If you’ve read about solutions for child obesity, then you know that eating well plays an important part in maintaining a healthy body weight. You also know that being overweight puts a child at risk of certain illnesses and that obese children tend to grow into obese adults with bad habits. Help put childhood obesity at bay with these healthy snacks for children.
Children should eat around three meals a day with one to two snacks. Often children need a portable snack that’s still healthy. A classic go-to healthy snack for children consists of combining a raw vegetable with a healthy sauce. This can add flavour to what your child might otherwise consider to be a bland snack, or it can help cover or enhance a flavour your child deems too strong (e.g., spinach with sea salt or olive oil dressing).
Other healthy snack ideas include an apple with cheddar cheese (protein and fibre), vegetable soup, crackers with tuna, Greek yogurt with honey and fruit, bananas and oatmeal, and the good ol’ idea of a simple fruit. Opt for fresh fruits and vegetables more often than juice and make sure your child consumes enough water every day.
Come dinner time, think of a child’s plate (or your own, for that matter) as looking like so: one half should be filled with fruits and vegetables (perhaps spinach and sweet potatoes), one quarter with a source of protein (like beans, other legumes, meat or fish) and one quarter with grain products (try whole grain rice or pasta). A multitude of combinations result from this healthy dinner formula. Lunch can take a similar form, but perhaps in a smaller portion.
When preparing healthy snacks for children, involve your child in the process. You’re not putting a child on a diet or in a weight loss program—you’re teaching them to eat well. With good habits come great results thanks to these healthy snacks for children.
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