Healthy Snacks for Kids

With the start of school comes a flurry of activities that finds many Edina parents questioning their sanity as they attempt to balance homework with sports, music, church and other activities. Try as we might to keep from over-scheduling our kids, many of us find ourselves rushing from activity to activity, handing snacks to the back of the car en route to the next practice or lesson.

How can you best fuel your kids’ bodies to keep them healthy and bright-eyed as they go through their busy days? 

Sweet drinks, snacks and junk food will bring cheers and give them quick energy, but can have negative long terms effects including , obesity and a life-long penchant for unhealthy treats. 

Unfortunately, finding simple, healthy snacks kids will eat can be difficult. and school rules, like no crackers or crumbly snacks, can make it tough for parents to find healthy, satisfying food that kids like.

The ideal snack is low in sugar and high fructose corn syrup, but contains complex carbohydrates (like whole grains) or protein that will release energy slowly, keeping hunger at bay. 

Carbohydrates, often called carbs, are really just chains of sugar molecules. Simple carbs have one or two sugar molecules, while complex carbohydrates—like those found in whole grains, vegetables and legumes like beans and lentils—contain longer sugar chains called starches.

Candy, soda and table sugar are simple carbohydrates which are quickly and easily broken down by your body.

Foods containing complex carbohydrates often take longer for your body to break down and contain fiber, which keeps you from feeling hungry again right away.

Finding snacks low in fat and salt is a bonus, but a little fat helps with nutrient adsorption, and food without salt tends to taste horrible.

I checked out the American Dietetics Association’s website's list of 25 healthy snacks, and found several that had potential. The list included mini-sandwiches (keep a bag of them in your freezer), quesadillas, and cheese cubes or grapes that your kids can put on pretzel sticks to make snack-kebabs.

If you don’t have time or energy to prepare anything, there many healthy prepared snacks available at local grocery stores like ,  and . Mini carrots and pre-sliced apples are always great options. You can buy pre-cut cheese cubes, and a number of snacks now contain DHA, which may help boost your kids’ brain power, and even probiotics, which may promote a healthy immune system. 

If possible, avoid sports drinks and juice boxes, which often contain large quantities of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Juice is more “natural” but contains almost as much sugar (simple carbs) in the form of fructose. Fill some bottles up with ice water, or try to find low-sugar alternatives. 

Your kids might complain at first, but remember: you can always turn up the radio, and it's a small price to pay for healthy eating habits.