Snacking is necessary, especially, for those restless and playful little ones who are constantly burning a lot of calories. You needn’t always frown when your child is up for snacks. The latter can both be nutritious and healthy. As a parent, you only need to work it out a bit!

You can do some of the following things to carve out your child’s snacking routine carefully –

Keep junk food out of their sight & out of their minds too

Keep the candies, gums, chocolate bars, chips, cookies out of the house. If they are not around, the child in the house does not crave them. They will get into the habit of doing without them. The elders in the house should have healthy snacks themselves so that the children follow suit. Save the desserts and other treats for occasions only!

Help them refuel their bodies with protein

Children undergo a lot of physical activity. Sports, bike-riding, outdoor games, running, etc. make them burn out a lot of energy. Protein is one of the best intakes to keep the child full and feed the body with necessary nutrition too. Boiled eggs, chicken, nuts, boiled ramen noodles are both protein-rich and the tastier ones for the kid’s healthy snacking.

Go for whole grains

Refined grains are stripped of some of their most valuable nutrients during the refining process. Therefore, whole grains are "fuller"! The outer layer is fiber-rich, the endosperm is starchy and rich in proteins and minerals, the inner germ is rich in fats, vitamins, and phytochemicals. Whole-grain foods like tortillas, wheat bread, etc. serve to be an excellent snacking option for your kid.

Fruits and veggies could also be a great snacking option!

A rainbow of fruits on the fruit basket in your hall or a plate of sautéed veggies usually attracts kids. Indeed., you have something healthy at hand to let your baby snack on! Cranberries, red and yellow peppers, avocado, mangoes, etc. are resourceful enough to prep up a plate of colorful snacks.

You can satisfy their sweet tooth too

Low-fat puddings, cold smoothies with milk, frozen yogurt, or a frozen fruit plate could satisfy their sweet tooth. A sweet dish once or twice a week not only elates them but fills them with the necessary calories too.

Carve out some fun activities

Let the children make shapes out of low-fat thinly sliced cheese. Let them eat diced fruit or boiled ramen with chopsticks while sitting on the couch and watching their favorite evening cartoon. You could also try making funny foods while cutting the fruits!

While deciding the item and ingredients for the snack time of your kids at home, the best thing to do would be – let them be the chooser. Children enjoy a feeling of independence when they are allowed to do that. On your part – keep all the options healthy! Whatever they choose from the designated counter will give them a healthy snacking time!

While choosing snack-time foods for our children, we need to be careful about this: labeling gimmicks! Foods packed as "fat-free" or "cholesterol-free" can be high in calories, fat, sodium, and sugar. The nutrition label is all you should trust to make the best choice.