How to get your kids to snack right


By AGENCY
  • Children
  • Wednesday, 07 Sep 2022

The food kids eat between meals should reduce hunger, but the best snack is one that adds vital nutrients to their bodies as well. — TNS

This is interesting – researchers from Cornell University in the United States conducted phone interviews with teenagers in New York City to explore how they define the word “snack”.

Overall, the adolescents defined a snack as “a small, unhealthy food item that can be quickly eaten to reduce hunger between meals”.

We’ve got some work to do.

Yes, the food kids eat between meals should reduce hunger.

But the best snack is one that adds vital nutrients to their bodies as well.

In other words, a snack needs to be nourishing, not just fill material.

Nutrition researchers report that most of our youngsters tend to eat too many “empty” calories from sugar, fat and salt.

And they really need more protein, iron, calcium, vitamin D and zinc, as well as the vast array of vitamins and dietary fibre contained in fruits and vegetables.

So how do we – mums, dads, grandparents and caregivers – translate all these needs into tasty meals and snacks?

Ah, that is the challenge.

My grandkids, for example, love ketchup, spaghetti and pizza sauce, but won’t touch a tomato unless it’s a cherry tomato from someone’s garden.

Sigh.

Kids will be picky. Work with it.

Don’t stop offering a disliked food; it takes a long time for kids to really know if they are going to like a certain taste and texture or not.

In this case, I figured out that tomatoes are just one food in the red and orange-coloured food category (Experts say kids need more of the nutrients that reside in these foods).

My little ones happen to love watermelon, carrots and dried apricots, which I can easily offer at meals or snacks, while still sneaking in tomatoes.

We can also trade out one food for another of similar nutrient value.

Many children and teens, for instance, do not consume enough calcium and vitamin D to support these years of rapid growth and development.

Offer different forms of high-calcium foods like milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or fortified soy products for meals and snacks.

These foods have the added benefit of being high in protein.

Cheese and wholegrain crackers or a sliced apple, for example, makes a great after-school snack that will curb junior’s hunger until dinner time.

Try a new recipe.

I found an easy one for baked carrot fries to replace regular french fries from the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, sponsors of a programme called Kids Eat Right:

  • Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
  • Peel and cut carrots into strips about a quarter inch thick and few inches long.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Bake at 400°F (204.4°C) for 15 minutes.
  • Flip them over, coat with more cooking spray, then bake for another 15 minutes until browned.

I’m going to try this one.

Because when it comes to kids, every bite really does count. – By Barbara Intermill/Monterey Herald/Tribune News Service

Barbara Intermill is a registered dietitian nutritionist in the United States.

Subscribe now to our Premium Plan for an ad-free and unlimited reading experience!

Diet , nutrition , snacks , child health

   

Next In Health

We can still end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030
Healthcare workers who own pets have this advantage
Breast implants help save man in need of lung transplant
Outwardly fine, but internally anxious
Up your fitness levels by walking on an incline
Presence of deep fat linked to Alzheimer’s disease risk
Thalassaemia: From mild anaemia to death at birth
Premature babies: Hold off on clamping the umbilical cord
How to reverse pre-diabetes before it becomes diabetes
Got gout? Avoid these foods to reduce your uric acid

Others Also Read