I’ve given you lots of tips on how to lead a healthier lifestyle and even shared with you some of my favorite healthy recipes and healthy snack ideas – for you! But what about your kids? Your friend’s kids? Your grandchildren?
Our children’s lives seem to be busier than ever as they race from school to sports to activities and play dates, and often it’s their diets that suffer somewhere along the way. And also with everyone’s busy schedules, comes a lot of snacks. It seems that there are snacks as part of every children’s activity whether it’s snack breaks at soccer games, after school snacks or mid morning snacks, kids are constantly snacking! If you look at all of the snacks that your kids are eating you may see that they aren’t as healthy as they probably should be, and all of those unhealthy snacks day after day add up pretty quickly!
Here are some suggestions and tips for kid friendly snacks that are healthy and also very tasty:
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· Fruit: Most kids love some type of fruit. Give your kids options and see what they like best. Apple and orange slices are usually good year round, and they are easy to pack up and eat on the go. Pineapples, melons and grapes are also great options for kids, and it just takes a little bit of planning ahead to slice them up and pack in a small container as part of your children’s lunch or snack. Berries are also a great and often convenient option.
· Veggies: Carrot sticks are great to eat on the go and pack really well too. Kids also love veggies in combination with something else. One favorite is celery sticks with peanut butter on them. The peanut butter has an added benefit of being a good source of protein. Another good option is broccoli florets dipped in a low fat ranch dressing. You will be surprised at how much your kids will enjoy these healthy choices!
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· Frozen Yogurt or Sherbet: All of that ice cream can add up quickly! You can satisfy your child’s sweet tooth after dinner just as well with low fat or fat free frozen yogurt (which also have the added benefit of having probiotics in them.) Sherbet, which comes in so many tasty flavors, is also a big hit with kids.
· Individual low calorie/low fat snack bags: Instead of high fat, and heavily artificially flavored bagged snacks like Doritos, Cheetos and the like, try the lower calorie/lower fat and more natural options. There are so many out there including baked goldfish, animal crackers, popcorn and pretzels.
· Cheese: High in calcium, cheese is a great snack for on the go kids! Cheese sticks are so easy to eat in between school and practices and adding cheese to crackers or other crunchy snacks like pretzels is a great way to add in more calcium to your children’s diets.
· Healthier baked goods: Kids get plenty of baked goods at birthday parties and school celebrations. Why not make these baked goods healthier by substituting ingredients? One easy solution is to substitute applesauce for eggs. Kids often like treats baked with applesauce even more because it makes the items more moist and delicious. Another good substitute is low fat yogurt, which can take the place of eggs or butter.
Do you have any healthier snack ideas for kids? Let me know. I’d love to hear about them. And I will be writing more soon on healthier meal options for kids!
Stay Healthy!….DocMatthew
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