“I’m hungry. What can I eat?” I hear those words often these days. Maybe my kids are all on a growth spurt – with four of them there’s bound to be at least one or two going through that at a time. As a result, I’ve found myself looking for, or suggesting, snacks for them to eat. With my youngest being 10 years-old, we’re past the point of having a planned mid-day snack. My kids know that if they’re hungry and it’s mid-day, a snack is fine. They’re old enough to get it themselves – for the most part. But lately I’ve given out more ideas and guidelines for healthy snacking.
1. Check your hunger – Have a snack if it’s been awhile since you’ve eaten, you’re hungry, and it’s not too close to the next meal. Too close and you won’t be hungry for the meal.
2. Eat intentionally – Sit at the table and enjoy your snack. Don’t walk around or sit in front of the screen.
3. Choose wisely – Snacks should help round out your diet, providing nutrients and calories to help meet your body’s needs.
Snacks are fine and can be part of a healthy diet. To help my kids choose healthy snacks my husband and I developed this list of snack ideas for them to go to when they’re hungry. It’s helpful since I’m not always at home and it helps guide them in making a healthy choice for their snack – something they need to learn as they get older. The list includes individual food items as well as combinations of foods. I like this because it gives them ideas and allows them to come up with their own combinations as well. It’s available in pdf format for download.
I also have a list of links for healthy snack recipes or ideas I’ve either tried or would like to try – in case I or my kids feel like making something in the kitchen. Many of these sites have other great ideas for healthy snacking as well.
Baked Oatmeal Squares with Cherries
Double Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
No-Guilt Peanut Butter Banana Oat Chippies
Do you have any healthy snack ideas you’d like to share? Please add your ideas in the comments below. If you’ve enjoyed this post would you consider sharing it on Facebook or Twitter? I’d also love to meet you on Twitter or Pinterest. Please connect with me here: Follow @MarieTDittmerRD or Pinterest.
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