Children and snacking go hand in hand, and having kids begging for healthier options is usually something that only happens in dreams.
Fortunately, there are many healthy and kid-approved snacks, even for the pickiest of eaters. Getting children involved in their foods, from farm to table, teaches children a love and respect for what they are nourishing their bodies with.
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Gardening: Plant a small garden of herbs and vegetables for your children to help with. If they put the hard work into growing their food, they will most likely eat it.
Cooking and Grilling: Starting children early in the kitchen can create a life long love of food. Teaching children to eat the rainbow will provide adequate nutrients for snack time.
Make food fun: Make cooking a family fun activity with the helping hands of little ones. Slicing, stirring, and taste testing are the most popular. Fun plate arrangements can make any food into an art masterpiece.
Shop local farmer's markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, trying something new each trip.
Visiting local farmers and you-pick farms is a fantastic way to show where our food grows and buy specific foods in bulk.
Snack time is an efficient way to add fresh fruits and vegetables into a child's daily diet. Avoid processed snacks and sugary drinks that have little nutritional value and high amounts of fat, salts, and sugars.
Healthier options include:
- Fruit: Apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines, pears, grapes, oranges, strawberries, blueberries
- Fresh Vegetables: Carrots, cucumbers, celery, beets, sweet peppers, cauliflower, broccoli
- Dried Fruits: Dates, prunes, raisins
- Edamame or chickpea hummus, salt-free nuts, and seeds
- Cow's milk or non-dairy yogurts, cottage cheese, cheese sticks
- Lean proteins: Naturally sourced fish, meats, and eggs
- Peanut butter or other kinds of nut butter
- Whole grains: Simple ingredient whole grains are best.
Other homemade ideas include:
- Using fresh or frozen fruit to make smoothies and popsicles.
- Homemade healthy desserts: Making one's meals and snacks are beneficial in many ways. It allows one to pick and choose what and how many ingredients are going into their food. By substituting healthier alternatives, you get both healthy and delicious.
- Frozen Ice cream: Blending frozen strawberries, bananas, canned coconut milk, raw honey, and dark chocolate chips makes refreshing fruit ice cream that tastes just like the real thing.
No matter the craving, choosing a healthier option is essential in creating a life long love of wholesome natural foods. There is no right or wrong way to make healthy recipes, only the motivation to make them. And remember to write down family loved favorites to make again and again.
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