HEALTHY SNACKS

Snacking is good when you feel hungry between meals. Choosing healthy snacks will help you and your family stay at a healthy weight. Healthy eating is an important way to support your child’s healthy growth and development. Snacks can help them get the nutrition they need and prevent them from feeling overly hungry between meals. For snacking to be healthy kids need to eat the right kind of food at the right time!

NO TIME? NO PROBLEM:

Prepare for unplanned snacks: Sometimes, well-meaning grandparents, friends, and teachers may offer your child snacks like chips, candy, and cookies. Your child may feel hungry faster than usual after eating these types of foods. However, explaining your goals to them and asking for their support may help ease your snack load.

Snack ideas with little to no preparation time:

• Whole-grain crackers with apple slices
• Dried fruit or nut trail mix
• Low-fat string or sliced cheese with 10 to 15 grapes
• Low-sodium sliced turkey breast wrapped around cherry tomatoes
• Low-fat, low-sugar Greek style yogurt and a small pear
• Sliced cucumber and whole-grain crackers
• Natural lean jerky stick (such as beef, turkey, or chicken)
• DIY trail mix – dried fruit, nuts, dark chocolate chips, and popcorn
• Blend plain fat-free yogurt with 100% fruit juice and frozen peaches for an easy smoothie
• Single-serving low-fat or fat-free yogurt
• Individually wrapped string cheese

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SIZE

Snacks shouldn’t replace a meal, so look for ways to help your kids understand how much is enough. Store snack-size bags in the cupboard or fridge and use them to help control serving sizes.