Healthy Snacks Your Kids Will Love!
Children have higher nutrient demands than adults, to fuel their bodies and brains for better growth and development. That makes a growing kid often get hungry between meals and crave for snacks. Choosing unhealthy food to snack on can have a major impact on children’s growth. Kids these days snack on foods and beverages that are extremely unhealthy and do not bring any nutritional values. They are often full of refined flour, added sugars and artificial ingredients, such as candies, fast foods, potato chips, instant noodles, sweetened beverages and etc.
Lacking of healthy snacking with nutrients might also affect your children’s academic performance. On the contrary, several studies have shown that children who snack on healthy foods perform better in school than those who snack on sugary, processed, unhealthy foods.
Instead of highly processed snack foods, fill your children’s stomach with whole foods that will provide both energy and nutrition. Here is a list of healthy, nutrient-dense and delicious snacks that kids will love.
Nuts are high in healthy fats, protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Consuming varieties of nuts can help with boosting growth, brain and bone development. Make sure to choose your nuts that are roasted with low temperatures to retain its nutritional values.
Many trail mixes found commercially contain sweet chocolate candies. It is best to opt for healthier trail mixes that contain only whole foods like mix nuts, dried fruits, and or whole-grain cereals that are healthy and nutritious.
Oatmeal is one of the best options for breakfast and snacks for us. Oats are high in fiber, protein, healthy fat and antioxidants, making them the most nutrient-dense food than most other grains. Oats contain beta-glucan which helps with reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol and regulating blood sugar levels.
Raisins are dried grapes that contain a decent amount of iron, that helps in transporting oxygen throughout our body. Having kids to consume raisins may also protect their teeth from cavities and giving us the perfect smile!
Many crackers or cookies found commercially are packed with refined sugars and flour. Consuming refined sugars may lead to health problems in children, such as heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, consuming homemade cookies with natural ingredients such as oats, dark chocolate, and fruits is a better option. Or we can get crackers made of whole grains, nuts, and seeds for our children for better health.
Remember, snack time is a great opportunity for us to add extra nutrients to your children’s diet! So, please choose your snacks wisely (whole, natural foods) for health benefits!
Written by: Jasmine Lim
(Love Earth Nutritionist)
[Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics (major) &
Food Science (minor) lowa State University, USA]
#LoveEarth #LoveLife #LoveOrganic
