Healthy Family Snacks

As a parent of growing children, you should encourage the right kind of snacking to help them maintain a healthy daily diet for the rest of their lives. Foods low in sugar, fat and salt will be the best choices for you and your children to snack on. Make snack preparation a family affair and have your children assist you when creating healthy yet tasty recipes.

  1. Precautions

    • From toddlers to teenagers, children of all ages love to snack. So, keep some things in mind when you give them snacks. Toddlers should not be given snacks for good behavior and they should not be served snacks before a meal, as doing so will decrease their hunger. Preschoolers may say they are hungry but they may actually be in need of attention. Make sure they are actually hungry before serving them a snack. School-aged children should be given snacks right before homework as it will give them the energy they need to complete it. Even though teenage snacking cannot always be monitored, stock up nutritious snacks for them at home.

    Fruit

    • Your family will need to get their recommended fruit and vegetable servings for the day to maintain a healthy body. Let your children help you create fruit smoothies for your entire family to enjoy. Put one quart of yogurt and some ice into a blender. Have your kids decide what fresh fruits to include in the smoothie. Slice them and add them to the mixture. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into glasses. For an easier fruit snack to make, simply add fruit slices to cups of low-fat yogurt.

    Vegetables

    • Veggies and fruit contain a variety of phytonutrients that will help keep you and your children healthy. You and your children can create a simple snack with vegetables and dips. Place baby carrots and celery sticks on a plate. You can also try sticks of cucumber, jicama or bell peppers. Pour salad dressing such as low-fat ranch into small individual dipping cups. Hummus, a spread made with chickpeas and olive oil, is also a tasty and healthy dipping option. You and your child will enjoy dipping the vegetables into the dip and taking a bite.

    Whole Grain

    • Whole grain products have more nutrients and fiber than their refined counterparts. Bite-sized whole grain treats will be easy for you and your child to make. Cut cheese into small pieces and have your child place them on whole grain crackers to eat. Whole grain cereal can be used to make a trail mix. Simply pour two cups whole grain cereal, one cup whole grain pretzels, one cup sunflower seeds and one cup dark chocolate chips into a large bowl. Let your child mix the ingredients together with washed hands. Place a few handfuls into individual sandwich bags for everyone to enjoy.

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