Planning a healthy diet for children is important because children are usually reliant on the guidance of their parents to know what to eat. Because a child's body is still growing and developing, proper nutrition is of the utmost importance. In addition to planning healthy and well-balanced meals, parents must also provide their children with healthy snacks.
Importance of Snacks
Because their bodies are growing, children need to get enough calories each day to allow them to build more tissue. The typical child's stomach is too small to handle large meals, HealthyChildren.org notes, which can lead to them being unable to get enough proteins, fats and carbohydrates each day. Healthy snacks provide extra energy and can also provide essential vitamins and nutrients to fuel the developing body. Most children need two to three healthy snacks each day in addition to three meals.
Healthy Snacks and Disease Risk
One reason why healthy snacks are important is that they can help prevent kids from becoming overweight. Unhealthy snacks, such as sweets and potato chips, add extra calories to the diet while providing little in the way of nutrition. If your child is overweight, he may develop high blood pressure and atherosclerosis, which can heighten his risk of developing heart disease. Overweight children are also more likely to suffer from sleep apnea, asthma and orthopedic problems, the MedlinePlus website notes.
Snacks and Future Nutrition
Healthy snacks are also important because they can influence what your child eats later in life. Providing healthy snacks makes it easier for your child to learn to enjoy nutritious foods, which will guide her food choices once she is older and purchases her own food. As the KidsHealth website notes, it can take several tries for a child to grow accustomed to a new food, but healthy snacks can yield life-long benefits for your child.
Examples
MedlinePlus has a list of healthy snack options you can provide for your kids. Crackers and breads made with whole grains provide a healthy base for a snack, especially when combined with fruit spreads or low-fat cream cheese. Fruits and vegetables can be served with low-fat cheese or yogurt. Certain frozen desserts, such as low-sugar ice cream, sorbet, fruit juice bars and frozen yogurt, also make healthy snacks.
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