Snacking is everyone’s favorite pastime. We eat to live but live to eat as well. With so many food options and the constant bombardment of the media, advertising, and our own sweet tooth, we seem to be thinking about food all the time. The downside of snacking is that it can lead to health problems and contribute to obesity.
Why Kids Need to Snack
In our society, children are the most vulnerable to peer pressure and outside influences. That’s why good parenting includes not only teaching good eating habits but also feeding them nutritious meals and of course, healthy snacks. Snacking is important for children because they have smaller stomachs along with a higher metabolism, unlike adults, so they need topping up more often. Children should snack every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day outside their meal times. Small, healthy snacks throughout the day prevent patterns of boredom eating or eating based on emotional factors.
Healthy Snacking
Studies have shown that children need to refuel throughout the day to maintain focus on academics and keep their energy levels up. That’s where snacking plays a crucial part. It’s also important that snacks be health-conscious and meet certain nutritional requirements to gain less weight and produce proper immune growth as they age.
Smart Snacking Ideas
Eating healthy in childhood builds a foundation of smart choices for a lifetime. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products help prevent disease later in life. Sending healthy snacks with your children to school will help sustain your child throughout the day and give them a healthy start in life. Of course, children also want sweets, which may go against the grain of a “healthy diet.” However, there are snack treats from New Zealand available for children. Pacific Resources International (PRI) prides itself in providing healthy and tasty snacks made with nature’s best Manuka Honey as excellent alternatives to processed sugar products that have little or no nutritional value. Snack Healthy, Live Long!
The Truth About School Snacking
When we say goodbye to our children each morning as they toddle off to school, we hope they make good choices – of friends, in learning and eating. Junk food companies target kids because they know how “good” their products taste. How do you compete with a Twinkie vs celery! It’s crucial for parents to counteract these negative influences with teaching children “right from wrong” choices in snacks and empowering them to make the healthy choices. Thankfully there are many tasty and healthy snacks available. And today, kids can tell the difference with a little help from their parents!
