthy summer. The biggest gift we can give our children is enabling them to feel their best so they can make the most of their summer. 1. Encourage them to drink a lot of water: Fluids are vital for a safe and healthy summer. There are many ways you can motivate your children to drink a lot of water. Purchasing an exciting and age-appropriate water bottle will help your children remember to drink. Whether it’s a self-cleaning option or a bedazzled unicorn tumbler, kids will feel cool having a unique accessory that’s also conducive to their health. Explain to your children the benefits of drinking water and how it can help them have a successful summer.

Be sure to provide your child with plenty of fluids they love, even if it isn’t necessarily water. While water is the ideal option, the overall goal is to ensure they’re drinking the fluids they need. Aside from all the benefits of drinking water, being properly hydrated will decrease the risk of heatstroke and dehydration. Sweating depletes water and electrolytes, so we must replenish them by drinking water.

Make sure your children have enough water bottles or a refillable cup to bring with them to activities. Before they leave for camp, explain to them the importance of staying hydrated and encourage them to choose water as much as they can. 2. Encourage them to eat fruits or vegetables with their meals: A classic summer camp lunch meal usually includes pizza or pasta. Camps also provide cut-up salad, and other healthy side dishes of various vegetables or fruits. Oftentimes, these fruits and vegetables are overlooked by children. They usually opt for the pastry as an afternoon snack instead of the fruit. Similarly, at meals, children rather eat their pasta or pizza and nothing else. It is important to explain to your children that fruits and vegetables should not be ignored and that they should try to include them at their meals. However, it is also important to keep in mind that children should not be forced into rigid dieting and that it is okay that they eat the classic camp pastas and pizzas. Even so, encourage them to look for healthy foods too and let them know that in the summertime, they will grow a lot and should be eating diverse foods to facilitate that growth. 3. Encourage them to diversify their plates: At every camp meal, there are usually a variety of healthy choices available for both campers and staff. The camp serves tuna, fresh corn, Israeli salad, and healthy grains that children choose to ignore. Explain to your children that these foods will give them more energy to participate in the many activities going on in camp each day. It may be difficult for children to understand that they should include protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and carbohydrates at each meal. And this shouldn’t be a focus while they are enjoying their summer. Instead, encourage your children to make their plate a rainbow. Explain to them that if they eat a rainbow, they will get all the nutrients they need to have energy. As parents, we want to motivate them to make healthy choices so that they feel satisfied and energized. 4. Encourage them to stay active: Oftentimes, children opt to sit in the bunkhouse and play on their Gameboy or listen to music rather than play sports. However, aside from the importance of group involvement, playing sports will have many other benefits. These can include motor skill development, vision, self-confidence, sportsmanship, and, most importantly, fun! Explain to them that when the weather is beautiful, they should use the opportunity to learn how to play new sports and connect with their friends.

There are so many activities that camps offer for kids that don’t love sports or are not particularly athletic. Swimming, walking, dancing, jump roping, and hula hooping are great alternatives. Let your children find the activity they enjoy and motivate them to stick to it while they’re in camp. 5. Pack them healthy snacks: At this time of the year, you’ll often see parents and children in the grocery store buying all their snacks for sleepaway camp. Children come up to camp with boxes of food that would almost make people forget that camp feeds them. As you shop for food and snacks with your child for camp, help them make good choices and pack a well-balanced snack box. Some healthy snacks you can pack for them can include low-fat popcorn such as Sunrise Popcorn or Skinny Pop. Fruit snacks such as Matt’s Munchies, That’s It Bars, Bare apple chips, or traditional dried or dehydrated fruit are great options as well. There are many healthier alternatives to processed snack bags and these can include cassava chips, baked sweet potato chips, rice cakes, and Hippeas chickpea puffs.

Bars are also a great option to make sure your kids are getting enough protein, especially if they are picky eaters. If the camp allows nuts, Lara Bars, Made Good Bars, and RX bars could be good options. You can also purchase packs of almonds or other nuts they like.

Tradition soups are probably one

of the most common summer camp favorites. Unfortunately, many of them are filled with MSG and are highly processed. Instead of telling your child not to buy any, buy them a few MSG-free tradition soups from Geffen, instead of a case of them. 6. Advocate for healthy options: As parents, we have the responsibility to ensure our children experience a healthy and cheerful summer at sleepaway camp. Although camps have significantly improved at providing healthier meals in general, parental encouragement can help a lot. Many children are picky eaters and often opt for snacks instead of camp meals. Reach out to the camp mother or head of the camp to make sure there are nutritious options available for your children. For example, a BBQ should not only include hamburgers and hot dogs, but also grilled chicken if possible. More unsweetened cereals such as Cheerios or Rice Krispies should also be offered. Parents should ask that any dietary restrictions including food allergies and intolerances should be accommodated. Children at this young age should be focused on enjoying their time at camp and not have to worry that there are foods they like available.

Advocate for healthy options available at the camp canteen and

fresh fruits available for snacks. Many children don’t even realize that they enjoy fresh and healthy foods because they aren’t in charge of preparing their meals and snacks. Many times, if fresh fruits are available, children will choose them because they taste delicious.

As parents, there are many subtle ways we can teach our children the importance of making good food choices. When they are at camp, they are focused on building friendships, independence, and great memories. We can highlight the importance of

drinking enough water, eating nutritious foods, and staying active by purchasing a fun water bottle, good quality snacks, and their favorite sports gear. Behind the scenes, we can even advocate that the camp also provides healthier options and accommodate picky eaters and those with food allergies.

The most important role we have as parents is to encourage children to have a joyful summer filled with incredible experiences and memories. Children should focus on enjoying their summer and taking in every moment before they go back to school. While it is good if they join their friends in eating the famous camp lasagna and pizza, we can also encourage healthy foods that can help provide them with the nutrients they need to be active and grow. The most important thing, though, is that they are happy, feel good, and have an amazing time!

As parents, we want to motivate them to make healthy choices so that they feel satisfied and energized.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer