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Children's snacks: 10 tips for healthier snacking
6. Sweeten it up.
Healthy children's snacks don't need to be bland. To satisfy your child's sweet tooth, offer fat-free pudding, frozen yogurt or frozen fruit bars. Or use skim milk, fat-free yogurt and fresh fruit to make your own smoothies.
7. Have fun.
Use a cookie cutter to make shapes out of low-fat cheese slices, whole-grain bread or whole-grain tortillas. Eat diced fruit with chopsticks or make fruit kebabs. Make a tower out of whole-grain crackers, spell words with pretzel sticks, or make funny faces on a plate using different types of fruit.
8. Promote independence.
Keep a selection of ready-to-eat veggies in the refrigerator. Leave fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter. Store low-sugar, whole-grain cereal and fruit canned or packaged in its own juice in an easily accessible cabinet.
9. Don't be fooled by labeling gimmicks.
Foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free can still be high in calories. Likewise, foods touted as cholesterol-free can still be high in fat, saturated fat and sugar. Check nutrition labels to find out the whole story.
10. Designate a snacking zone.
Restrict snacking to the kitchen. You'll save your child countless calories from mindless munching in front of the TV. If your child needs to snack on the go, offer string cheese, yogurt sticks, cereal bars or other drip-free items.
Teaching your child to make healthy snack choices now will set the stage for a lifetime of healthy snacking. Start today!
Previous page(2 of 2)
- Parenting corner Q&A: Nutrition. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_NutritionABC.htm. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Right from the start: ABC's of good nutrition for young children. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://patiented.aap.org/categoryBrowse.aspx. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Nutrition fact sheet: 25 healthy snacks for kids. American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/Snacks_for_Kids_English.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Nutrition fact sheet: Shop smart - Get the facts on food labels. American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/Shop_Smart.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Nutrition fact sheet: What's a mom to do? Healthy eating tips for families. American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/Wendys.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2009.
