Healthy Snacks for Healthy Kids
Be Smart, Eat Right!
With just a little effort, we can offer our kids game-day snacks that are healthy and safe. Here is a list of snacks that will help to boost their stamina and concentration.
The objective is to stay away from processed foods containing:
- sugar*
- high fructose corn syrup*
- artificial sweeteners*
- transfats** (any food with partially hydrogenated oil or shortening in the ingredients list).
| Good | Not so good: |
|---|---|
| Fresh fruits and vegetables (apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, celery sticks, carrot sticks, etc.) | Cookies & Candy |
| Nuts or trail mix (raw, unsalted) | |
| Baked Chips and Salsa | Chips that are fried |
| Fruit Leather (real dried fruit) | Fruit Roll-ups |
| Whole grain breakfast bars | Breakfast bar |
| Cheese Sticks | Doughnuts |
| Stonyfield Yogurt | Ice cream, popsicles |
| Whole grain crackers (Kashi) | Pre-packaged crackers |
| Whole Wheat bagels | Pop-Tarts |
| Raisins, dried fruit | |
| Water or SmartWater (replaces electrolytes without the sugar) | Gatorade (too much sugar—32 oz=14 tsp of refined sugar) |
| 100% Fruit Juice | Soda (l can has 10 tsp of sugar) |
Most healthy items can be found at stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Henry’s, Clark’s or health food stores. Regular grocery stores are beginning to carry healthier foods but you have to read the labels.
*Sugar and corn syrups can spike blood sugar levels and then cause an abrupt drop in energy, as well as impede the body’s immune system.
**Transfats are dangerous and unhealthy because our bodies cannot dispose of them. Sadly they are in a large number of “traditional” snack items.
Remember, we are what we eat!