Super Healthy Snacking for Kids
Active kids are hungry kids. Providing your children with healthy snacks is a great way to keep them going through the day. More important, you’ll also be helping them to get all the nutrition they need for their growing minds and bodies.
Some parents look down on snacking between meals, but healthy snacking is an important part of a child’s day. Remember, children have much smaller stomachs than adults so they need to eat more often during the day. In fact, some children (especially if they are very active) need to eat five or six times per day. That’s up to three snacks a day — a great opportunity to squeeze in some extra nutrition!
Healthy snack guidelines
So what is a healthy snack? Typically, the more natural the food, the more wholesome it is. That’s because natural foods are minimally processed to conserve those rich nutrients already found in nature. Combine two or more of the five food groups — dairy, vegetables, fruit, grains, and protein — to make nutrient-rich snacks. For example, apple slices and all-natural peanut butter are a good combination of the fruit and protein groups, providing carbohydrates for energy and protein for growth, as well as phytonutrients, fiber, iron, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Another great snack full of these nutrients is a quesadilla made with a whole wheat tortilla, beans, and low-fat cheese. Plus, snacks can help to make up for food groups or nutrients children missed out on in their meals. Did your child skip vegetables at lunch? Try offering carrot sticks with hummus as a snack.
Healthy snacking tips
- Be creative. Make healthy foods fun by cutting them into shapes and using lots of color.
- Let your kids join in. What is your child’s favorite healthy food? Plan a snack around it.
- Be a good role model. If you snack healthy, your child is more likely to as well.
- Offer snacks no sooner than two hours before mealtime. This way, a child is less likely to be too full for regular meals.
Simple snack ideas
- English muffin pizzas: whole wheat English muffin, tomato sauce, low-fat cheese, and veggies
- Banana roll-ups: whole wheat tortilla, all-natural peanut butter, and banana slices
- Cut-up fruit and yogurt dip
- Yogurt with crushed whole grain crackers or granola mixed in
- Vegetable soup and whole grain crackers
- Whole grain cereal and low-fat milk
Great ideas for adults too!
There are some great snack ideas i think teens would like then i wold know bc i am one
i love this it really is great!
I have had to start with more healthy snacks for my family. Husband having trouble with blood sugar levels. I stopped buying snacks that are not healthy for them. Everyone eating more veggies, fruit, whole grains, etc. Kids seem to enjoy them as well. Plus, just stopped buying school lunches for the kids. Now they take lunch and it is better for them, and they love the food! They also like helping in the kitchen, so they eat it better if they help! These are also great ideas for snack choices we would all enjoy! Kids also LOVE anything Kashi!!
i even call the TLC Oatmeal cookies a treat! OMG they are soooo good!
we are erally into fruit and veg!
oh yeah, forgot to say, my babies snack on lots of fresh fruit and veg! how else are they going to grow?
I have a very difficult time getting my 21 month old daughter to eat anything healthy, or anything at all for that matter. Thank you for the ideas. I’d like to see meal ideas too.
These are great ideas! I have a hard time getting healthy snacks into my kids. I find I have a lot more success if I playaround and maybe make animals or some sort of design with the food. Think I’ll play around with some of these ideas. :)
My daughter is a “snacking machine”! Luckily she usually wants fruit or veggies but seems a bit bored lately. I’ll have to try some of these to “liven” it up! Thanks!