Snacks – who doesn’t love to snack? When I visit foreign
countries, I am amazed at how little some people snack in other countries. They eat well at meals, but just don’t seem
to snack much. Not true of Americans, we
love our snacks. About 57% of us enjoy a
snack
at least once a day. About 31% say they
snack a few days a week. Why do people
snack? Some say because they are
hungry. And that may be true, especially
for growing children and teenagers. Some
are craving sweets and others are craving a salty snack. Some people think snacking is bad for your
health. But is it? Yes, some snacks like Cheetos are not a
healthy choice. But many snacks can be
good for your health. Children in
particular, need snacks. They have small
stomachs and should have snacks between meals.
Pre-school kids should have morning and afternoon snacks. School-age kids should have an afternoon
snack. KidsHealth
notes, “A well-timed snack can even out spikes in hunger and provide
much-needed energy boost between meals.”
And, “Snacks can keep younger children from getting so hungry that they
become cranky, and they can keep older kids from overeating at larger meals.”
How can you have some healthy
snacks on hand?
- Plan those snacks. Rather than opening a cupboard or the fridge
and grabbing anything, plan ahead. Most
of us, about 59%, grab a snack without planning what we will eat. By having healthier snack options on hand, it
is easier for adults and kids to choose healthy snacks. - Snacks can fill nutritional gaps – choosing fresh
fruit or veggies can help you get in the recommended 5 A Day of fruits and
veggies. Short on dairy? Grabbing a yogurt or having some cheese and
crackers can add dairy to your day.
Short on whole grains? Satisfy
that salty snack urge by enjoying some whole grain chips like Sun Chips or Late
July chips. Add some salsa and you are
adding even more good nutrition to your snack.
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| Enjoy some whole grain chips. |
What are some good snack options for adults?
- Fruit and veggies – aim to add some fruit or
veggies to every snack. Why? Because so many Americans aren’t eating
enough fruits and veggies. The salsa
counts as a vegetable as does guacamole.
Keep hummus on hand as a dip for carrot sticks. - Protein – you need protein to build and maintain
your muscles. Dairy provides a very high-quality
protein – as long as it is real dairy and not a fake milk or fake yogurt. Choose some low-fat cottage cheese and fruit,
yogurt with fresh fruit. Melted mozzarella
on a half of an English muffin. - Fiber – many of us are short on fiber on our
diets. Enjoy some popcorn. Popcorn is whole grain. Fresh fruit like fresh raspberries are good
sources of fiber. Fiber helps you feel
full and feeds
those “good bacteria in your gut”. Nuts are another good snack choice – a handful
of nuts, not the whole can. - Choose 2 food groups for your snack like yogurt
for dairy and fresh blueberries for the fruit.
What
are some good snack choices for kids?
Kids
need snacks as noted above. They have
small stomachs and get hungry between meals.
Active kids need snacks for energy as they can burn up a lot of calories
playing. Try to have snack time at the
same time each day. Let kids get involved in making the snack. Offer the kids some snack choices and let
them choose the snack they want.
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| Easy to make, Pizza Toast. |
- Breakfast cereal – buy any General Mills cereal
(all are whole grain) and let your kids enjoy cereal as a healthy snack. Add some real milk and you have 2 food
groups, dairy and grain. - Fruit – cut up into small pieces to avoid
choking. For small children, even grapes should be cut up. Add some yogurt or cottage
cheese. - Graham crackers with peanut butter.
- Applesauce on top of some cottage cheese.
- Whole grain chips and salsa
- Smoothies – let older kids make their own
smoothie with fresh fruit and real milk or yogurt. - Pudding or Chocolate Milk – yes, these contain
some added sugar but pudding and chocolate milk also provide calcium, protein
and many other nutrients growing children need.
Let your kids help make the pudding. Younger kids can easily stir for
the 2 minutes. Older kids can measure the milk, stir, pour into bowls
and make this snack on their own. - Mini pizzas – cheese, salsa on a whole grain
English muffin - Grab and go snacks – granola bars, cheese
sticks, trail mix, popcorn, dried or fresh fruit. - Check out “30 Super Speedy
Snacks for Kids” – fun snacks any kid would enjoy.
When
grocery shopping this week, choose some healthy snack options to have on hand
for you and for your kids.
source https://betterweightloss.info/ktk-nutrition-enjoy-some-snacks/
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