When I was in grade school, I remember getting off the bus, running into the house and making a beeline for the kitchen. I mean, my lunch time was often before 11 a.m. so when I got home, I was ready to eat anything I could get my hands on!
Sometimes that meant a giant ice cream sundae, sometimes it was half a bag of potato chips. Fruit and veggies were always available, but if they were not cut up and staring me in the face, forget about it.
As I got older, I learned a lot of nutrition lessons from these early snacking tendencies. Specifically, the importance of making healthy food choices, portion size and pre-planning.
First, let’s look at some healthy after-school snack ideas:
- Single serving containers of low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese
- Whole grain crackers and low-fat cheese
- Grapes or unsweetened applesauce cups or pouches and a string cheese
- Low-sugar granola bar (10 grams of sugar or less) and a glass of fat-free or low-fat milk
- Banana or apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter
- Air-popped popcorn sprinkled with parmesan cheese
- Whole wheat English muffin with one slice of deli meat and one slice of low-fat cheese
- Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and bell pepper with low-fat ranch for dipping
These snack ideas are quick, easy and will provide enough fuel to keep kids satisfied until dinner without going overboard. Some of the ideas pair carbohydrates (apples, crackers, English muffin) with a source of protein (low-fat cheese, deli meat), making the snack more substantial.
Also, eating from a multiple serving container or bag can lead to overeating. Several of the ideas listed are already in controlled portions. The single serving container of yogurt, individually wrapped string cheese, apple and banana are already portioned out and ready to go so there is little chance of overdoing it.
It is not enough to just have these healthy choices in the fridge. Communicate to your kids what is available for after-school snacks.
Take a few minutes to clean and cut up some veggies and fruit when you get home from the store so they are ready for snacks immediately. Put these at a child’s eye level in the fridge or on the kitchen counter so these foods are seen immediately when the snack search begins!