Healthy Snacking

Snacking is simply part of a kid's eating style. As a parent your challenge is to instill healthy snacking to last them a lifetime.

Kids, particularly those under five, need to eat small amounts of food regularly. This is how they meet their nutrition needs. As toddlers grow into children and then teenagers, the size of their stomach increases and so goes their calorie needs. So through the teenage years snacking continues to be the way for them to meet their relatively high nutrition needs. Therefore snacks are opportunities for you to feed your child foods that fill in the missing pieces of his or her nutrition puzzle--a few handfuls of dry cereal or popcorn add more fiber, or a box of raisins or piece of fruit leather adds one more serving of fruit.

While snacking is essential for kids, it's quickly becoming the North American way of eating. That's due to our hectic and fastpaced lifestyles. Eating today is catch as catch can. That's often a snack here or there on the run from one activity to the next--from school to the soccer field and then on to a classmate's home to finish a group project. The truth is, there's nothing wrong with frequent small snacks instead of meals. That is, as long as the choice of snacks is healthy and they aren't in addition to oversized meals.

A Parent's Challenge

Today unfortunately, many not so healthy snacks line the supermarket and convenience store shelves to meet the demands of frequently snacking North Americans. Chips, cookies, candy, sugar-loaded drinks are just a few. And kids today choose these high sugar, high fat and high calorie snack foods too often. Evidence shows that milk consumption by children has dwindled while the intake of carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices and drinks has escalated. Poor quality food choices, too many calories and insufficient physical activity are three reasons we are witnessing an alarming rise in obesity among children. A consequence of this obesity is an increase in the incidence type 2 diabetes in children.

Set healthy snacking habits from the start to instill a pattern of healthy snacking for your child's lifetime. And don't forget--practice what you preach. Kids follow by example. As a parent, your role is to make healthy snacks available and offer the not so healthy snacks just on occasion.

New Healthy Snack Options for Kids

Foods and beverages sweetened with SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener can offer you and your children snack options with less sugar and fewer calories.

Snacking Tips for Kids

  • Schedule snacks as planned eating events and don't serve them less than two hours before the next meal.
  • Choose snacks that complement the child's meals--complete their nutrition puzzle.
  • Involve your child. Invite your child to decide on the snack by offering a few healthy choices. Bake bread or cookies using healthy recipes. Grow or pick your own fruits, vegetables, or herbs.
  • Make snack time a fun time. Serve colorful foods, fruits and vegetables. Choose foods that provide a sampling of textures--soft cheese with crunchy crackers.
  • Use snack time as an opportunity to try a new food or a new combination of foods.

Lip Smacking Healthy Snacks

  • Your child's favorite dry cereal with a bit of a high fiber cereal mixed in. Put it in a sandwich bag for a great on the road snack.
  • Yogurt, preferably low fat with fruit or plain. Let your child add a few nuts, seeds, dry cereal, and/or fresh, canned or frozen fruit.
  • String cheese. Let them pull it apart and enjoy the fun. It's another great on the road snack.
  • Pre-cut carrots or pieces of other colorful vegetables with a few dollops of their favorite creamy salad dressing by the side. Let them dip and eat.
  • Popcorn sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese or their favorite grated cheese.
  • Raisins, dried apricots, pears, peaches, apples or prunes. Kids love dried fruit because it's as sweet as candy. It's another ready-to-go snack.
  • Mounds of colorful melon balls. Teach your child how to use a melon-baller to scoop out cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon.
  • Tortilla chips, preferably low or fat-free, dipped in salsa or melted cheese.
  • Frozen banana: Roll a banana in cocoa or dip it in melted chocolate and roll in chopped peanuts, then freeze.
  • Make ice pops: Take your child's favorite yogurt, pureed fruit, fruit juice, applesauce or jam mixed with milk and freeze it.
  • Go Kabobin'! Take skewers, wooden sticks or toothpicks and put on pieces of fruit, cheese or meat.