One of the banes of advertisement is targeting children with attractive colorful messages. Kids are very impressionable and extremely picky. Thus marketers find it very easy to entice them with attractive sugary products which are extremely low in actual nutritional value. Thus it is always a challenge to get our children to eat quality food necessary for their growth.
Now kids acquire one third of their nutrition through constant snacking, which is all the more reason for adults to be conscious of the snacks their kids consume. Let’s talk about some of very convenient and tasty treats you can give your kids without being concerned:
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a wonderful product for people of all age groups. It is a rich source of protein and comes directly from milk. The best thing about cottage cheese is that it can be used as a base for many on the go meals. Give your child chopped cottage cheese mixed with fruits like strawberries, apples, banana, peaches or any other fruit he loves. You can even mix cottage cheese with yogurt and honey or combine it with nuts and honey.
Smoothies
These serve as excellent healthy treats. Make them at home with real fruits, yogurt and low fat milk without adding any sugar. They will be naturally sweet and when chilled are loved by all kids. Be careful not to purchase ready made smoothies from grocery stores as they are packed with sugar and this defeats the purpose.
Vegetable Dips
Vegetable dips can be a flavorful treat. Celery sticks chopped down in strips, baby carrots or fresh broccoli can be topped with some pepper are served with a low calorie ranch dressing. You can even serve these with sweet potato wedges. Altogether they form a very nutritious snack.
Trail Mix
Sometimes it takes just a little bit of creativity to turn a bland and simple product into a savory snack. Do your kids like granola? Instead of buying prepackaged bars of the product, which have added sugar, you can buy them according to weight as much as you want at the super store. Now you can mix your own granola with, pumpkin seeds, raisins, roasted nuts and almonds at home. Sometimes you can allow your kids to have some sugar by adding chocolate chips too. These mixes are rich in fiber and can serve as tasty treats even on the go.
All of the above mentioned points are good options for children but nothing gets them more interested in their health than their own participation. Every time you prepare a snack, involve your kids in the process. Ask them to add different items on their own. Tell them the benefits of each component. The idea is to not to force these snacks on them but let them accept them on their own.
Allan enjoys writing about nutrition and health related issues. Over the last 3 years, Allan's articles have been published in several health and fitness blogs. Allan's favourite topics include private health insurance, healthy eating and fitness.
Now kids acquire one third of their nutrition through constant snacking, which is all the more reason for adults to be conscious of the snacks their kids consume. Let’s talk about some of very convenient and tasty treats you can give your kids without being concerned:
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a wonderful product for people of all age groups. It is a rich source of protein and comes directly from milk. The best thing about cottage cheese is that it can be used as a base for many on the go meals. Give your child chopped cottage cheese mixed with fruits like strawberries, apples, banana, peaches or any other fruit he loves. You can even mix cottage cheese with yogurt and honey or combine it with nuts and honey.Smoothies
These serve as excellent healthy treats. Make them at home with real fruits, yogurt and low fat milk without adding any sugar. They will be naturally sweet and when chilled are loved by all kids. Be careful not to purchase ready made smoothies from grocery stores as they are packed with sugar and this defeats the purpose.Vegetable Dips
Vegetable dips can be a flavorful treat. Celery sticks chopped down in strips, baby carrots or fresh broccoli can be topped with some pepper are served with a low calorie ranch dressing. You can even serve these with sweet potato wedges. Altogether they form a very nutritious snack.Trail Mix
Sometimes it takes just a little bit of creativity to turn a bland and simple product into a savory snack. Do your kids like granola? Instead of buying prepackaged bars of the product, which have added sugar, you can buy them according to weight as much as you want at the super store. Now you can mix your own granola with, pumpkin seeds, raisins, roasted nuts and almonds at home. Sometimes you can allow your kids to have some sugar by adding chocolate chips too. These mixes are rich in fiber and can serve as tasty treats even on the go.All of the above mentioned points are good options for children but nothing gets them more interested in their health than their own participation. Every time you prepare a snack, involve your kids in the process. Ask them to add different items on their own. Tell them the benefits of each component. The idea is to not to force these snacks on them but let them accept them on their own.
Allan enjoys writing about nutrition and health related issues. Over the last 3 years, Allan's articles have been published in several health and fitness blogs. Allan's favourite topics include private health insurance, healthy eating and fitness.
I give my daughter carrots, apple slices, grapes, oranges, kiwi. She loves fruit and it makes for healthy snacks as well.
ReplyDeleteI make a apple dip for my kids with low-fat cream cheese and pieces of heath candy bars. They love that. My kids also love cheese and crackers, fruit smoothies (I let them pick the fruits they want to add). One of my daughters loves tomatoes. Another favorite is cinnamon toast.
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