Kid Snacks

If it seems like your kids are always hungry, it’s definitely not your imagination. Kids need a lot of calories to keep up with their needs – after all, running around playing all day takes a lot of energy! At the same time, children’s’ stomachs are still relatively small, making it so kids usually can’t consume all of the calories they need over the course of three square meals a day.

Which is why snacks were invented.

A lot of people think “snack” is a dirty word, thanks in part to the constant stream of bad news about things like trans-fats, sugar and the growing obesity epidemic. But just because a food is eaten at a time other than traditional mealtimes doesn’t mean it’s automatically unhealthy. Snack foods can be just as nutritious as those fabled three square meals a day – all it takes is a little pre-planning and a little imagination.

So when you shop for snack time, skip the chips and cookies and other pre-prepared “quick fixes” in favor of foods you already know your kids like and enjoy that will also give them the nutrients they need to grow and be healthy. Anything that gets the thumbs up from both of you is fair game, from whole wheat pasta sprinkled with parmesan cheese to breakfast cereal eaten with their fingers out of a bowl. You can keep cut-up fruit and cheese bites on hand for those moments when hunger strikes, or if you have the time and energy, make special snack treats using wholesome ingredients like whole grain crackers or small pieces of bread topped with nutrient-rich foods like peanut butter, cheddar cheese, slices of apple, banana and even cucumber -- whatever your child likes.

The best part is, when you serve your child healthy snacks like these, you don’t need to worry about your kids “spoiling their dinner” with snack foods. In fact, there’s no need to stress about dinner at all, because you know that – whenever they choose to eat -- your kids are getting all the nutrients they need.

And isn’t that what mealtime is supposed to be all about?