School has just started and you are already tired of coming up with ideas for healthy snacks.  Chips are definitely easier to send with your child; however, what is their young bodies’ craving? 

Snacks are just as important as the lunch meal for a child’s well being.  Active children have a need for calories as well as other essential nutrients, but they have small stomachs.  They need to eat, but have difficulty eating a lot at one time.  Therefore, children rely on snacks to give the cells in their bodies the nourishment they need for muscle growth, strong bones, and brain power.  Smart snaking can help children meet their daily nutrient requirements.

Now, we all want our children to do their best on school work. Providing them with a healthy snack is a good plan to meet that goal.  Send a simple and healthy snack with your child every day.  Choosing healthy foods that add nutrients to their diet is important.

Select snacks based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, with a little nonfat dairy and lean protein and your children will be on their way to better health.  Combing foods from different groups will pack more nutrients into your child’s diet and it will be more filling and tide them over until their next meal.

Think about those cute little bags of foods.  These foods do not satisfy the bodies’ nutritional requirements.  Snacks sold in those little bags and packages are high in sodium, added sugars, fat, and low in fiber.  These foods are not supplying the optimal nutrition for brain power and growing bodies. 

On Sunday afternoon, snacks can be made up for the following week with the help of your children.  Offer them a choice so he/she can help decide what to pack.  When the child is in on the decision-making, he/she will almost always be open to trying new nutritious foods.

Healthy School Snack Ideas:

• A bag of baby carrots.Celery sticks dipped in peanut butter.

• Trail mix with dried fruit, pretzels, nuts, and/or seeds.
  

• Air-popped popcorn
  

• Mini rice cakes with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese
• Graham crackers with peanut butter.
  

• Whole-wheat crackers with a cheese stick.
  

• Nonfat cottage cheese with fruit.
  

• Unsweetened applesauce.
  

Here is an easy snack from all food groups:  MyPyramid Tortilla Recipe

1 whole wheat tortilla

2 ounces thin sliced turkey orS ham

2 tablespoons shredded cheese

¼ cup shredded lettuce

1 tablespoon raisins

Low-fat cream cheese

 
Have your child spread the tortilla with low-fat cream cheese. Then layer on the meat, cheese, lettuce, and raisins.  Roll up and pack with a frozen 100% juice box.

 
Healthy Bites is brought to you by the Eagle County School Wellness Committee.

 
References:

Farner, B. Smart Snacking Tips for School-Age Kids.  University of Illinois Extension.  Retrieved on September 6, 2006 from http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/thriftyliving/tl-snacks.html

 
Food and Health Communication, Inc.   (2005, Spring). Communicating Food for Health. (ISSN 1070-1613).  Florida.

 
Nutrition Information Resource Center.  (2003) Packing Lunches & Snacks to Go. Retrieved August 10, 2004 from http://www.mi4c.org/programs/health/nutrition/menus/lunch.html