Kid Healthy Snacks

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This week, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada declared Canadian youth the newest “at risk” group for heart disease, noting a stunning rise of hypertension in those who are in their twenties and thirties. 250,000 young adults suffer from high blood pressure, eighty per cent of young adults are inactive and forty per cent are overweight or obese, meaning more trouble is just around the corner.

Coming up behind them is a generation of children who are constantly exposed to unhealthy, processed snack foods which are high in fat and sodium. In fact, since 1977, snacking has tripled for children and adults alike.  According to a Government of Alberta Abstract, the demands that arise from both parents working, single parent families, and from escalating time pressures are also lessening how much time we are willing to spend on food preparation.

Compound that with the sense of obligation many parents feel to turn every kid-centric gathering into snack time, and there’s a problem. Too many kids spend their days grazing on salt and sugar loaded treats that have little to no nutritional value.

What’s an overworked, stretched parent to do, especially when snacks have become so much a part of landscape of a child’s life?  Robert Vidra, founder and CEO of Calgary’s Simply Elegant suggests keeping a supply of healthy, convenient, nutritious snacks or mini meals with you in the car, in your purse, or wherever you can.  Make healthy snacks easily available by packing them in lunchboxes and backpacks or by having them visible and ready to eat at home.

Load up on pretzels, fruit, baggies of your kids’ favourite cereal, Goldfish crackers and nutritious granola bars etc.  Veggie sticks with hummus,  apple sauce, fresh or dried fruit, trail mix and air-popped popcorn are also good alternatives. And you don’t need to confine yourself to prepared supermarket foods. Consider making some quick healthy snacks of your own, like this granola or soup recipe from Simply Elegant’s kitchen.

Listen to your kids’ likes and dislikes — no kid will eat what they don’t like.  If the right foods are offered at the right times, snacks can play an important role in managing kids’ hunger and boosting nutrition.  Don’t forget to keep these food allergies on the radar when sharing snacks with others: peanuts, nuts, wheat, dairy, strawberries, milk, and eggs.

Of course, there’s little hope of getting your child to eat healthy snacks if you’re not setting a good example. Telling them they can’t have that vending machine snack — but you can — won’t help you win them over to making positive changes.  That means making adjustments to your own eating habits as well.

Yes, it’s hard. But like any new habit, you need to stay at it until it takes. In this case, failure is not an option. Your kids’ lives depend on it. Setting the stage for healthful eating early on means your children will be more likely to make healthy food choices when they’re older. No one should be facing diet related heart issues in their twenties. Help them make sure they don’t.