Benefits of Healthy Snacks

from Boston Parent February 2022

What Do You Envision for Your Child’s Camp Experience?

Benefits of Making Healthy Snacks Visually

Appealing to Kids By Sarah Lyons

healthy and well balanced diet is important for kids to maintain

Ahealthy growth and development. Snack time is a great way to incorporate fruits and vegetables into a child’s daily diet. Children have smaller sized stomachs than adults and therefore are less likely to eat enough at meals to keep them full and energized until the next mealtime which makes snack time a great way for parents to get in those extra nutrients. They also offer a variety of benefits.

Including three meals and two healthy snacks into your child’s daily diet helps kids learn healthy eating habits that will stick with them for a lifetime. Providing a well balanced and healthy diet helps kids learn appropriate portion control, to eat (and enjoy) a variety of foods including fruits and vegetables, and develop a healthy relationship with food. Kids who learn these valuable habits early are less likely to form unhealthy eating habits such as eating out of boredom or based on emotional factors. They also learn to eat when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full, a skill many adults struggle with.

Snacking gives kids the boost they need

Without snacking, kids are less likely to meet the suggested nutritional intake to maintain a healthy diet because their stomachs are smaller and become full with a smaller meal. Adding two small snacks a day that provide fruit, veggies, low fat dairy, or whole grain helps kids fill in the nutritional gaps they may have been missing from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, snacks provide a boost of energy to get kids through the rest of the day.

Snacking benefits a child’s overall health

The development of healthy eating habits at a young age decreases the likelihood of children developing diseases like cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Kids who eat more fruits and vegetables and less “junk food” that contain high quantities of sugar are also more likely to have better dental hygiene. Kids who maintain a healthy diet, including smart snack choices, are less likely to binge on foods high in calories and carbohydrates and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives.

Snacking helps power brain development

Kids who eat healthy snacks are, generally, more prepared to listen and learn at school because their bellies are full. They have more energy and are more attentive in class. Hungry kids become irritable, tired, and less alert. A healthy snack can do a lot to help kids grow and develop properly.

Now that we understand the great benefits to healthy snacking, how can we get our kids to eat the fruits and vegetables their bodies need? Preparing snacks that are fun encourages kids to try new foods and may even help them to forget they are eating healthy food at all. Here are some great snacks that kids will have fun eating. The development of healthy eating habits at a young age decreases the likelihood of children developing diseases like cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Healthy and Visually Appealing Snacks for Kids

FROZEN BANANA “ICE CREAM”

For a tasty sweet treat that is also healthy, simply slice a banana and freeze overnight. The next day put the bananas in a blender or food processor and you will have a creamy, healthy snack that tastes similar to ice cream.

APPLE SLICES

Slices of apple can be more appetizing for kids and are fun to eat. Add a side of peanut butter for dipping to make them even more appealing.

FRUIT KABOBS

Fun fruit kabobs are visually appealing and fun to eat. Create “caterpillars” out of grapes for a snack that is cute and healthy. Another way to make fruit appealing is to use cookie cutters to cut interesting shapes.

ANTS ON A LOG

This cute snack is great for an afternoon snack or a fun surprise in the lunchbox. Simply fill celery with peanut butter and top with raisins to make “ants on a log”.

DINOSAUR BROCCOLI TREES

To a kid, broccoli resembles a tree. Why not make it fun and bring the dinosaur toys to the table to “share the trees”. Add some fun dip like ranch, blue cheese, or cottage cheese to the side to make it more appealing.

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

Kids love spaghetti. This healthier alternative is just as tasty as traditional spaghetti noodles.

Sarah Lyons is a freelance writer and stay at home mom to six children, including 7-yearold triplets.

FOR THE KID WHO WANTS TO KNOW IT ALL! Cover topics from amazing rivers to bacteria to Cleopatra. These impressively detailed books will keep the kids engaged and entertained as well as expand their minds.

LISTIFIED

Ever wondered which 10 dinosaurs were the largest, and what they weighed… in cats? Or how much of your DNA you share with other animals…and bananas? Enter the listiverse and get ready to see the world in a whole new way. Listified! takes the best and most amazing parts of the universe-erupting volcanoes, medieval machines, jumping spiders, exploding stars and everything in between and organizes them into quirky list form for curious kids and their friends and family to enjoy. Age: 8-12

BRITANNICA’S FIRST BIG BOOK OF WHY

Britannica’s huge, authoritative, and lavishly illustrated question and answer book will satisfy even the most curious kids, with over 100 questions verified by Britannica experts. Spanning a range of topics including animals, the body, machines, space, and more, this book provides clear and accessible explanations and even explores some of the mysteries that experts are still trying to solve! Age: 4-8

EARTH IS BIG: A BOOK OF COMPARISONS

Get to know our planet in a whole new way by comparing it to a huge variety of other incredible things—from tiny particles to giant star clusters. Did you know soap bubbles are some of the roundest objects in the universe? Or that we humans are totally outnumbered by chickens? Or that the driest desert on Earth isn’t scorching but freezing? Tour some of the most extreme places on the planet and beyond it, take a look at life forms from bacteria to elephants to redwood trees, and explore what makes our planet the perfect home for us. Age: 6-11

FACTOPIA!

Hop from topic to topic in unexpected and delightful ways, and discover what connects a giraffe with the Eiffel tower, or a slice of pizza with Cleopatra. On your aweinspiring journey, you will find out extraordinary facts about space, bones, dinosaurs and more. Age: 8-12

Telling the story of the world from the beginning of time to the present day, this book is a must-have addition to every family bookshelf and library collection! This beautifully illustrated, 424-page compendium of amazing facts you can trust provides hundreds of hours of fun learning for curious children and their families. Age: 8-12

AMAZING RIVERS

Learn about incredible wildlife, from brown bears catching salmon that swim upstream to anacondas large enough to eat a pig. Explore astounding natural wonders, from a boiling river so hot you can cook an egg in it to a multicolored river that flows like a liquid rainbow. And discover awesome river traditions, from ritual baths to rubber duck racing to barefoot waterskiing! Age: 7-11 