As unmillennial parents of kids playing sports, our days of providing the occasional sideline snack have given way to weeks of fueling kids for tournaments, meets and more. But as we are constantly reminded — tweens and teens are not simply small adults. They are growing at a rapid pace, which yields nutrition needs far different from those of their younger or future selves.

Joining me in this episode is a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in the unique nutrition needs of young athletes. Heather Mangieri, MS, RDN, CSSD — author of Fueling Young Athletes is a dietitian with more than 20 years of experience in sports and fitness nutrition. As a mother of three, Heather knows well the challenges placed on growing bodies when adding in the additional stress of training for sports.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Heather first started working with families who were interested in learning more about nutrition for young athletes
• Why she wrote her book after realizing families seem to face the same set of problems
• Her favorite part of the book and why she aims to make all of her recommendations easy for families to implement
• The different needs of pre-puberty versus puberty versus post-puberty when it comes to nutrition for young athletes

After wrapping up my interview with Heather, I share my thoughts on a new product I was introduced to recently at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food & Nutrition Conference 7 Expo — Nature Nate’s Honey Packets — and why they make an excellent pre-fuel option for young athletes, especially when compared to popular artificially colored and flavored blocks and gels. I also briefly discuss why the company is one I’m personally happy to support based on the story of their founder and the mission work he’s doing across the globe.

Next up, I give a brief discussion about my most recent sponsored recipe development with Sunnyland Farms for Pecan Pie Bars. I share with listeners what makes these bars different than your average holiday dessert recipe — including the high-quality, fresh-from-the-orchard pecans available by Sunnyland Farms and the use of honey (instead of corn syrup) to yield a bar that’s so good a friend stopped me at church to tell me how much he liked them!

I close out the show recounting some of the most recent fond food holiday memories shared with me on both Voxer and in the This Unmillennial Life Podcast Facebook group. Memories from Sally about her grandmother’s jello and Cool-Whip, Casey’s Mom’s Pumpkin Roll, Kelly’s Grandmother’s Yorkshire Pudding and my own mother’s memory of her mother’s Orange Date Nut Cake.

If YOU have a food memory you’d like to share with me, I would LOVE to share that with you. Leave me a voicemail, Voxer me, Tweet me, Message me on Instagram or drop a note in the Facebook group… or send me an email [regan at thisunmillenniallife dot com]. I read every email I receive and am appreciative of them all.

Until next week!

Regan

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