I wanted to include this topic because "snacking" can completely sabotage a healthy diet, or snacks can be the foundation of health and well-being.
According to research, most children's obese weight gain is directly contributed to unhealthy snacking. A study from North Carolina University, concluded that children receive 600 calories from snacks. Considering a child between the years of 2-6 typically needs 1000 calories (or slightly above) in a given day, the 600 calorie marker is quite considerable.
Yet, consuming small, nutritious snack-like meals in a given day may be a healthier approach to eating. Gradually eating over the course of the day may prevent over eating at meal time, produce a higher resting metabolic rate (meaning one would consume / use more calories at rest) and other positive factors.
However, "unhealthy snacking" is an extremely difficult hurtle to over-come due to the ubiquity of cheap, quick foods (quick to eat, therefore a quick reward). These foods are strategically placed at eye level by marketers for the viewing of our children. Furthermore, between school, homework, play dates, extra curricular activities it may feel like there is no time for healthy snacking. And when we do stop to eat it may be far too tempting to grab a packet of potato chips or opt for fast food drive thru. But in fact with a hectic schedule this is all the more reason to eat healthy.
Below are a few suggestions that may work for your family:
- Avoid snacking due to boredom, instead consider exercise as relief to boredom and a mood enhancer
- Avoid purchasing junk food and have an agreement with your partner, or other adult house-mates, that if they purchase junk food, it must be placed out of sight and consumed out of sight
- If you are given junk food get rid of it as quickly as you can; you may consider throwing-it-out or re-gifting it
- Prepare, prepare, prepare
- Allocate 2 hours per week and involve the entire family in terms of food preparation (meaning the weekly lay-out of what you will be eating -all ingredients taken into consideration)
- Shop as a family
- When shopping watch for what the supermarket has placed at eye level, ideally keep your child in a shopping cart
- Have rules in the supermarket, no purchasing of snacks that are not on the list, discuss this rule prior to going into the supermarket
- Bring a snack, beverage and reward toy(s) (like stickers) with you to the supermarket. If and when you feel a tantrum "bubbling" remind your child the rules (consistency is key) and provide them with a reward toy in place of the unhealthy food.
- Prepare snack food for the entire week
- Exclude hydrogenated fats, trans fats and a diet in which sugar intake exceeds 25% of our total caloric intake (American Medical Association) / 10% (World Health Organization)
- When following recipes consider reducing white sugar by 1/2 or 1/3rd
- When following a recipes consider replacing 1/4th of flour with ground flax seed
- Portion size is critical, a snack should be no larger than the size of the adult / child's own fist
- Make it fun!
Here are some yummy and healthy snack ideas for what the New York Times called our "Generation of Snackers."
The Quick and Easy Snacks for "Bellies" on the Go:
- Salsa and pita chips
- Graham crackers with cream cheese and cut-up strawberries
- Mixed yogurt, dehydrated fruit (strawberry) and cheerios
- Raisins
- "Smart Food" snacks
- "Odwalla" Bars
- Sesame Crackers
- Sunflower Crackers
- Watermelon is easy to use "cookie cutters" with
- Yogurt raisins
- Hummus snacks
- Apple and medium cheddar cheese
- Bananas and peanut / almond butter / sunflower butter
- "Ants on a Log"; celery (log) with peanut / almond / sunflower butter with raisins (ants)
- Hard boiled eggs
- Ice cream cones filled with fresh cut-up fruit
