Healthy Snacks For Kids
Frugal And Tasty Too 

Healthy snacks for kids are something we all want to give our children, but when it actually comes down to it, how many of us actually do?

Everyone snacks from time to time and that in itself is not the problem. The real problems is how often we snack and what we snack on that can make the difference between being healthy or not.

This also applies to our children’s snacking habits, so as parents it is important that we know what our children are eating between meals and how often.

One of the main problems is persuading the kids that snacking all the time on the wrong foods is not good for them. One way round this is to allow them two snacks a day, this will help you to control their snacking and also provide them with some structure as well as a treat.

But what are healthy snacks for kids anyway?

Kids like foods that are packed with sugar and fat and these are the ones that you need to slowly wean them off of over time. Don’t expect your kids to except your new ideas straightaway. Introduce an alternative to one of their favourite snacks once a week, eventually you will have built up a whole new list of snack foods your kids will enjoy and which are so much better for them.

Try these alternatives

picture by Pink Sherbet Photography

If your kids favourite snacks are crisps, alternative to these are:

• Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
  
• Homemade popcorn (without sugar or salt)
  
• Rice and corn cakes
  
• Breadsticks
  
• A handful of dry cereal (one which is low in sugar) mixed with some raisins or sultanas

If your kid has a sweet tooth, the alternatives to offer are a handful of:

• Dried mango
  
• Dried banana
  
• Dried pineapple
  
• Raisins

You could give them a small bag of mixed dried fruit to take to school to nibble on during break. If the bag is brightly coloured and fun too it is more likely the kids will see this alternative to a bag of sweets as more appealing.

Be inventive

One of the best ways to encourage your children to eat more healthy snack alternatives is to make them as fun and as unusual as possible. This need not be difficult; here are a few suggestions to get your creative juices going.

• Push a stick through chucks of banana and freeze them. These make great alternatives to ice lollies when it’s hot.
  
  
• Get the kids to help you make a yummy low fat yoghurt smoothy. The fun of blending it all up and decorating the glass with pieces of fruit will encourage them to want to try this healthy juice drink.
  
  
• Dips are always good for younger kids to enjoy. Low fat soft cheese or low fat hummus dips and cut up raw vegetable sticks can be fun.