Healthy Snack Facts for Kids

Young children have small appetites and small tummies.  Often they can’t eat enough food at meals to meet all their needs.  They need to eat small meals and snacks throughout the day.  When you plan a snack for your child remember to:

• Offer a variety of snacks from the four food groups.
• Serve snacks at least 2 hours before meals so children will be hungry at meal time.

Healthy snack choices

Choose foods from the top of these lists more often:

Grain Products

• Whole grain breads buns and crackers
• Dry unsweetened cereals such as Cheerios®, Crispix® and Corn Bran®
• Muffins, waffles and pancakes
• Rice cakes
• Crackers and large bread sticks
• Fruit loaves such as banana bread or zucchini loaf
• Oatmeal, peanut butter or raisin cookies
• Sweetened breads and buns
• Sugar coated cereals

Meat and Alternatives

• Hard cooked egg
• Lean meat, fish or poultry
• Nuts such as almonds or cashews or seeds (not for children under 4 years)
• Peanut butter

Milk Products

• Milk, plain or flavoured
• Cheese, such as block, sticks, slices, fresh or cottage
• Yogurt or homemade pudding
• Chocolate milk or hot chocolate
• Milk shakes or ice cream
• Frozen yogurt
• Individual containers of commercial pudding

Vegetables and Fruit

• Fresh vegetables or fruit
• Unsweetened, canned or frozen fruit
• Unsweetened fruit juices
• Dried fruit, such as raisins, dates and apricots
• Fruit leathers made with real fruit
• Fruits canned in juice
• Juices with added sugar

Less healthy snacks

These snacks are low in nutrients and high in sugar, fat or salt, but they can be eaten once in a while:

• Candy or mints
• Gum, sweetened with sugar
• Chocolate bars
• Cookies
• Fruit flavored rolls, sheets and fruit gums
• Granola
• Pie or pastries
• Pop
• Marshmallows
• Potato chips, cheezies and other similar snacks
• Cake
• Donuts
• Fruit drinks or powdered drink mixes
• Popsicles

Safety alert

Some snacks are dangerous for children under four years of age because they can cause a child to choke.

If your child is under four years old, avoid:

• Nuts and seeds
• Hard candies
• Cewing gum
• Caramels or toffee
• Popcorn
• Gumdrops
• Jelly beans
• Peanut butter alone
• Pretzels
• Weiners and sausages
• Hard, crisp vegetables
• Whole grapes

Make foods safer by:

• Chopping, grating or shredding hard vegetable pieces.
• Slicing grapes and weiners or sausages lengthwise.
• Spreading peanut butter thinly.
• Removing pits from fruit before serving.

Great snack recipes

Flying saucer
Spread whole grain cracker with peanut butter.  Top with a banana slice.

Building blocks
Stack ham, marble cheese and pineapple cubes on a toothpick.

Banana yummies
Cut banana into bite-size pieces.  Dip in fruit juice and roll in wheat germ.

Peanut butter dip and dippers
Blend ½ cup (125 mL) peanut butter with 1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt.  Serve with fresh fruit pieces.

Ants on a log
Stuff celery with Cheez Whiz® and top with raisins.

Stuffed apples
Core apple and stuff with peanut butter, slice.

Bull’s eye
Slice a hard boiled egg and put slices on a round whole wheat cracker.

Fruitshake
Blend 1 part milk, 1 part unsweetened fruit and 2 parts plain yogurt.

Tutti frutti
Mix plain yogurt with fruit cocktail.

Celery treats
Stuff celery stalks with cottage cheese and unsweetened pineapple.

Rabbit rollup
Wrap cheese sticks in a cabbage or lettuce leaf.

Edible flowers
Broccoli and cauliflower with yogurt dip.

Crackleberry special
Egg salad on whole wheat cracker.

Mini pita pockets
Stuff a mini pita pocket with shredded cheese, alfalfa sprouts and tomato.

Pancake power
Top dollar-sized cold pancakes with applesauce and cinnamon.

Food allergies are fairly common!  Check with your child care setting or school and be careful when packing your child’s lunch.

Disclaimer
Reviewed by Alberta clinical experts. Brought to you by HealthLink Alberta. Copyright.
This material is designed for information purposes only. It should not be used in place of medical advice, instruction and/or treatment. For more health advice call Capital Health Link at 780-408-LINK (5465) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In Alberta, call Toll-free: 1-866-408-LINK (5465)