Healthy School Snacking
Back to school can be both a busy yet exciting time for parents and kids. At Eat Right Feel Right, we believe back to school can also be a time to discover new healthy snacks to pack for lunch to help fuel your child’s day.
Now that you have likely settled into a routine, I thought it would be helpful to share some more snack ideas….so that your child doesn’t get bored and you don’t get frustrated with what to pack.
I worked part time as a research assistant with the Guelph Family Health Study and our team found that 30% of children’s daily calories come from snacks, that’s almost one third. Unfortunately, a lot of snacks marketed to children end up being high in sugars, salts, and lacking good nutrients to support growth, development, and learning. So today, I will be sharing some ideas with you to help support healthy snacking both at school and home (you know they ask for those after school snacks)!
Get your copy of the Guelph Family Health Study snack healthy, snack happy cookbook, by clicking here.
Tip: Use a bento styled lunch box and pack multiple snacks for your child, that way their lunch is a combination of small snacks.
You can include up to 3-4 different items in your child’s lunch can help to make mealtime more exciting and can encourage your child to try new foods!
Some examples of basic snacks to pack for school include:
Pretzels
Rice cakes
Hummus
Whole grain crackers
Veggie Chips
Granola
Yogurt
Natural cheese
Dried Fruit
Veggies
Seeds
Dark chocolate
Not all snacks are created equal. In fact, many of the products on the market are filled with sugars and other additives that your little ones don’t need.
I spent some time going through my cupboards and the grocery store and thought I’d share my top 10 favourite premade snacks with you to help make your school lunch packing even easier.
When it comes to prepackaged sweeter snacks, like granola bars, cookies, etc. I look for products where sugar is not the first or second ingredient and there is 8 grams or less per serving. Aim to only serve one of these in your child’s lunch box along with other great whole foods (listed above).
Some other favourites of mine include LaraKid Bars , Mary’s Crackers, and SmartSweets Gummies as an extra special treat!
All of these snack options are nut free and appropriate for school lunches (not just after school). Many of these snack items are readily available at at any PC store’s in the health food section, at Costco and even at Walmart!
I hope this list gives you a sense of what health snacks are available at local grocery stores for your little one (and some snack packing inspiration).
Cheers to happy and healthy eating!
Until next time,
Eat Right Feel Right- Angela & Victoria XO
