Despite reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention citing high populations of overweight children in the U.S., snacking need not be related to weight gain. Healthy snacking can be integrated into a sound nutritional plan. Children can prepare simple snacks that fill tummies as well as meet nutritional needs. Parents or guardians must assist with a few basics several times a week, and then kids can prepare snacks independently.
Importance of Child Nutrition
Karen Stephens, director of the Illinois State University Child Care Center, notes the importance of proper nutrition to a child's motor skill development and physical and mental growth. The brain grows rapidly during the early years, and this development requires nutrients. Foods that stimulate brain function include green vegetables, nuts, fresh fruits and dairy products. Incorporating these into snacks assists in supplying adequate nutrition during childhood.
Snack Facts
Kids are more likely to be interested in snacks if they are tasty and involve some sort of fun in the preparation. The Mayo Clinic reports that children allowed to self-select snacks from healthy choices in the kitchen become more independent in preparing regular meals. Allow children creativity in creating snacks. Cookie cutters can be transformed into veggie cutters, for instance, and pie-crust crimpers may be used to cut creative fruit shapes. Potato smashers turn fruit into juice for frozen pop snacks.
Healthy Snacking
Healthy snacking does not require complex foods or complicated food preparation. Key food groups are necessary to include in the snack menu. Vegetables and fruits provide fiber and vitamins for young snackers. Integrate snacks such as yogurt, nuts, fruit, and vegetables into a mix that offers nutrition that may be missed in skipped meals or less nutritious meals eaten out or at school. The Mayo Clinic recommends snacks that incorporate whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables, as well as foods high in calcium.
Easy Snacks
Kids, just like adults, will snack on food that is tasty, quick and easy, and handy to find. The key to healthy kid-made snacks is making sure the food tastes good and that the snack is either easy to make or pre-made and handy. Long preparation time means kids will choose something else. Snacks may be made one day per week to be enjoyed throughout the week. The snack ingredients can also be prepared and stored in component parts in a manner that allows easy assembly. Yogurt, for instance, makes a handy dip for pre-cut veggie slices of carrots and celery. Pre-mixed nuts and cereal stored in a zippered bag make a quick snack when poured in a bowl and covered with the same prepared yogurt mix.
Lifetime Habits
Snacking habits are developed in childhood. Karen Stephens of the ISU Child Care Center says that caregivers have a responsibility to keep snack portions small and to plan health snacking. Stephens also maintains that adults should follow these guidelines to establish lifetime eating habits. Children must "...eat wisely as adults," Stephens says.
References
- "Parent Exchange;" Nutrition: Build Good Eating Habits to Side-Step Picky Eaters; Karen Stephens; 2002
- NIDDK: Weight-control Information Network: Helping Your Overweight Child
- Nemours KidsHealth: Snacks for Preschoolers
- Mayo Clinic: Children's snacks: 10 tips for healthier snacking
- Nemours KidsHealth: Smart Snacking
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