Healthy Kid SnacksSponsored Links Healthy kid snacks are an important part of a growing child’s diet. In fact, snack time for children is just as important as regular meal times because children do a lot of snacking in between meals. Healthy snacking provides the nutrients and energy the child needs throughout the day. It’s a good idea to have healthy snacks always available for your kids.
Healthy Kid Snacks for the Lunch BoxA great substitute for fatty, processed luncheon meats is using skinless chicken or turkey breast meat on whole wheat bread. Use mustard instead of mayonnaise.Add a crisp pickle and ice burg lettuce to give the sandwich a nice crunch. Then presto, you have a healthy sandwich with vitamins for your child’s lunch. Tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread or pita bread is also an excellent lunch box sandwich. To keep it on the light side, buy tuna packed in water rather than oil, and use yogurt or lemon juice for mixing. If your child is a vegetarian and you want a meatless sandwich, try real peanut butter (no sugar added) and raw honey or a mashed banana. In the south kids love peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and they are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Be sure to pack a piece of whole fruit of your child’s choice too. Kids can eat healthy for lunch even when away from home.
Healthy Kid Snacks for Satisfying the Sweet ToothDried fruits are excellent refined sugar substitutes. Dried fruits are much sweeter than raw fruit but still provide the nutrients. Pairing dried fruits with nuts and seeds makes an excellent snack for children because it is a great source of several different vitamins and minerals.Dried bananas provide potassium, while five or six dried figs have more calcium than a glass of milk! Eating a variety of nuts provides adequate amounts of protein so it is a good idea to mix and match with different varieties of raw nuts and seeds. The key here is to make sure the nuts are raw and not toasted, salted, or have other harmful additives on them. Many parents think their children are allergic to peanuts but sometimes it is not the peanut they are allergic to but the additives in canned peanuts and nut mixes. Besides dried fruits, whole raw fruits should also be readily available. Train your children to eat fruit when they are hungry or craving sweets. You will definitely have a happier child and you’ll also make fewer trips to the dentist and doctor’s office.
Healthy Kid Snacks Means Fiber Rich FoodsWhole grains pack a lot of fiber compared to their refined flour counterparts. Whole wheat breads, crackers, and pita bread are essential whole grains to have for your child to eat. Children like to make sandwiches and toast for snacks, and having whole wheat bread available will truly make your child healthier.Homemade granola cereal is a wonderful fiber rich food that can easily be made ahead of time and stored in Tupperware for snacks. Granola is quick and easy to make. Here is what you will need. In a large bowl add six cups of oats and 1/2 cup each of two or three different kinds of nuts and seeds of your choice. I like to use sesame seeds, chopped almonds, and sunflower seeds. Mix together ¼ cup butter or safflower oil, ¼ cup raw honey, two tablespoons black strap molasses, and ¼ cup water. Add to the granola and mix well. Spread on cookie sheets and bake for fifteen minutes at 350 degrees. Allow the granola to cool a little bit and then add a cup or two of dried fruit of your choice. Dried raisins and apples are especially good in granola. Remember, healthy eating is a learned “good habit” that starts out when a child is barely walking. Getting kids to like healthy snack foods when they are young will keep them on the right track when they get older. Happy snacking!
Top of Healthy Kid Snacks Return to Healthy Eating For Kids Healthy Eating Homepage
|
