Eating For Health

Snacks – should kids have snacks?   Do snacks ruin a kid’s appetite?   Are snacks healthy?   So often I hear that kids shouldn’t have snacks.   A friend recently stated her kids are always hungry after school, but they don’t know if they should get snacks or what snacks to give them.   All kids not only should have snacks but actually need snacks.  Kids, especially younger kids, have very small stomachs.  They can’t eat large amounts of food at meals so they get hungry between meals.  USDA sets a meal pattern for child care centers and this meal plan has a morning snack and an afternoon snack.  School-age kids should have an after-school or afternoon snack every day.  After-school snacks are a great opportunity to provide kids with nourishing options that keep their energy levels up.   But this snack shouldn’t be gorging on junk food.  What are some guidelines for healthy snacks and what are some snacks kids can make for th...

Many kids are going back to school in August and not just via Zoom.   Kids needs snacks after school – but healthy snacks. Some parents won’t give their kids snacks thinking snacks are unhealthy, snacks spoil a kid’s appetite, or that kids just don’t need snacks.   But kids do need snacks. Pre-school kids need snacks twice a day -morning and afternoon.   School-age kids need an after-school snack.   One reason kids need snacks is because they have small stomachs and eat smaller amounts at meals and then get hungry between meals.   They also need snacks to meet their daily nutritional needs. If you give kids healthy snacks, the snacks contribute nutrients and good nutrition that kids need to grow.   Snacks should be small enough to help curb hunger pains but not too filling the child eats less at meal time. Deana Hildebrand, a nutrition specialist with the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Services notes :   “The trick is to provide snac...