Healthy Snacks For Kids

People thing that their kids can be fed junk food because they are young and have faster metabolisms than adults. This is not true. They are just as vulnerable to weight gain as we are.

A recent large study about kid's eating habits from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health in the United States) found that about one-third of a child's total daily calories come from desserts, pizzas and snacks.  This is why it is important to find alternative snacks for your child to eat. 

Here are some ideas for some healthy snacks: 

Trail Mix. Your kids can help you make this trail mix as part of a home cooking lesson. Simply combine coconut flakes, dried fruit, nuts, raisons, sunflower seeds and soy nuts and put them in small 'candy bags'.  Store these in the freezer until they are ready to use. 

Fruit and Dip.  Kids are natural 'dippers' and do it anyway so why not let them dip healthy things like fruit segments into a healthy homemade dip. A tasty dip is yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon. 

Frozen Grapes:  Put a bunch of grapes in the freezer and let them go rock solid. This is the healthy version of the kid's jawbreaker that you used to buy in candy stores!  Teething kids or kids with a toothache like this too! 

Vegetables and Dip.  Vegetables are harder to get kids to eat but not if you sprinkle a bit of salt of them. Combining yogurt with Ranch Style Dressing can also encourage your kids to eat more vegetables and stop begging for the big bag of potato chips.  If you are a lazy mom who hates cutting up vegetables then buy those baby carrots. 

Lean Milkshake.  With today's high-speed blenders you don't have to make a milkshake using ice cream. You can blend milk and ice together and whip it into a shake. You can also do the same with fruit and yogurt or fruit and milk to make a nutritious smoothie. 

Meat Roll Up:  Rolling up a piece of luncheon meat around a sprig of lettuce or a thin stick of cheese makes a healthy, quick and filling snack for a kid. I know a mom who calls these Kid's Cigars. 

Baby Bel Cheeses:  These are expensive but kids just love them. They are little round edam and gouda cheeses that come in bright red and yellow wax casings. The kids have to unwrap them and peel them, which makes them into a food that is more like project. The only thing about this suggestion is to remember that you are better off to peel the wax off of the cheese for younger kids. 

Cheese and Cracker Packs:  Kids see these in stores and always want them but you can make your own packs at home by putting crackers, cheese and meat in your own plastic container. This is a lot cheaper then buying these store-bought kits, which unfortunately have become like a status symbol for many kids at school.

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Do Your Kids Need Vitamins?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics kids don't need extra vitamins. If you are feeding your little one a diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid then they should be getting all of the food that they need. 

However sometimes you end up with a kid who is a picky eater (such as my little boy who won't eat anything but tomato soup and bananas) and supplementation is necessary.  Some kids will stick to eating just one or two foods for months or even years so it is necessary to make sure that they are getting all of the nutrients that they need. Also if you are a vegetarian and raising your child to be one you don't have a diet that meets all of your child's nutritional needs as your child may be lacking in B12 or iron. Babies that are breastfed only may also need 200 IU of Vitamin D each day as breast milk is not fortified with Vitamin D. This is especially crucial if you live in a climate where there is not a lot of sun or if your child is confined to the indoors because of an illness.  

Older children who don’t drink at least 500ml (about 17 ounces) of Vitamin D fortified milk will also need Vitamin D supplements if they don’t get regular sunlight exposure.  Iron is very important to prevent anemia. Those most at risk of iron deficiency are infants who are not given extra iron after six months of age (usually in the form of an iron fortified infant cereal), and babies who drink low-iron formula, cow’s milk or goats milk. Good sources or iron include meats, fish, legumes, and fortified foods, such as breads and cereals.

Adolescent girls are also at risk of anemia once they begin having their periods so make sure your daughter is getting enough folic acid and iron. Your child also can't grow healthy bones with out calcium. It is an essential mineral that is necessary for healthy teeth and bones.

Kids who drink enough milk and eat enough yogurt, cheese and ice cream are never calcium deficient. Calcium supplements are poorly absorbed by children so you need to give them orange or grapefruit juice that is fortified with calcium.  Look for a juice that his high in calcium as many of them only have 20% of a daily value added.  You can also get chewable candies with calcium in them like Calcium gummy bears or Herbasaurs Calcium for Kids. Multivitamins for infants are available as drops and usually contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D. They may also have iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin E.  Good brands are Poly-Vi-Sol Drops, Gerber Vitamin Drops and Tri-Vi-Sol Drops.   

Keep in mind that many ‘complete’ multivitamins do not have all of the recommended amounts of the vitamins and minerals that your child needs each day and most don’t have enough calcium so you might have to look at supplementing your supplements depending on what brands are available. 

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