School snacks: Keep ‘em healthy for when the kids come home

8/24/08 Posted in Cover Story  |  0 Comments

As the school day ends and yellow buses finish their rounds, children slowly arrive home expecting one thing, an after school snack. But often there is little time for a snack due to after school activities and sporting events. 

So what is a parent to do? How can you provide a healthy snack to tide children over until dinner without spoiling their appetite or giving them processed foods?

“Time is key,” said Registered Dietitian Amy Hanover, who has three children of her own. “It’s understandable that parents need something quick and easy, but that is all too often solved with processed foods that offer no nutritional benefits.” 

With a little pre-planning, parents can have the fridge stocked with nutritious whole foods that are easy to snack on, she said. 

Whole foods are those in their most natural state, Hanover said. Choices like fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy provide vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that carry anti-oxidant properties. 

“This means do away with highly processed food, especially those made with white flour that contain very little nutrition and empty calories, such as chips, pretzels and crackers,” Hanover said. “Not only do they do nothing for your kids but the processed foods cost more, too.”

Although no work goes into processed foods at snack time, healthy whole foods really don’t take very much effort to prepare, Hanover said. 

“How long does it take to peel a banana?” she asked. “Most healthy foods are not labor intensive. Most just involve portioning out and cutting up.” 

Often parents think of only what is easy when buying food for their kids, Hanover said. Parents should focus more on how they can make healthy foods easier instead. 

Parents sometimes get hung up on numbers instead of nutrients. For instance, using 100 calorie packs as a light snack may seem like a good idea, but even though they provide a low calorie count they don’t provide many nutrients for their growing children. 

The way a parent presents a healthy snack has a lot to do with how their kids will perceive them as well, Hanover said. 

“Remember to set out children’s snacks that meet your criteria without saying much,” she said. “After all, when asked, who wouldn’t prefer a candy bar over a healthy choice?”

Have the snack ready and on the table. If children come home and nothing is ready, they will head to the cupboard. Once there, if given the option of cookies or jumbo raisins, they’ll choose the cookies.

“It is our responsibility as parents to offer nutritious options and the onus remain on the child to eat when hungry and to stop when full,” Hanover said. “You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see your kids come in from school and begin munching on the carrots and dip you placed on the table.”