How To Choose The Healthiest Snacks For Your Child

Snacks are considered one of the five meals we should have during the day. For children, this extra energy contribution is used to withstand play, sports, and chores. What are the most recommended foods to make the healthiest snacks? Next we’ll show you all the secrets.

A good snack should provide enough energy input to last you until the next important meal. In other words, usually between lunch and dinner, children should consume some food so they don’t get too weak. There are numerous products on the market for snack time, but the question is: are they the most suitable?

Childhood obesity is currently one of the problems that most concern the European Union. That’s why measures are being defined to facilitate access to healthier products, in an attempt to avoid eating habits that can lead to weight gain that ends up causing obesity.

Therefore, following the recommendations on which foods should be avoided and which should be included in children’s snacks will help your child to have a correct diet, in addition to having healthy eating habits.

The snacks we should avoid

There are foods that, despite being tasty, do not favor healthy eating habits. On the market there are options full of sugars and saturated fats, which are far from what is considered healthy.

These proposals are based on saving time to think about what to give as a snack for the children, in addition to not having to prepare food. They offer the product packaged and ready to be consumed, without any further complications.

We suggest that you take a look at the ingredients in these products and leave out foods like:

• Sugary dairy products. These products, such as liquid yoghurts or smoothies, have among their ingredients large amounts of refined sugar, which is harmful to children. Check the labels on these products before purchasing them.
• Soft drinks. Soft drinks are made up of sparkling water, dyes and sugars, so they are far from being the most recommended option for healthy snacks.
• Processed juices. Processed juices are composed of sugars, sweeteners, and a small percentage of juice from concentrates. Try to avoid consuming these products.
• Industrial bakeries. Homemade bakery products are preferable to industrial ones. Although in recent years manufacturers have proposed to eliminate the bad reputation of their products by avoiding additives and saturated fats, homemade bakery products are still preferable.

Healthy snacks

Here are some suggestions for healthy foods that will make it easier for you to decide what to give your child as a snack. These are not as complicated options, nor as expensive as you think, and they will encourage healthy eating habits in your child.

We bet on healthy, fun, and varied snacks  that will make this moment the most awaited break of the day for your children. Don’t forget that while we’re talking about infant feeding, these recommendations can (and should) apply at any age.

• Water. Lots, lots of water. It is the best liquid to accompany any meal. It is the healthiest option and the one that provides the most benefits to our body.
• Fruits. The WHO, World Health Organization, recommends at least 5 pieces of fruit per day. The presentation of fruits is the secret for children to consume them without problems. A good solution is fruit salad. You can mix sweeter fruits like melon with less sweet ones like apples. Another option is to freeze the fruit and beat it with yogurt. Here imagination is your best ally.

• Dry fruits. It is recommended to add almonds or walnuts to yogurts or fruit salads. However, before the child is 4 years old, dried fruits are not recommended as they can cause choking problems.
• Sandwich. The most traditional snack. Prefer artisan bread to sliced ​​bread. And try to choose a healthy filling for the sandwich, such as ham, turkey breast, fresh cheese, etc… Adapt the size of the sandwich to the child’s age.
• Yogurt. Try to choose well within the range of yogurt options on the market. Those to which you can add as much sugar as you like are the most recommended. You can also exchange sugar for honey, or a sweet fruit.

• Home made bakery products. Test your baking skills and prepare your own cakes. The control over the ingredients provides the peace of mind that their children eat what they should eat.

Feeding children should not be a matter of prohibition or obligation. Everything is allowed to the right extent. On special occasions, everyone can enjoy products considered less recommended, such as cakes or soft drinks. They can be little luxuries to enjoy from time to time.