Healthy Snacks: Quick tips for parents

Try these healthy snack ideas.

• Make “ants on a log” (celery with peanut butter and raisins).
• Add fruit (fresh, frozen, dried, or canned) to fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Look for canned, dried, and frozen fruit with no added sugars.
• Blend fruit and yogurt with some 100% fruit juice to make a tasty smoothie.
• Top whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese.
• Dip vegetable “matchsticks” (thin sticks made from fresh carrots, zucchini, or bell peppers) in hummus (a dip made from chickpeas).
• Top whole-wheat bread, rice cakes, or apple slices with peanut butter.
• Melt low-fat cheese in a whole-wheat tortilla to make quesadillas. Try adding black beans for an extra twist!
• Mix air-popped popcorn with dried fruit and unsalted nuts for homemade trail mix. Eat with fat-free or low-fat milk.
• Dip tortilla chips in salsa. Look for chips with less sodium.
• Make a mini pizza. Put spaghetti sauce, chopped vegetables, and low-fat shredded cheese on half of a whole-wheat English muffin and melt it in the microwave or oven.
• Keep fresh fruit in a place that’s easy to reach in the refrigerator or on the table. This will make it easier for kids to grab a healthy choice.

Snack healthy on the go.

• Take unsalted nuts and unsweetened dried fruits.
• Grab fresh vegetables or fresh fruit.
• Pack low-fat string cheese sticks.
• Use small reusable containers or baggies to take snacks on the go.

Set the rules.

• Teach your kids to ask before they help themselves to snacks.
• Eat snacks at the table or in the kitchen, not in front of the TV.
• Serve snacks like pretzels or popcorn in a bowl. Don’t let kids snack directly out of the bag or box.
• Drink water, milk (fat-free or low-fat), or 100% juice instead of soda or fruit-flavored drinks. Kids can drink up to ½ cup or 1 cup of juice a day, depending on how old they are.