You cannot ignore the fact that eating the same type of food day in and day out may make things boring. Especially to the growing kids and might even result in skipping it thereby causing several other health issues.
In order to ensure that your kids eat their snacks on time and happily it is important to make such session a fun. There are several packaged snacks available on the market both for the kids as well as for the adults that will keep them full in schools and in the workplace respectively.
However, not all of these packaged snacking options are healthy. Most of these snacks contain added sugars, refined flour, and the danger of all, the artificial ingredients. The best way is to avoid these highly processed packaged snack foods and fill your tummy and of your kid with whole foods. This will provide more energy and nutrition.
List of options
Now the question is how you can make your snack time a great opportunity to get some extra nutrients, proteins, and fibers for yourself and as well as in your child’s diet. Here is a brief list of options for healthy and delicious snacks to provide in schools and offices that both your kid and you will love.
Yogurt:
This is an excellent snack option for kids and adults as this provides with lots of protein and calcium.
- Yogurts also contain live bacteria that will help in the digestive system keeping the gut healthy.
- Make sure that you stick to full fat and plain yogurt and stay away from those containing added sugar.
You may sweeten it with a drizzle of honey or fresh fruit if you like. If you want to give honey to your kid, make sure that he or she is over 12 years as honey can develop serious disease in infants such as botulism.
Popcorn:
Though it is considered as a junk food taken especially when you are watching a movie, you can even take it during your work as popcorns are nutritious whole grain food.
- Do not drown it with unhealthy toppings and
- Air-pop it with a drizzle of butter.
You may sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top of it but use caution while offering these to kids as it can cause a choking hazard.
Celery:
One of the most common fun snacks is celery provided with raisins mixed with peanut butter. Often called “ants on a log,” this fun food will make even the most stubborn child like to eat vegetables.
- Cut a stalk of celery into three to four pieces
- Spread peanut butter inside it and
- Place a few raisins on top of the peanut butter.
This combination will provide a proper balance of carbs, fat, and protein to the body.
Nuts:
These carry a high amount of:
- Healthy Fats
- Fiber and
The dietary fat provided by nuts will be the most important factor for your child’s growth. However, consult with a doctor before giving nuts to your kids because some may be allergic to nuts. Recent studies have however suggested that if you introduce nuts in the meal at a very early age, such risks can be lowered significantly, if not eliminated.
One word of caution here: before giving nuts to children make sure that your child is well accustomed to it and can handle its texture well as this can cause a choking hazard.
Trail mix:
You can be as creative as you can when it comes to trail mix but make sure once again that your child is not allergic to nuts. This is a very healthy snack for the adults as well as the kids who can especially have it on-the-go. You will need:
- Nuts
- Dried fruits and
- Whole grain cereal to make a healthy version.
The commercial version of trail mix will contain chocolate candies in it that are high in sugar content. Therefore make sure that you make a trail mix at home which is easy to make.
Pear slices:
If you do not like to eat pears then you can eat slices of it with Ricotta cheese. This will provide with:
- Fiber
- Beneficial plant compounds
- Protein and
The cheese added will make it yummy and fun for your child as well.
Cottage cheese and oatmeal:
This is another useful combination to make the snacking fun.
- The cottage cheese is fresh and creamy, soft enough to consume and digest even by the infants.
- It is a rich source of protein, selenium, calcium, and vitamin B12 which is essential for the growth and development of the brain in children.
- You can serve cottage cheese by itself or top it with dried or fresh fruit. You can use it as a creamy spread on a toast of whole wheat or oatmeal.
- Oats provide a lot of soluble fiber that will help an increase in the number of good bacteria in the digestive tract.
- To get all the benefits of oatmeal to avoid the flavored packets commonly available in the market as these are high in sugar.
Make the oatmeal with whole rolled oats adding a little cinnamon and some diced apples to make it sweet. If you add milk instead of water to make it, you will add that much extra calcium and protein in the snack.
Cheese:
- Cheese does not only help in taking a good photo of your kid, (the ‘say cheese’ concept) but is also a good source of protein, fat, and calcium.
- Lots of studies have shown that simply eating cheese can improve health and diet providing nutritional requirements to the body such as magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D.
- Studies have also shown that apart from the top quality protein available in cheese that helps in proper growth in children, cheese also helps children to stay full and even reduce the chances of getting cavities.
The need to have snacks in between meals is not only to keep one full but also to provide the desired energy and nutrients that the body requires constantly to work. Therefore, health should be your primary concern.