As the school year begins, we are reminded of how important it is to provide our kids with nutritious snacks and support lifelong healthy eating habits. The food our children learn to eat at home early on in their lives will stick with them into adulthood. Our bottom line, of course, is to prevent disease and promote optimal health. Before we give you our list of healthy snacks, here are a few helpful hints to encourage your kids to eat them:
- Be a good role model, practice what you preach – eat the foods you want your kids to eat
- Avoid using food as rewards, bribes, or punishments – try using fun stickers or other non-food enticements instead
- Let your kids help out in the kitchen – kids enjoy eating the foods they create, and it’s a good way to get them to try new foods
- Use bright-colored fun plates, napkins, and cups
Healthy Snack Ideas:
Celery sticks with peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter), sprinkled with a few raisins
Cherry tomatoes and pitted black olives
Kale or zucchini chips with sunflower seeds
Fresh, raw coconut pieces
Smoothie made with almond or coconut milk, 1/3 cup berries and hemp or rice-based protein powder (can also be made into a frozen pop treat)
Coconut milk yogurt with fruit and nuts
Slices of turkey, chicken, or roast beef served on top of cucumber rounds with mustard
Hummus and sliced raw veggies (red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, carrot sticks, etc.) OR
Sliced raw veggies with guacamole, salsa, bean dips, or nut butters
Gluten-free crackers with nut butter, almond cheese, or Daiya cheese
Jicama sticks
Apple slices with almond butter, sprinkled with crushed nuts or seeds
Dried and unsulfured fruit slices with nuts of choice
Healthy turkey or beef jerky (such as, Wellshire Farms Tom-Tom’s Turkey Sticks or Organic Prairie Brand)
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalflickr/252041504/”>Crystl</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>cc</a>
