5 healthy snacks that meet the nutritional needs of your kid

You must be aware of the importance of nutrition for your kid’s health and brain development. For this, you ensure that your kids develop healthy eating habits from an early age. Having your kids adopt healthy eating habits will have a lasting positive impact on their body and mind. An early habit of not only consuming healthy meals but also healthy snacks go a long way. Your kids will thank you one day if you ensure they build a healthy eating and snacking habit from their childhood.

If you are confused about what you should feed your kids, especially for snack time, then you can prepare snacks using natural and wholesome foods.

Nuts
Nuts make for great healthy snack option and are good sources of fat, fiber, and protein. They provide immense health benefits and reduce the risk of heart diseases in adults. They contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium and vitamin E, which ensures great health from the start. Consuming nuts reduces the risk factor of metabolic syndromes and even prevent a number of chronic diseases.

Plain popcorn
Popcorn is considered junk food but it can be a nutritious whole grain if cooked and served right. Flavored popcorn like cheese, caramel, chocolate, can be unhealthy, but air-pop popcorn with little added butter wouldn’t harm your kids. In fact, plain air-popped popcorn aids digestion, contains vitamin B, healthy carbohydrates, iron, calcium, iron, and minerals.

While popcorn makes for healthy snacks for kids, it can be dangerous when served to toddlers as they might choke on them. Therefore, it’s important to serve popcorn to older children.

Fruit salad
Fruits are known for being the best sources of vitamins and minerals and for preventing vitamin A and C deficiencies. Including fruits in your kid’s diet will ensure they get all the vital nutrients including potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and folate. You should consider including blueberries, citrus fruits, cranberries, and strawberries for wholesome fruit intake.

Carrot and cucumber sticks
They make great evening snacks as they are tasty and healthy. Cucumber contains antioxidants, which prevents free radicals and reduce the risk of chronic diseases in the future. Cucumber will also keep your kids hydrated and help the body meet daily fluid needs. Carrots contain soluble fiber that helps in lowering blood sugar levels in the body. They are great for the bacteria in the gut and improves overall health and wellbeing. You can give carrot and cucumber slices with healthy dips to make it a tasty snack for your kids.

Hummus and pita bread
Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern dip spread that is made by blending chickpeas, ground sesame seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. It is delicious and packed with nutrients and is linked with impressive health and nutritional benefits. Hummus is high in fiber that promotes digestive health and is incredibly easy to serve as snacks. You can serve pita bread along with hummus to your kids for quick and healthy snacks.

There are many ways you can encourage and instill healthy eating habits in your kids. You can start by giving them plenty of healthy food options. So, offer them foods that are not processed, packaged, and contain artificial sugar. Here, an important factor to consider is that children often imitate their older siblings and parents. So, if you want your kids to develop a healthy eating habit, you should ensure they see you and their older siblings enjoy healthy meals and snacks.