When your kids come running inside asking for a snack, you may be tempted to give them a 100-calorie snack pack from the grocery store. A 2008 study led by Rita Coelho do Vale and published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that participants ate almost twice as much food from smaller packages than large packages. Help your child learn to control portions by serving healthy snacks you prepare. Involve your child in making and preparing her own snacks to help her stay enthusiastic about eating healthy snacks.
Fruits
Fruits are healthy, nutritious snacks for kids. Many fruits have 100 calories or less, including apples, bananas and oranges. Combine half an apple with a couple teaspoons of natural peanut butter for a snack high in fiber and healthy fats. Give your child orange slices arranged on a plate with five or six roasted nuts.
The University of Arkansas recommends freezing 1/2 cup of orange juice in a plastic cup and serving it like sorbet. Stock up on 4 oz. cups of unsweetened applesauce or fruit cups in juice for a snack your kids can serve themselves. Let your child stack his fruit on a skewer to make a fruit kabob.
Vegetables
Kids who refuse to eat cooked vegetables at dinnertime may enthusiastically eat raw vegetables. High in fiber and virtually fat free, vegetables are an easy snack with less than 100 calories. Give your child 2 cups of raw vegetables with 2 tsp. light dressing or 1/2 cup of roasted raw soybeans for an afternoon snack. Use broccoli florets or cut up cucumbers, baby carrots and celery sticks. Put 1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes in a plastic cup and tell your child she can spear each tomato with a toothpick and dip it in fat-free dressing.
Grains
Letting your kids eat a snack with whole grains helps keep them full until the next meal. North Dakota State University recommends serving your child 13 animal crackers or half of a whole-grain English muffin with 1 tsp. peanut butter.
Teach your child to count and measure snacks he eats. Give him two graham cracker squares or one piece of whole grain bread spread with 1 tsp. naturally sweetened jam.
Dairy
Dairy products can contain a high percentage of fat calories. When you offer your child a dairy snack less than 100 calories, choose low-fat or fat-free products. A 1 oz. stick of part-skim mozzarella cheese or 4 oz. of fat-free chocolate pudding provide your child with much needed calcium for just a few calories. As a treat, allow your child to have 1/2 cup of fat-free frozen yogurt or make yogurt pops. Serve 1/2 oz. of cheddar cheese with two whole-wheat crackers.
References
- Journal of Consumer Research: Flying Under the Radar: Perverse Package Size Effects on Consumption Self-Regulation
- University of Arkansas: 100 Calorie Snacks: 20 Choices
- Clemson Cooperative Extension: Snacks With 100 Calories or Less
- North Dakota State University: Now Serving: Nutritious After-School Snacks!
- National Institutes of Health: We Can!: Snacks--100 Calories or Less
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