Kids are back in school and fall activities are beginning. Try to avoid the trap of relying on unhealthy convenience or fast foods to get through this season by implementing the following tips:

• Start their day off with a low-sugar breakfast. A sugary meal before school is not sustaining long-term and can make it difficult for your child to focus. Cold or hot cereal can be a quick and healthy breakfast as long as you choose ones with 8 grams sugar or less per serving. Provide natural sweetness to foods by adding sliced fruit, dried fruit, and/or cinnamon. Avoid toaster pastries altogether.
• Batch cook proteins like chicken, turkey, or lean beef and reuse on evenings they have practice. Cook twice the amount of chicken or lean beef a recipe calls for. Use half the first night, and then transform the other half into tacos or sandwiches on busy nights later in the week. Add a bag of steamed veggies on the side and you have a quick dinner that takes less time than running through the drive thru!
• Place grab-and-go snacks in a cooler to munch on while at the field. This will give you healthy alternatives to the snack stand. Easy portable options include: string cheese, grapes, yogurt, peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, trail mix, and pretzels.