Keep Your Kids Snacking Healthy!
I have three young boys so snacking is always a topic of conversation at my house, whether we are quarantined or not! They are constantly in my fridge or asking for something to eat or drink. Here are some tips I live by to keep them from eating (too many) unhealthy foods:
#1 – Prep ahead! I schedule at least 1-2 days out of the week to meal/snack prep. If we get to a night that we come home to no dinner meal prepped, there is no way I have time to make something for dinner without it causing a commotion. They are growing boys, and they have a long day at school/daycare, so when they come home, they are ready for dinner! Nine times out of ten, if I have something healthy ready for them, they will eat it willingly because they are hungry!
#2 – Keep healthy foods easily accessible. My oldest is five, and finding his independence. He likes to be able to go to the fridge/pantry and find his own snack or help his younger brothers find a snack. I keep things that are good healthy options within his reach. These include options like hardboiled eggs, lower sugar – single-serve yogurts, sliced cucumbers/homemade pickles, hummus, and string cheese. Believe it or not, when they feel like they have the option to choose from those items, they eat them! And no matter what option they choose, it’s ok with me because they are all healthy!
#3 – Make healthy items fun! My kids think it’s the best when they get some plain yogurt with a few sprinkles on top, or a few chocolate chips added in. Or some pistachios with a few white chocolate chunks or Craisins mixed in. Are sprinkles or Craisins the healthiest foods? Not necessarily. But do they make a healthy snack like plain yogurt or pistachios unhealthy? Absolutely not!
#4 – Don’t buy the unhealthy stuff! This is probably my best tip for anyone trying to avoid snacking on high fat, high sugar foods like cookies, potato chips, etc. Just don’t buy them! Not only will you save money and feel better not eating those things, you will save yourself the aggravation of constantly telling yourself and your family that they can’t have something in your pantry. Why buy it and have it in your house if you don’t want to eat it, or don’t want to let your kids eat it?! Instead, if you want to treat yourself or your family (because that’s ok to do!), go and get ice cream out together at your local ice cream shop, or purchase enough snacks to make a single serving for everyone. This way, you don’t have leftovers looming on the top shelf of your pantry!
All of these tips help my family stay on track to eating and snacking healthy – I hope they help yours as well!
Need more ideas? Schedule some time with Hope to talk about healthy eating for the whole family! REMEMBER, VISITS WITH A REGISTERED DIETITIAN ARE COVERED BY MOST INSURANCE CARRIERS FOR IN-PERSON AND TELE-HEALTH VISITS. ASK US A QUESTION OR REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT TO LEARN MORE!
