School Health Promotion – MARCH: Power Up With a Healthy Snack

Hectic schedules and ever-present junk food make it hard to control unhealthy snacking. But the solution isn’t to completely cut out snacks. Snacks can give children the nutrients they need to grow and maintain a healthy weight – and to power up for their day! Also, studies show that people who eat regular meals and healthy snacks are less likely to overeat than people who skip meals.
Tips to make healthy snacking a habit for you and your children:

• Make snacks in advance. For example, slice veggies and keep them in the fridge ready to eat with hummus or low-fat dressing. That way healthy snacks become a “fast food” that is more accessible to kids when they feel hungry.

• Pack it up. Always keep a healthy snack with you when you’re on the go, such as nuts and dried fruit.

• Keep an eye on the size. Snacks should not replace a meal, so look for ways to help your kids understand how much is enough. Store snack-size bags in the cupboard and use them to control serving sizes.

• Read labels carefully. Advertisers like to put the words “all natural” and “low fat” on products to make them appear healthy and nutritious. Don’t believe product marketing – read nutrition labels to determine if the food contains high amounts of salt, sugar and fat. In particular, look carefully at products labeled “low fat” – the company may have added increased amounts of sugar.

• Get more tips. Download 10 Tips for Healthy Snacking at http://choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipSheet24MyPlateSnackTipsforParents-BlkAndWht.pdf .

Quick ideas for healthy snacks from HealthFinder.gov:

• Ants on a log: celery stuffed with peanut butter and raisins

• Fresh or canned fruit (canned in 100% juice, not syrup) mixed with fat-free or low-fat yogurt

• Whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese

• Frozen grapes (rinse grapes and freeze them overnight)

• Whole-wheat bread or apple slices with peanut butter

• Quesadillas (low-fat cheese melted in a whole-wheat tortilla)

• Unsalted pretzels or air-popped popcorn

• Baked (not fried) tortilla chips and salsa

• Whole-wheat pita bread with hummus

• Individually wrapped string cheese