What’s for a Snack?

It is common for parents to generally focus on the main meals as the major source of nutrients for children often forgetting the importance of snacks. Grabbing a packet of crisps or a biscuit is generally the easiest option yet these snacks are full of sugar, fat, salt and calories offering  limited nutrition and can result in weight gain.

Healthy snacks on the other hand play an important part in helping your child stay energized in between meals while offering an opportunity for  him/her to reach the recommended daily nutrient requirements and help the child develop healthy eating habits.  With a little creativity, healthy snacks can offer vital nutrients in your child’s daily meal plan becoming essential for their healthy development.

EXAMPLES OF HEALTHY SNACKS

  • Vegetable sticks (e.g. carrots, peppers, cumbers) with hummus
  • Unsweetened yogurt topped with fruit
  • Fruit mix (e.g. bananas, blueberries, peaches, strawberries)
  • Whole grain crackers with cut up vegetables
  • Homemade fruit muffins made with oats or whole grains
  • Homemade trail mix ( A mixture of nuts, cereal, dried fruit, and/or seeds)
  • Fruit smoothies made with yogurt or milk, (e.g. Mix in a blender milk (1⁄2 cup skimmed milk), fruit (1⁄2 cup strawberries) and 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt.

 

TIPS ON HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR HEALTHY SNACKS

  1. HAVE HEALTHY SNACKS AVAILABLE: As a parent/ guardian you are in charge of what food to buy for your household. If your child is hungry he/she will eat whatever is available in the fridge or cupboard. Do not waste your money on pre-packed junk food. These are very tempting for children (plus adults) and will definitely be the child’s first choice if available.
  2. PREPARE FOR SNACK TIME: It is not only important to stack up your fridge or cupboard with healthy options, it is best if you have the snacks ready. For example cut vegetables such as carrots, peppers and store them in air tight containers in the fridge fridge. If preparing healthy muffins prepare some extra to freeze
  3. SCHEDULE SNACK TIME: A common problem is that if snacks are given very close to mealtimes, the child might fill up on the snack and is then not hungry for lunch or dinner. It is best to schedule snack time two to three hours away from lunch or dinner.
  4. BE A ROLE MODEL: Choose healthy snacks for yourself. If your child sees you snacking on fruit, they will be more likely to copy you. Click  here to watch a one minute video of how children copy their parents.  Do not blame them for wanting biscuits, chocolate and crisps if that is what they see you eat!

Healthy snacks are always highly recommended however the occasional treat is also welcome. Everyone would need an indulgence once in a while especially children. Do not ban treats completely since this will make the children crave for them more and by making treats available on occasional basis in limited quantities, the children will be more likely to eat healthy snacks on a daily basis.