Kids love to snack, and you want to make sure they eat healthy snacks loaded with nutrition instead of empty calories and high sugar content. Instead of pre-packaged snacks, try giving your kids finger foods made with fresh ingredients. You can make sure they eat healthily at school by making snack bags and popping them in their lunch bags. Healthy snacks are a great way to get vitamins and minerals into your children's diet.
Veggie Snacks
Kids do not always want to eat vegetables, but a great way to make their daily vegetable requirement is with veggie snacks. Baby carrots are sweet and can be bagged to take for lunch. Celery with a little peanut butter will provide some protein, omega-3 and fiber in your child's diet. You can also assemble a snack platter for your kids and their friends when they come home; put out baby carrots, celery, radishes and other raw veggies with some low-fat ranch dressing.
Finger Fruits
Fruits make great finger foods and are loaded with antioxidants, fiber and vitamins. Kids love berries because they are sweet and fun to eat. You can pack bags with berries, sliced apples and dried fruits such as cranberries for travel snacks. If your kids are prone to snacking while playing video games or watching TV, make a platter of strawberries, grapes, sliced apples, mangoes or other finger fruit. Give them a cup of low-fat yogurt for dipping the fruit.
Over several days, change the type of fruit to keep them from getting bored with one type of snack. Instead of yogurt, add some peanut butter with sliced apples for a switch. When kids come home from school, they reach for the nearest thing to eat; so keep bowls of dried fruit out so they can grab a quick bite.
Grains & Nuts
Whole grain snacks have carbohydrates that give your child energy. They are also part of a balanced diet. Whole grain cereal is quick snack that will give your kid energy. Nuts are also good finger foods, but limit the amount because they have a high fat content. Other options include whole grain pretzels, mini bran muffins and low-fat granola.
Calcium
Kids have growing bones, and calcium snacks are loaded with bone-building benefits, according to the National Institutes of Health Milk Matters Campaign. Quick calcium snacks include low-fat or fat-free string cheese and low-fat frozen yogurt pops.
Sweets
Kids crave sweets, so have some handy when they get the urge. Freeze blueberries or strawberries for an ice-cold snack in the summer. Kids love chocolate, but most brand-name chocolate snacks are loaded with sugar. Instead of milk chocolate, give them dark chocolate which is loaded with antioxidant flavonoids. Look for bars with 65 percent or higher cocoa content. Dark chocolate is still high in calories, so make it a special treat once in awhile.
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