Tips For Healthy Snacking For Kids

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Article - Tips For Healthy Snacking For Kids

Snacks account for 25% of the total daily calories for children; therefore the snacks a child consumes should contribute to the overall diet.

Set specific times for snacks. Snacks should be between meals and not within 1 hour of a meal. The shorter amount of time before a meal the smaller the snack should be. (1 hour before a meal a snack should be ‹100 calories; 1 ½ hours before a meal a snack should be 150 calories; 2+ hours before meal a snack should be 200 calories.)
Snacks should contribute to the total diet and should consist of food groups lacking at meals. Are vegetables eaten only at dinner, then vegetables may need to be added at snack time. Is a grain/starch offered at every meal, if so a grain/starch may not be needed as a snack.
Try to aim for snacks that have carbohydrates and/or protein, fat and fiber. An easy way to accomplish this goal is to have more than 1 food group at snack time. (see list below for healthy snack combinations)
Watch out for snacks that may sound healthy but are not. Look at food labels to see the nutrient content of the product. (see list below for snacks/foods to watch out for)

Healthy Snack Combinations:

(Toddler portion sizes should be cut in half – peanut butter & popcorn are choking hazards)
* Medium banana with 1 Tbsp peanut
butter (200 kcal, 8g fat, 3g fiber, 3g pro)
* Medium apple with skin and 1 oz
string cheese (190 cal, 6.5g fat, 3g
fiber, 3g pro)
* 13 “Snyders” tortilla chips & ¼ cup
salsa (180 cal, 4.5g fat, 3g fiber, 2g pro)
* 1 cup cereal & ½ cup skim milk(145 cal,
3g fat, 3.5g fiber)
* ½ cup low fat cottage cheese / ½ cup
blueberries (110 cal, 1.5 g fat, 12 g pro,
2g fiber)
* ½ whole wheat pita, 2 tsp salsa,
(45 calories, 1g protein, 2g fiber, 1g fat)

Healthy Sounding But Not:

* Drinkable Yogurts (Danimals) – Watch out for the sugar! Ounce per ounce has more sugar than Coke.
* Fruit Roll Ups / Fruit Flavored
Gummy Candy – Most of the calories
come from sugar and they offer very little nutritional value. Fruit is healthier.
* Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt – Very
high in sugar (~ 36 g), a better choice is fruit flavored yogurt
* Gatorade/PowerAde – Are intended
to be used during activity lasting > 1 hour – contain sugar and no vitamins/minerals.
* NutriGrain Bars / Granola Bars – Are high in carbohydrates, low in protein & fiber. Not nutritionally balanced. Fortified cereal may be a better Integrative.