“Empty calories” or “having little to no nutritional value” are what we often hear when it comes to snacking. However, when snacking is done the healthy and smart way, it is actually a great time to add in more nutrients into a child’s diet to help them best meet their growing needs! Hence, snacking for children may be more important than you think, because:

1. Snacking offers a chance to boost nutrition 
Did you know that children’s stomachs are only about the size of a clenched fist? This means that three main meals alone may not suffice their nutrition needs. As such they need nutritious snacks to top up, e.g. snacks that contain high levels of natural vitamins and minerals, and less processed food elements.

Besides, for picky eaters, having snack time is the best way to offset poor meal habits, as parents can provide them snacks containing nutrients which may otherwise be lacking in their diet. For example, if your kids are a big fan of traditional potato chips, try satisfying their chip craving with Quinoa Crisps instead. These crunchy crisps are a more nutritious alternative to potato chips, as they contain more dietary fibre and lesser trans fat.

🛒Discover a range of nutritious snacks for children HERE!

2. Snacks help prevent overeating
Growing kids often get hungry between meals. When such hunger is not satiated, they may tend to overeat during the next mealtime, which can lead to a string of health problems.

On the contrary, a healthy snack on hand can help curb their constant hunger, keep them full whilst adding nutrients to their diet, and banish overeating when they sit down to a meal later.

3. Snacks can keep them from getting cranky​
Parents know all too well that hungry kids can get cranky! Instead of soothing them with some commonly found snacks that are often low in nutrients, try filling up their tummy with healthier snacks. As an instance, for kids who have a sweet tooth, you may replace high-processed sugar snacks like candy or ice cream with healthier sweet food substitutes such as honey or natural dried figs, mulberries, apricots, dates, and prunes.

After all, healthier snacks can be equally tasty, but healthier! The latter contains no added sugar but loads of dietary fibre. Furthermore, figs and mulberries are a great source of calcium for a healthy development of bones and teeth.

🛒Explore Simply Natural’s assorted dried fruits and fresh raw honey HERE

So, let’s make snacking smart a healthy eating habit in children, remember : healthy snacks grow healthy kids

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *