Children’s Nutrition: How to Snack Healthy

A recent survey by Public Health England showed that both adults and children in the UK are eating an unhealthy diet, with too much salt, sugar and fat and not enough healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables and fish. Child obesity is also a growing problem. Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist at PHE advises that we all need to make changes to our diet to improve our health. A healthy and balanced diet is extremely important for youngsters. The things your child eats in their early years will influence their eating habits in later life, so it is vital that, as a parent, you promote a healthy relationship with food from a young age.

The Importance of a Healthy Diet for Kids

There are many important benefits of a healthy diet for children. Nutritious food gives children energy and assists with physical development and strength. We often tell kids that eating their vegetables will help them to grow big and strong, and it’s true! Healthy eating has also been shown to improve a child’s concentration and behaviour as well as assisting with their mental development and learning.

Foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants promote resistance to infection, while eating a good diet can minimise the risk of future health problems such as iron-deficiency anaemia, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. In addition, low sugar snacks will help to prevent tooth. It is recommended that a healthy diet for children should be balanced and varied. Daily meals should be made up of plenty of fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and rice and some sources of calcium and protein, including milk, dairy, meat and fish. Sugar and salt should be kept to a minimum whenever possible.

Healthy Snacks for Children

Of course, snacking between meals is part of a healthy diet for children, as they need around two snacks per day to satisfy their hunger. On-the-go snacks are essential in today’s busy modern world, but they can be some of the unhealthiest food that children eat. Even options such as popcorn, which is often considered a healthy snack, can be full of sugar, fat and synthetic flavours. So, how can you make sure that your child snacks healthy? Here are some nutritious (and easy!) snack ideas that kids will love.

Fruit & Vegetables – Help your child to get their five-a-day with some healthy fruitand vegetable-based snacks. Chop up apples, pears, carrots and celery into little sticks for kids to munch on, or blend up their favourite fruit and veg into a delicious smoothie.

Healthy Shop-Bought Snacks – Busy parents often rely on convenient shop-bought snacks such as cereal bars, crackers, biscuits and crisps for on-the-go days. However, some of these can contains lots of sugar and salt. Instead, look for healthy alternatives such as low sugar snack

bars, fruit roll ups and dried fruit packets.

Homemade Snacks – If you have the time, homemade snacks are a great idea for kids. You know exactly what goes into them and can control the ratio of healthy and unhealthy ingredients. Some fun and healthy snack ideas to try include homemade oat biscuits, flapjacks, granola, vegetable crisps, popcorn (of the homemade variety) and frozen fruit lollies.

Healthy snacking is an easy and effective way to improve your child’s health, well-being and nutrition. Do you have any helpful advice for getting children to eat healthy snacks? Let us know in the comments below!