Sometimes it’s the texture, sometimes it’s the taste, and sometimes, it’s even the colour. Or the weather. Or because their brother pulled their hair. There’s really, a very long list of reasons that children refuse to eat healthy foods and want to instead, having fast foods, or endless packets of crisps. If you’re wondering how to get your kids to incorporate some healthy options into their snack routine, to avoid all the unpronounceable additives in traditional snacks, then this list is for you.
Popcorn
A great fibre-rich snack for children is popcorn. Whether it’s oil fried or microwaved in a silicone container, popcorn made from home is a good healthy choice that most kids love. Pour avocado oil over the popped popcorn, and then go wild with your own spice mixes – from plain salt to a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and onion powder, there are plenty of chemical-free choices to make popcorn a unique treat every time you make it.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt is a summer-snack favourite for most families. A plain probiotic-rich yoghurt can be infinitely versatile when it comes to snack time. Adding in a touch of lemon juice makes it a sour-cream alternative for nachos. Stir in some jam and you have a sweet stand-alone snack. Put it into popsicle moulds and turn it into miniature ice-creams for your kids to enjoy. Pour a drop of vanilla flavouring in it and dollop it on top of pancakes.
Crudités with Hummus
Not only a snack loved by adults, kids, love the crunchy sweet, choices of crudités, especially when served with a savoury hummus. For an extra veggie boost, add in some roast peppers to your hummus to change things up. Choice for raw veg include carrots, broccoli, peppers, celery, cucumber strips, radishes, sugar snap peas, and miniature corns. If hummus isn’t the kids favourite, try and mix it up by serving the crudités with a yoghurt dipping sauce or tzatziki sauce.
Smoothie
Another great snack choices for kids is smoothies. Often, if small children are resistant to fruit or vegetables in their raw form, they’ll be fine with the fruit or vegetables blended up into a smoothie they can sip. If your kids are sick, a fruit smoothie with orange, honey and pineapple can help soothe a cough. A couple of berries blended into milk or yoghurt make a rich sweet vitamin-C rich drink. Vegetable haters will love a green smoothie combo with spinach, kiwi and apple. The possibilities really are endless.
Nuts
Unless there’s an allergy in the family, nuts that are unsalted are a protein-rich and filling snack choice. They’re small enough to pop into a bag for when you’re on the go, and if you throw some dried raisins in the sweet and salty combination will keep most children happy. Often, if they’re not fond of one nut, like almonds, they may absolutely adore another like cashews. Give them several options and see which they like best.
Veggie Fries
Homemade fries (crisps), especially if made from sweet potato, carrots, kale, beetroot, or zucchini, are a great option as a quick snack for a cranky toddler. You can serve them alongside anything above, and they are also great just on their own. For extra health points, oven bake them or air-fry them before sprinkling with some sea salt. You may even want to make some extra so you can snack on them while playing live dealer roulette, after your little one has gone to bed of course!
Regardless of which snack you pick to try and make first, from the list above, we’re confident one of these on the list will make your child’s favourite list in no time at all.
