Everyone loves Snacking
When we think of snacks health doesn't usually come to mind. We have all been conditioned to associate snacks with chips, soda pop, cookies, candy bars, and donuts. Candy bar company's run ads promoting their bars as quick pick me up snacks. This really sends the wrong message to young children as they squabble over what they want to snack on with their parents.
The first rule of thumb is to just not buy snacks of the unhealthy variety. This means you are going to have to choose carefully and read labels. The seemingly "made with real juice" and 100% daily value of vitamin C fruit snacks sound healthy don't they? The sugar content, artificial colors, and flavors prove otherwise though. The same thing goes for a lot of other snacks, cereals, and foods.
A popular children's convenience drink is Bug Juice. Once a popular Disney show, Bug juice is marketed toward children and parents packaged in a cute mini sports bottle and cute insect label. The label that reads "100% vitamin C " helps convince parents to buy it. I wish people would just get into the habit of reading labels because Bug Juice for example contains no fruit juice and has more sugar than soda pop! Vitamin C is so easy to obtain, parents should know better than to give it to their kids through sugar snacks and drinks.
If you don't buy the unhealthy snacks then they can't eat the unhealthy snacks. Trust me if they are hungry and not just bored kids will eat what you have.
Snack ideas for everyone:
- Fresh fruit. Introduce children to a wide variety of fruits. There are many children who I've met that had never tried cherries, mangos, and even strawberries!
- Avocado lightly sprinkled with real salt (or sea salt)
- Apples, bananas, and celery all do great with peanut butter
- Applesauce
- Baby carrots
- Homemade fruit juice pops. Pour in pureed fruit (or just chunks of fruit) and juice into ice-pop molds and freeze!
- Edamame (whole soy beans) Steam these crunchy beans and dust with sea salt. Good source of protein, calcium and phytronutrients! Pop beans out of the pod, eat beans and discard pod. Kids will have fun popping them out.
- Banana, zucchini, or raisin bread
- Cookie cutter tortillas with refried beans or hummus. Get out those cookie cutters, most kids will eat anything in a cute shape. Whole grain or homemade tortillas are even healthier.
- Popcorn. Pop your own and sprinkle with sea salt. Microwaveable popcorn is loaded with trans fats and an artificial butter that is causing lung cancer in it's factory workers. While it's unlikely we are going to get lung cancer from popping a bag of popcorn some recommend letting the bag breathe for a moment before consuming. And limit it's use, do you really want to eat something that might need to air it's chemicals out?
- Corn chips. There are now several organic varieties in regular grocery stores. Our current favorite is the organic blue corn Tostitos. They are very tasty.
- Granola bars. Watch sugar content, look for fruit juice sweetened varieties
- Fruit leathers and dried fruit. Buy from health food store or make your own.
- Nuts
- Crackers with peanut butter, or organic cheese
- Smoothies
- Make a sweet treat by taking a banana and coating it lightly with honey, then roll it in crushed peanuts. I grind peanuts up in a coffee grinder. (use honey roast for extra sweetness). Quick fun and messy! But oh so good too!
Tips on buying healthy snacks:
- Read labels. Don't trust what they say on the package or in commercials.
- Check the sodium, sugar, fat, and other preservatives and colorings your food may contain.
- Don't buy products with artificial chemical sweeteners. Look for products that are fruit juice sweetened. (They have more of products like this in heath food stores).
- Keep a balance. Kids can have various snacks and treats in moderation. If you buy some chips this week then buy only crackers next week. But don't keep junk in the house all the time. If you indulge and buy some fruit snacks for school lunch this week serve an extra veggie at dinner or add fresh fruit to the school lunch to make up for it. Don't do it everyday.
- Don't take your children shopping with you. They will talk you into buying unhealthy things. :)
- Talk to your children about why it's important to eat healthy, get them excited about healthy eating and teach them well.
- Fruit sugar from natural sources (fruit, 100% juice) in excess is not good for you. Eat your fruit but don't fill up on too much fruit sugar, this can slow down immunity, cause tooth decay (unless you brush your teeth frequently), feed parasites and Candida (yeast) in the body.
- Buy only 100% fruit juice. Limit fruit juice concentrate use and extra water to dilute it.
- Don't give your child soda at any age.
- Don't keep soda in the house
