Every parent has heard their child say,” Mom, Dad, I’m hungry. I need a snack”. Snacks have become a regular phenomenon not only at home but at school, at birthday parties, at special events, or even after sports activities. According to a recently published study in the journal Childhood Obesity snacking can significantly increase the likelihood of a child becoming obese.
However, #snacking may also provide an answer to addressing childhood obesity and improving the quality of children’s diets.
The solution is to start at home by providing healthy, 100-200 calorie snacks that will provide positive examples for long-term eating habits in our children.
We need to make a shift towards high-quality snack foods that include more fruits and vegetables and less salty snacks such as potato chips, candy, and soft drinks. In my household, we have this saying, “Crunchy Fresh”.
My son and daughter have a choice of one #crunchy food such as pretzels or a granola bar and one fresh food such as sugar snap peas, carrot sticks, apple slices, or an orange.
My daughter plays #basketball and often after games her team provides a post-game snack. We often provide small fruit cups after a game where another parent provided turkey roll-ups.
Children today are constantly bombarded with unhealthy foods marketed at them, so it is our responsibility to introduce them to healthy choices in the home.
Here is a helpful list of healthy snacks:
Granola Bar
Dry Cereal
Pretzels
Graham Crackers
Almonds
Apple Slices
Oranges
Bananas
Carrot Sticks
Sugar Snap Peas
Berries
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Neir is the Executive Director of Conquest Health and Fitness Foundation. For more information about the foundation, visit the website at www.chffoundation.com