Healthy Snack Ideas Your Kids Will Never Get Enough Of

When you hear the word “snacks”, you would immediately think chips, candies, ice cream, and other junk food. Because of this, parents prohibit snacking as much as possible. 

In reality, snacking plays an important role. It flourishes healthy eating habits and prevents costly diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Of course, you have to be smart about it. Choose the right types of snacks and get the most out of every bite! 

There’s a whole range of healthy snack ideas that you can make with your kids. Check out the list below and see what fun, healthy snacks you can make!

5 Healthy Snack Ideas For Kids

1. Fruits

Fruits are some of the most delicious and healthiest food anyone can eat, but most kids still don’t consume the recommended amount. It may seem challenging to serve these to children especially if they’re not used to it. However, if you prepare them in different ways, you’ll find that kids actually love them! 

You can use any fruit for these! Here are some ideas:

• Dried fruit
• Fruit salad
• Smoothies
• Fruit platters
• Fruit cups
• Frozen fruit
• Serve with yoghurt

 2. Vegetables

Vegetables are far from boring. If you know how to cook and serve them right, you’ll have a delicious and nutritious meal on your plate just like any other meal. Kids turn away from the idea of vegetables because of the bland taste and colour. But don’t worry! With these snack ideas, you’ll get them to eat their veggies in no time: 

• Serve veggies with dips and hummus
• Spread peanut butter on pears and celeries
• Sauteed asparagus with butter and parmesan
• Broccoli tater tots
• Baked carrot fries
• Edamame (Soybeans)
• Cauliflower mac and cheese

3. Whole Grains

All grains are great sources of key vitamins and minerals and complex carbohydrates, but whole grains are the healthiest ones. Although our kids are consuming enough amounts of grains, these are high in saturated fats and sugars such as sugary cereals and cookies. 

Try these snacks with healthy grains instead: 

• Whole-grain crackers 
• Brown rice cakes
• Low-fat popcorn
• Whole grain cereals such as Wheaties and Kix
• Granola bars
• Cheese oat crackers
• Cinnamon raisin bread

4. Low-Fat Dairy Foods

You can get your daily source of calcium from dairy food which helps your kids build stronger bones. However, not all dairy products have the necessary components for proper nutrition. In fact, many prove to be some of the biggest sources of saturated fats that can clog your kid’s arteries. 

Below are healthy dairy food for snack time: 

• Low-fat cheese such as mozzarella, feta, and cottage cheese
• Yoghurt
• Ricotta with honey and your choice of fruit
• Fortified soymilk
• Fortified soy yoghurt

5. Healthy Beverages

Your kids will also want something to gulp down their snacks with. Water is and should be the main beverage you’ll serve with their snacks. It doesn’t have calories, sugar, or any other components. Try to make drinking water a priority over sugary drinks as much as possible. 

Children who consume more sweetened beverages have a higher risk of being overweight. Soft drinks such as bubble tea, sweetened tea, juice drinks, and soda disrupt your kids’ healthy diet. Moreover, sodas cause tooth decay and dental activities.

Read More: Conquering Childhood Obesity As A Family.

If not water, there are still some healthy alternatives for your kids such as: 

• Carbonated drinks such as sparkling water, club soda, and seltzer
• Low-fat milk
• Soy drinks
• Rice drinks
• Acai smoothie

Things To Keep In Mind

• Stock Healthy Food At Home

Adjusting your environment to your suited lifestyle helps form better habits. Stocking healthy food at home will foster a healthier attitude towards eating. Instead of reaching out for chips filled with saturated fats, your kids can have a quick bite of fruits and vegetables and wash them out with a cool glass of water. Even your grocery shopping habits will change for the better as well! 

• Avoid Processed Food and Added Sugars

These are foods mass-produced in a factory. Because they aren’t fresh, they lack the key nutrients your body needs. Instead, they are packed with added salt and sugar that makes kids crave them more. Research shows that consuming processed foods will make kids hungrier faster. Rethink your grocery shopping list and only get the healthy stuff! 

• Practice Eating A Rainbow Of Colours Every Meal

Most foods kids love are usually on the warmer side of the colour spectrum. These are the yellows and reds. Think lasagna, cheese, chips, and pizza. However, the majority of the healthy food they should be eating is in various colours, which makes eating them a difficult habit to do. 

If you’re already stocking healthy food in replacement to junk food, the next step is to incorporate them in meals. There are countless healthy recipes that you can do for the family. In fact, with just the healthy snack ideas listed above, you can already instil lifelong healthy eating habits in your kids.

• Make Eating Healthy Fun

Most importantly, make eating fun! Don’t make it feel like a chore for your kids. Once they enjoy eating more colourful foods, they’ll be apple to develop stronger bodies as they grow up. 

Try out the following tips and see for yourself! 

• Cut fruits and vegetables into fun shapes
• Use colourful plates and utensils
• Make snacks with your kids
• Decorate them into fun shapes such as food boats, cups, and even animal shapes
• Add a variety of colours on their plates