Healthy Snacks: Quick Tips for Parents

There are plenty of healthy snack options that give your children important nutrients and help satisfy hunger between meals.

Try these healthy snack ideas. 

Keep fresh fruit in a place that’s easy to reach in the refrigerator or on the kitchen table — this will make it easier for kids to grab a healthy choice.

Combine fruits and veggies with dairy or proteins:

• Make “ants on a log” (celery with peanut butter and raisins)
• Add fruit to fat-free or low-fat yogurt — use fresh fruit, or look for canned, dried, or frozen fruit with no added sugars
• Blend fruit and yogurt with a small amount of 100% fruit juice to make a tasty smoothie, or try soy yogurt with added calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D for a non-dairy option
• Dip vegetable “matchsticks” (thin sticks made from fresh carrots, zucchini, or bell peppers) in hummus (a dip made from chickpeas)
• Top apple slices with nut butter 

Combine whole grains with dairy or proteins:

• Top whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese
• Top whole-wheat bread or rice cakes with nut butter
• Melt low-fat cheese in a whole-wheat tortilla to make quesadillas — try adding black beans for an extra boost of nutrition
• Mix air-popped popcorn with dried fruit and unsalted nuts for homemade trail mix, and serve with a glass of fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk
• Make a mini pizza — top half of a whole-wheat English muffin with spaghetti sauce, chopped vegetables, and low-fat shredded cheese and heat it up in the microwave or oven

Snack healthy on the go.

When you’re on the go, use small reusable containers or baggies to pack healthy snacks like:

• Unsalted nuts and unsweetened dried fruits
• Fresh vegetables or fresh fruit
• Low-fat string cheese sticks

When selecting pre-packaged snacks, check the Nutrition Facts label and choose options that have no or little added sugars and are low in sodium and saturated fat. 

Help Your Child Build a Healthy Eating Routine.

• Eat snacks at the table or in the kitchen, not in front of the TV or computer
• Serve snacks like pretzels or popcorn in a bowl rather than directly out of the bag or box
• Serve water or fat-free or low-fat milk instead of soda or fruit-flavored drinks
• Most of the time, serve whole fruit instead of juice — when you do serve juice, make sure it’s 100% fruit juice, and give kids no more than half a cup per day