Healthy Snacks For Kids

Today, more than ever kids should be eating healthier. For millions of kids in America eating junk food and not being active enough has contributed to obesity and many children being above normal weight. Not only is it important to teach your child which snacks they should eat, but educating them during the early, formidable years may help them sidestep obesity and becoming overweight in the future when they are adults. Here are some tips on delicious healthy snacks for kids. One way for your kids to enjoy healthy snacks is to get them started on naturally sweet foods. Since most kids crave sweets for snacks, naturally sweet foods such as fruits are perfect. Let them enjoy a banana, orange, apple, cherries, strawberries and other berries whenever they have a sweet tooth. You can mix in yogurt or even make a fruit smoothie for them with some milk and a drop of chocolate or other natural flavors. Another great way for your children to enjoy healthy snacks is to give them fresh nuts. Children love peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc. One of the things to recognize about children is that if they try enough types of natural and healthy snacks, they will find one that they enjoy. The problem is that many times parents give up trying to find the snacks that their kids like and settle for popular junk foods instead. When choosing a healthy snack, what you want to stay away from are products with boatloads of sugars, unneeded preservatives and empty calories. While most kids will fight you tooth and nail if they have to eat wheat germ and tofu, many kids will be more than happy to eat snacks if they have a sweet taste and are presented in the right way. Other healthy snacks that many children like are dry cereals. For instance, there are many breakfast cereals that are made from corn, wheat, bran and include nuts and honey. These cereals when eaten during breakfast usually include milk; however, you can easily serve them dry to your children. One of the most common dry cereals which are healthy and nutritious for your child at almost any age is Cheerios. Cheerios is lightly sweetened and delicious either moistened with milk or dry. If your child is looking for a delicious treat for lunch or to take a long for camp or little league, dry cereal is not only nutritious, but delicious. For those children that are terribly finicky and only want junk food, one strategy to use in order to get your child to eat nutritious snacks is to buy prepared natural snacks. Today, there are tons of packaged snacks that might look like junk food, but are healthy and nutritious for your child. They include certain fruit roll ups, string cheese and granola bars. Many of these snacks resemble junk food, but are actually made from natural ingredients and include relatively little sugar and empty calories. If you are looking for a great way for your child to stay healthy, check out the above tips on healthy snacks for children.