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Back to School: Week 3

Snacks that Make the Grade

Snacks have played the role of both friend and fiend in the public’s eye. “They spoil your appetite!” the stern finger-wagging mother of years past would scold. Yet, healthy snacking is part of a heart-healthy diet.
Snacks are not extra meals, but rather are meant to carry you through to the next meal, without sending your stomach into starvation mode. Snacking is especially important for children. After all, their small stomachs can only fit so much food. The opportunity to sneak in an extra piece of fruit or vegetable at snack time is key in maintaining a healthy balance.


Aside from the nutritional benefits of snacking, it also breaks up the day nicely; always keeping the tummy full but not sending the diner into a Thanksgiving-like comatose state. Parents must walk a fine line between healthy and nutritious pocket-sized snacks for a quick boost of energy and loading their kids up with two extra meals that will weigh them down.

 

 Here are some tips for healthy snacks: 

  •  Think of snacks as a “mini meal” that include two of the four food groups. 
  • Choose healthy substitutions, such as a low-fat granola bar instead of a chocolate bar, or a low-fat muffin instead of a donut.
  • Cut up fresh vegetables and fruit and pack with low-fat dip.
  • Include refillable bottles of water in the snack pack.
  •  Bake and freeze a batch of low-fat muffins so you always have some on hand for a snack.
  • Encourage kids to help plan and prepare their own healthy snacks – this way they are more likely to eat them.
  • Focus on the food groups they may not be getting enough of – for most kids that’s Vegetables and Fruit and Milk and Alternatives. Get your own Canada’s Food Guide.
  •  Be careful of commercially prepared snack foods – many are higher in fat, salt or sugar. Read the Nutrition Facts table.
  • Snacks such as potato chips, cookies, doughnuts and candy bars may actually sap your energy, while adding unnecessary calories.   Choose fruits and vegetables instead.
Did you know?
  •  Snacks, that is food and drink consumed between meals, account for more calories than breakfast, and about the same number of calories as lunch.
  •  67% of Canadians eat one or two snacks / day, with the average Canadian consumption being 2.1 snacks per day.
  • If current trends continue, it is predicted that y 2020, consumers will become increasingly more disconnected from food preparation.  Shopping and eating habits will be sporadic; meal planning cycles will be shorter, snacking will replace courses as well as whole meals and food will become even more portable/convenience-based.
  • Seven out of 10 children aged four to eight, and half of adults, do not eat the recommended daily minimum of five servings of vegetables and fruit.
  • Canada’s Food Guide recommends that children, aged four to eight eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
  • Canada’s Food Guide recommends that children, aged nine to 13 eat six servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
  • Canada’s Food Guide recommends that teenage girls eat seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day; while teenage boys should eat eight servings.
     

Additional Resources:

 o   What’s your favourite snack?

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Contact: mstastna@hsf.ca

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Downloads

application/pdf iconB2S_Week 1.pdf
application/pdf iconB2S_Week 2.pdf
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Recipe of the Week

Chicken vegetable noodle soup
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Tips of the Week

Variety is the spice of life - especially when it comes to feeding your kids!  Use a variety of shapes, flavours and textures in their foods to keep them from getting bored.

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Question of the Week

How can I make sure that my kids eat their snacks and lunches they take from home?
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