Kids need healthy snacks to get them through the day between mealtimes, but getting your child to eat healthy can be a challenge at home, school, or on the go.
If you are looking for healthy snacks for school, We’ve put together some tips and ideas to make creating healthy snacks for your child easier.
Try Not to Rely on Processed Foods
Processed foods (like chips, lays, cookies, crackers, and other snack foods that come in bags and boxes) usually are high in added sugar and salt and don’t have many nutrients. They also aren’t very filling, so your child will be back for more snacks soon after. It would be best to try to avoid them as much as possible.
Cut Up Foods for Young Children
Some foods present more of a choking hazard than others and should be cut up, even for kids ages 4-7, not just babies and toddlers. Many foods should be chopped to prevent choking, especially nuts, fruits, veggies, hard snacks, sausages, and just some healthy snacks at home. Also, ensure your child is sitting for snack time to decrease the risk of choking.
Watch Out for Sugar
Kids’ diets are often full of sugar, leading to weight gain and tooth decay and raising your child’s risk for serious health problems, like Type 2 Diabetes. When picking snacks at the store, check the “Added Sugars” nutrition label under “Total Carbohydrate” and choose options low in added sugar. For snack time beverages, choose milk or water over juice or sports drinks that can be full of added sugar.
Nut-Free Ideas for Healthy Snacks as a school time snacks alternative
When on the go or packing school-time snacks, grabbing a bag of fruit snacks or crackers can be tempting. But there are lots of healthier options that are quick and easy to pack. And if your child needs nut-free snacks as school-time snacks, plenty of nutritious options taste great.
Remember to put your child's snack in a small bag with a small ice pack if you are packing cut fruit, dairy, or other options that need to be kept cold.
Dairy and Proteins
- Cheese sticks or cheese cubes
- Yogurt cup or yoghurt drink
- Lunch meat rolled up
- Hard-boiled egg
Veggies
- Cucumber slices
- Pepper slices
- Carrot sticks
- Sliced, pitted olives
Fruit
- Whole fruit that travels quickly, like apples or bananas
- Cut up fresh fruit (for apple slices, you can soak in a small dish of water and a dash of lemon juice to prevent browning)
- Dried fruit (such as raisins, cherries or mangoes)
Whole-Grains
- Nut-free cereal
- Granola bar or fruit bar
- Air-popped popcorn
- Bagel (with cream cheese)
- Whole-grain crackers
- Homemade muffins
- Stuffed rolled-up aloo or whole-grain pita bread
healthy snacks at home
When you’re at home, you can use the same snack ideas as above. But snack time at home can also be an excellent opportunity to introduce new foods to your child or present foods in an enticing way.
It’s also the best place to change your child’s snack routine if you’re trying to switch from processed foods to healthier options.
Kids are more likely to try new things if they look enticing and let them enjoy the food in a fun way. You also can involve them in the shopping and food preparation to get them engaged and excited about their healthy snacks.
Smoothies: Frozen smoothies are a tasty way to introduce a fruit or other ingredient (like spinach!) in small amounts. Here are some smoothie recipes to try:
Ex. Apple, Banana, Mango and Sapota smoothies
HEALTHY SNACKS FOR SCHOOL-GOING KIDS
When choosing healthy snacks for kids, it's important to keep in mind the nutritional value of the snack and also their taste preference. Here are some tips and suggestions for choosing healthy Indian snacks for kids:
Choose snacks that are rich in fiber: Fiber is essential for good digestive health and helps keep kids feeling full for longer. Some examples of high-fiber Indian snacks include roasted chana, sprouts, and fresh fruit.
Avoid fried snacks: Fried snacks such as samosas andpakoras may taste good, but they are often high in unhealthy fatsand calories. Instead, choose snacks that are baked or roasted,such as roasted peanuts or baked vegetable chips.
Include protein-rich snacks: Protein is an essential nutrient for growing kids. Some protein-rich Indian snacks include roasted chana, boiled egg, paneer tikka, or a handful of nuts.
Limit sugar intake: Many Indian snacks can be high in sugar.Try to choose snacks that are low in added sugar or have naturalsugars such as fresh fruit or dried fruit. Avoid packaged snacksthat contain a lot of added sugars.
Offer a variety of snacks: Offering a variety of snacks can keepkids interested and engaged in healthy eating. Try to offer a mixof savory and sweet snacks, such as hummus with carrot sticks,fruit chaat, or roasted poha chivda.
Consider homemade snacks: Making your own snacks cangive you more control over the ingredients and ensure that theyare healthy. Some examples of easy-to-make Indian snacksinclude roasted makhana, sprouts chaat, and roasted chivda.
Involve kids in the snack-making process: Kids are morelikely to eat healthy snacks if they are involved in the process ofmaking them. Try to involve your kids in choosing and preparinghealthy snacks, and make it a fun activity thatyou can do together.
Healthy sanack options:
- Veg cutlets/ Corn cutlets
- Mini vegetable idlis/ masala idlis
- Paneer tikka
- Oats pancakes
- Vegetable poha
- Avalakki with Jaggery
- Sundal
- Mixed fruit custard
- Hara Bhara kabab
- Veg spring rolls
- Masala peanuts
- Dahi vada
- Churmuri
- Sprouted Moong dhal salad
- Paneer sandwich
- Vegetable sandwich
- Pav bhaji
- Vegetable pasta
- Veg soup/ Chicken soup
- Veg paratha/ Egg Paratha
- Methi pakkoda
Babies with food allergies or food allergies in the family
In the past, doctors advised parents to avoid foods that were common allergens (such as dairy, eggs, peanuts, and other nut products). However, recent research indicates that late introduction of such foods can increase their risk of allergies. Before starting solids, talk to your paediatrician for recommendations for your baby. Babies at high risk for food allergies (severe eczema or strong family histories of allergic disease) might be referred for allergy testing before starting foods commonly associated with allergies. If you are concerned about this, consult your paediatrician.
If you notice a change in your baby after eating a particular food, such as diarrhoea, a rash, or vomiting, consult with your paediatrician.
How much and how often should I feed my baby?
When you first start giving your baby solids, they only need a few spoonfuls or small pieces of food. At this age, solid foods do not replace breast milk or formula but rather complement it.
Between 6 to 12 months, breastmilk or formula is still an essential part of your baby’s diet and will still provide most of your baby’s nutrients as your baby learns to eat solids. Their digestive system is also immature and needs time before fully processing solid food. However, you can start to incorporate more complex proteins like meats and move toward giving “meals” of solids that may begin to replace 1-2 milk feedings each day. Unless you and your paediatrician have discussed allergy concerns, raw honey is the only food to avoid.
As your baby grows, it will increase how much solid food they eat and gradually decrease the amount of formula or breastmilk feedings they need. So, while a younger baby usually requires milk every two to three hours, by their first birthday, they may only need three or four milk feedings each day.
After 9 months, you should be offering your baby two to three healthy meals per day. Frequently these meals can be foods you and your family are eating at mealtime, just put them into sizes and textures that are safe for your baby. Put a portion in a blender or baby food grinder, mash food up or cut it into small pinkly-diameter pieces (your baby’s pinkie) to decrease choking risk.
Continue to feed your baby breastmilk and/or formula for your baby’s first 12 months. You can continue breastfeeding after 12 months if you and your baby desire.
What about vitamin D and iron supplements for breastfed babies?
If your baby is breastfed, talk to your paediatrician, as they may recommend that you give your baby a vitamin D and/or an iron supplement during their first year.
From 6 months on, when solids are starting to supply some necessary nutrients, meats, such as turkey and chicken, are rich in iron and are good options to introduce to your baby. Beans and legumes are also iron-rich. Iron-fortified cereals are also an option to increase your baby’s iron intake.
What should my baby drink at mealtimes?
Offer your water in a cup. Do not give your baby juice or sugar-sweetened drinks since those can damage teeth and lead to obesity.
When can I switch to cow’s milk instead of formula or breast milk?
After your baby is one-year-old, you may give them whole cow’s milk as long as they have a balanced diet of solid foods. Try to limit milk to 500ml/day to prevent a decrease in appetite for solid foods. Alternative dairy (such as soy, almond, rice or coconut) is acceptable if they are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. If your child is not eating a balanced, solid food diet, is overweight or has other health issues, speak to your paediatrician for guidance.