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.   So untrue.   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.   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 themselves? And, how can you use making snacks to teach some math, colors, shapes? What are some guidelines for healthy snacks for kids? Fruits and vegetables – a great way to get your kids to eat more fruits and veggies is to serve them at snack ti...

     Who doesn’t love to snack?   Many people think snacks are bad for your health but they don’t have to be.   And for kids snacks are needed as they have small stomachs and really need to fortify themselves between meals.   A website called Zesterdaily has some good ideas for kids’ snack that are not only healthy but ones they can help make.            1.    GORP – doesn’t sound appetizing but what kid wouldn’t want to make some GORP?   It seems to stand for “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts”.    Or you can say it is kids’ trail mix.    Easy to make and easy to take along on a car trip or hiking. a.        Basic recipe: ·    ½ cups roasted, lightly salted peanuts or whole almonds (or nuts you like best) ·    ½ cup raisins ·    ¼ cup dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots (or dried fruit your kid likes b...