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Healthy kids: snack time!
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As parents, one of our biggest concerns is that we're feeding our children the right foods. Fruits, vegetables, milk, protein...it's hard to get it all in throughout the course of a day (especially if you have a picky eater, say, in the form of a two year old who will not eat anything green). However, nothing poses more of a challenge than finding healthy snacks for our kids.
A walk down the snack aisle at any supermarket demonstrates just how easy it is to fall into the temptation of the cheap, easy, sugary, and oh-so-enticing unhealthy cookies, crackers, and chips. But healthy snacks can also be cheap, easy, tasty, and enticing in their own way.
An article on www.parenting.com offers suggestions for 8 fruity snacks kids will love as well as 7 healthy heat up snacks. A list provided by www.sparkpeople.com includes toddler friendly snacks such as:
- Hot chocolate and vanilla wafers.
- Peeled pear slices with cubed mozzarella cheese.
- Thinly sliced Colby cheese on whole grain Triscuit crackers.
- Cottage cheese mixed with canned, sliced peaches (I choose the ones in water, as well as rinse them off before serving.)
- Fruit smoothie: In blender, combine 1 carton yogurt, 1 cup orange juice, 1 banana, and 10 frozen strawberries. Freeze leftovers in popsicle molds for another snack.
- Layer instant vanilla pudding, blueberries, and toasted oat cereal in a clear glass for a parfait.
- Turkey, cheese, and tortilla roll ups: Microwave until steamy hot, then slice in pinwheel shape for a fun finger food. Let cool before eating.
- Toasted cinnamon bread and orange juice.
Remember that our kids will model our eating habits. If they see us eating healthy, they'll be inclined to do the same. If you're on the go a lot (and what mom isn't), there are also some great energy snacks for moms. Additionally, www.sparkpeople.com suggests some healthy, portable options including:
- Celery sticks with peanut butter and several raisins on top
- Rice cakes with peanut butter (good for getting a protein punch)
- Low-fat cheese cubes
- Hardboiled eggs
- Fruit yogurt cup (add in some fresh fruits or nuts for a boost
- Trail mix
- Nuts or nut mix (stick to just a handful)
- Vegetable sticks with a little packet of dip (lowfat salad dressing packets found in salad bars work as easy-to-pack dip)
Don't forget, with all of the healthy eating, that you and your kids need to get exercise every day as well. Combating childhood obesity starts at home, and the younger our children are when they develop healthy eating and exercise habits, the more likely those habits are to stick!
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