9 Healthy, Fun Kid
Snacks By Joe Wilkes
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 When I was growing up, a common refrain was "no
snacking between meals" or "you'll spoil your dinner." Today, nutritionists are
saying just the opposite is true. For kids and adults, it's recommended that we
all eat five or six smaller meals spaced out over the day instead of the three
traditional pig-outs. This is especially true for children, who, if they
haven't already succumbed to obesity, have much smaller stomachs than adults.
What this means is that kids don't, and shouldn't, eat as much as grownups at
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And their fast-burning little metabolisms will
make quick use of what does fit in their stomachs at lunch, which means they're
going to have to refuel before suppertime rolls around. So snacking is a good
thing, but, of course, not all snacks are good.
 The two most important things to consider regarding snacks for
kids (and for us adults, for that matter) are variety and portion size. A good
rule of thumb is to try and incorporate two different food groups into any
snack and to keep the portion size between 100 and 200 calories. The required
amount of calories will vary depending on your child's age and activity level,
but a snack should ideally be a small energy booster to help them make it until
their next meal, not a meal in itself. Hopefully, it'll be a quick bite on the
way outside to play and/or exercise, and not a side dish for a TV or video-game
marathon. Other things that make good snacks are foods high in nutrients,
fiber, and protein and foods low in sugar, sodium, and saturated and trans
fats. And bad news for the culinarily impairedif it's prepackaged, processed
food, it's unlikely it will be a healthy choice for your young 'un. But the
good news is that children have simple tastes, which usually translates into
food that's simple to prepare. Here are some ideas for when your munchkins get
the munchies, plus, for the first time ever, my mom's nutritious pancake
recipe!
 Vegetables. I know what
you're thinking—"Great! I get to force-feed my kids two more times a day!"
It's true—vegetables are usually the diciest component of kid cuisine. But
it's worth the effort, because veggies give you more nutritional bang for your
buck than any other food group. And if you get creative, you can usually find a
way to get your kids to eat them without too much emotional scarring. Many
dinner table disputes are about kids trying to assert their independence. You
can get around this by letting your kids assist in the selection and
preparation of the vegetables. If you take them to the farmers market and let
them pick out the vegetables, learn about how they're grown, etc., you're more
likely to get more buy-in back home when it's time to eat the vegetables. You
can also give them choices like celery sticks or baby carrots. But don't use
dessert as a negotiating tool, as in the old standby, "no dessert until you eat
all your vegetables." You just end up vilifying the vegetables and glamorizing
empty calories—and those are values they'll take into adulthood. Talk up
the veggies and let them know all the health benefits they'll get from eating
them. If you have a little extra time, try carving or arranging the vegetables
on a plate to make faces or something more decorative and fun. You can also try
serving veggies with a low-fat yogurt or cottage-cheese dip.
Click here for some dip
ideas.
 Fruits. Fruits are a marginally
easier sell than vegetables. They're sweeter and appeal more to kids' palates.
Although, one thing to watch out for is fruit juice. A lot of people make the
mistake of thinking a serving of fruit and a serving of juice are
interchangeable. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
limiting juice for kids to a couple of drinks a day, as juice is a contributing
factor to dental cavities and gastrointestinal problems. Whole fruit, on the
other hand, provides tons of fiber and other nutrients, and kids can partake of
it quite freely, without any adverse effects. As with vegetables, if you have
the patience and the knife skills, fruit can be carved into fun shapes or you
can make fruit kabobs. You can also come up with low-fat healthy dips like
yogurt that kids can dunk their fruit into. On hot summer days, try freezing
some grapes or a banana as an alternative to a mid-afternoon Fudgesicle. With
both fruits and vegetables, you might consider setting up a big "snack bowl" in
the kitchen. Let the kids help choose which fruits and veggies go in the snack
bowl, and then give them permission to grab what they want from the bowl
whenever they're hungry. This will help them feel like they're in control of
what they're eating, but without giving them carte blanche to hit the sugar or
the chips.
 Cereals. Kids love cereal and the
good news is that a lot of popular commercial cereals have made the switch to
whole-grain flour. However, as nutritionist Marion Nestle said in a recent
interview, whole-wheat Cocoa Puffs are still Cocoa Puffs. If the whole grains
are largely serving as a matrix to deliver a ton of sugar to your child,
they're not worth eating. On the other hand, there are a lot of cereals, like
Cheerios and the Kashi line, which have a lot of whole grains and not so much
sugar. So check the label and try to choose cereals that have a high
fiber-to-sugar ratio. Cereals create another opportunity to reinforce a good
lifelong eating habit. Try to discourage your kids from eating directly from
the box. In fact, here's a way you can replicate the convenience of prepackaged
foods right in your own home! Just get some resealable sandwich bags or a bunch
of small sealable containers. When you buy a big box of cereal, pour
snack-sized portions into the bags or containers. You can even stuff the bags
back in the box for storage. This is great for last-minute lunch packing, or
your kids can grab a cereal snack for themselves. This will help fight against
the temptation for unlimited munching from the open cereal box. Plus, who knows
where those little hands have been? When they're elbow-deep in the communal
cereal, it's pretty gross when you think about it.
 Peanut butter. One of the best protein sources is a kid favorite—peanut
butter. With eight grams of protein in a two-tablespoon serving, peanut
butter's a winner. Again, though, portion size is key as peanut butter is
fairly high in calories (188) and fat (16 g)—two tablespoons will usually
suffice for a snack. Try making that old party favorite—ants on a log.
Fill a stick of celery (the log) with peanut butter, then embed raisins (the
ants) in the peanut butter. When choosing your peanut butter, try to find
brands that only contain one ingredient—peanuts. Some stores even let you
grind your own now. Many brands contain so much sugar you might as well be
giving your kid frosting.
 Protein. Lunch meat is a great snack,
but don't be lured into the sinister den of the Lunchables. Sliced turkey or
chicken are great lunch meats to have on hand. Stay away from processed meats
like bologna or salami though. You never know what you're getting, and often
you're getting a lot of fat and sodium. If you can't sell a sandwich on
whole-grain bread, try making a turkey roll-upstack a slice or two of turkey,
cheese, lettuce, tomato, a low-cal condiment like mustard, and roll everything
in a whole-grain lavash, stuff it into a pita, or skip the bread and roll it up
on its own. Tuna and salmon are also really healthy, and can be doctored in a
salad with some yogurt instead of mayo. Check with your doctor about how much
tuna and other types of seafood your child should consume. There is a greater
risk of mercury poisoning for younger children, so some limits may need to be
observed.
 Trail
mix. This is another great way you can involve your
children in their own diet. Gather a selection of healthy snacks like unsalted
peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, unsalted popcorn, raisins,
dried berries, dried apricots, oats, healthy cereal, and anything else crunchy
or chewy and healthy that you can think of that your kids will like. Despite
their availability in commercial trail mixes, chocolate chips and marshmallows
should probably be off the list. Put out the ingredients and let your kids
choose which of their favorites they're mixing up. For younger kids, you can
even present it as if they're making a magic potion or something. By letting
them be involved in the creative stage, you'll hopefully get better results in
the eating stage. After all, they made it—who are they going to complain
to? Some store-bought trail mixes and granola bars are also pretty decent. Just
check the labels carefully. Some less-scrupulous companies pack their "health"
foods with sugar and saturated fats like coconut and palm oils.
 Pizza. While most delivery and frozen
pizza is packed with fat and calories, pizza can actually be pretty healthy.
It's basically a bit of bread, some tomato sauce, some cheese, and healthy
toppings. And yet again, it can be a meal and an activity for your child. If
you don't have the time to make the full-on dough from scratch, you can make
pizza with a lavash or a low-fat tortilla, or you can make mini pizzas with
whole-wheat English muffins. Add a dollop of sauce and let your child choose
toppings from a variety of healthy ingredients: mushrooms, peppers, onions,
eggplant, veggie or turkey pepperoni—the sky or the structural integrity
of your crust's the limit. Sprinkle some low-fat mozzarella on top and stick it
in the oven or toaster oven until melted.
Click here
for some more pizza tips.
 Smoothies. A lot of kids will refuse
to eat any fruits or vegetables unless a massive amount of processing has been
undertaken. Here's where the blender or food processor can be your best friend.
By keeping a few bags of frozen fruit on hand, you and your little kitchen
helper can make your own smoothies. Just pick a combination of your favorite
fruits, add a little plain, nonfat yogurt, some ice, some banana slices, or
some peanut butter, and blend until smooth. It's a sweet, cold summer treat,
and gives your kids all the fiber and nutrients from fruit that a lot of fruit
juices miss.
 Healthy-packed cooler. It's
summertime, which means it could be time for a family road trip. Hopefully,
you'll have room in the car for a cooler packed with healthy snacks like the
ones mentioned above, but occasionally, the siren song of the roadside
mini-mart or vending machine is too much to resist. . Also, the Center for
Science in the Public Interest recently released a list of commercially
available snack foods that are relatively decent. The list includes: applesauce
cups; Chex mix, traditional flavor; fruit cups; low-fat/sugar granola bars; and
raisins. But save some money and save some calories. Pack a cooler.
|
BONUS: My Mom's Pancake
Recipe
 Like so
many of my family's "secret" recipes, this began life on the side of a package
of food. In this case, a carton of eggs (no surprise when you see the second
ingredient). But this is a pretty good way of sneaking extra protein into your
kids' dietit'll definitely get a better reaction than a boiled egg and a scoop
of cottage cheese on a Saturday morning. For the grownups who are watching
their cholesterol, my brother came up with a variation, substituting six egg
whites and half an avocado for the six eggs. The pancakes turn out a bit green,
but if you can get past that, they're quite tasty. You can top them with your
favorite fresh fruit. If you can't live without maple syrup, go for grade B or
grade C. They contain more of the natural minerals that the grade A syrup
filters out. And they're cheaper!
My Mom's Pancake Recipe
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (or 1/4 cup whole-wheat and 1/4 cup barley
flour)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Pinch of salt
Dash of vanilla
extract
1/4 cup milk Blend or food process first six ingredients on
high until smooth. Add milk slowly to reach batter consistency. Cook on a hot,
nonstick griddle. Number of pancakes vary by size. Serves 6.
Preparation Time: 10
minutes Nutritional Information: (per serving)
| Calories: 225 |
Protein: 13 g |
Fiber: 1.5 g |
| Carbs: 9 g |
Fat Total: 15 g |
Saturated Fat: 3 g |
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