As things start to ramp up and kids are getting back into activities and routines it can be easy to fall into old habits that don’t support health and wellness. We all know that the quick and easy option is going to be what they can grab on the go (and tastes good) and it’s not always “quick” or “easy” to have homemade, healthy snacks available.
I’ve had numerous requests from clients for some store bought snack and treat ideas for kids so we put together a nice list with some links for you! Our favorite “after school” or mid-day snacks are always fresh fruit / veggies with a protein like nut or sunflower seed butter, hummus etc. Just like with our fresh food snacks we like to pair our preserved food snacks with things that will lessen the glycemic load, for example, pairing fruit with a protein.
Some other tips around store bought snacks are to:
- limit packaged snacking to one per day (or less)
- have a drawer/basket where each kid has their snacks for the whole week and they can choose when to eat
- have a hidden spot where you keep the convenience packaged snacks and only you can pull from the secret stash
- no snacks within 1-2 hours before meal time
Emily’s Top 5 Favorite “To Buy” Snacks:
Enjoy life seed & fruit mix.
No nitrates added grass fed beef sticks paired with unsulfured dried mango.
Fruit leather paired with Bada beans.
Unsweetened applesauce paired with Brazil nuts.
Roasted chickpeas and no sugar added raisins.
Top 5 “To Buy” Special Occasion Snacks / Treats:
Lara Bar.
Clif Kids bar.
Enjoy life mini cookie pack.
Small package Black Forest gummy bears & Hippeas.
Skinny POP popcorn snack size.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://nielsennutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/For-PURCHASE-snack-ideas-1.pdf” title=”For PURCHASE snack ideas (1)”]
For more help and inspiration with family nutrition check out our Family Wellness Course.