Worrying about what snack you can give to your children? Let NNC MIMAROPA guide you on your parenthood journey! We know that thinking of a healthy snack for children can be a tedious job for a parent. With a lot of products available in supermarkets and advertised on televisions you are probably wondering what’s healthy and what isn’t?

Before we start, let us first define what is a snack? According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “a snack is generally defined as any food eaten between main meals”. Given its definition, it is a food that is considered light just enough to fill your stomach in between meals and it can also be a way to introduce new nutritious foods that your kids can try. 

We have to be aware that most kids are still food explorers, some foods are easily accepted but most will be rejected. And that’s totally okay! Yes, you read that right. Usually, most kids reject foods that they are not familiar with. It’s okay. We can reintroduce it some other time in different forms or recipes. It usually takes more than a couple of tries before they can fully accept a particular food. Listed below are some tips that you can try to make your child’s snack and meals healthier and enjoyable.

Tips for Healthy Snacking:

1. Always offer natural home-cooked snacks rather than processed ones. This way, we can limit the added sugar intake of a kid. Excess sugar intake can lead to obesity, a risk factor for having diabetes, tooth decays, constipation and hyperactivity. Avoid buying highly processed and instant snacks that we can usually find in groceries. Have a healthy grocery list, choose food items that are high in fiber, no added sugar, and low fat food products.
2. Read nutrition labels. Knowing how to read food labels can be a life-saving technique. With proper knowledge on serving sizes and other nutrition information like calories, saturated fats, trans fat, sodium and sugar content information. You can easily control and moderate your child’s intake. Always remember that moderation is the key to healthy eating.
3. Choose a specific time to give out snacks. Ideally we can give two to three snacks a day, from A.M. snack to midnight snack. We can give it three hours before eating the main meals of the day, this is to prevent your child from being full which can lessen his/her food intake.
4. Offer the right portion of snacks. Overindulging can have a great impact on a child’s diet especially if the snacks that were given to them are of low nutrient value. We have to prepare and give the right portion size to avoid overindulging. It can also lead to lower intake of foods offered as main meals.
5. Be creative, think of alternative recipes. Your family can still enjoy the most common foods served in fast foods or quick service restaurants. Think of alternative ingredients that you can use to make a dish healthier than what is usual.

To give you an idea of what snack you can give to your child,  you may view suggested some recipes developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute that you can try at your home in this link: (insert link). You can also have your kids be involved in preparing their snacks, this will help them have a good impression on different kinds of food.

Written by: NO I Jhanna Camela C. Torres

Reference:

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Science of Snacking. Retrieved from The Science of Snacking | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health