12 Healthy Snacks Ideas Your Kids Will Love: As a parent, you know that snack time for kids can happen at any time. Another thing you probably already know about kids is that just because they liked a snack yesterday doesn’t mean they will like it today too. Kids are just plain silly sometimes, so we’re going to save you some time and sighs by giving you a list of healthy snacks that nutritionists say your kids will love.
Making sure your kids eat whole foods (or prepared foods made from them) as snacks (as opposed to foods with an ingredient list full of words that look like a science experiment) can help them get the nutrition they need throughout the day. Kids, like adults, need a lot of protein, carbs, and fat for energy. London also says that kids need minerals and all the vitamins and minerals in the alphabet for a healthy immune system and for cells to grow and work properly.
Next time your little one’s tummy starts to rumble, offer them one of these healthy snacks for kids.
1) Tomatoes and Cheese
- Your kid is likely to like them if you call them pizza snacks. Grape or cherry tomatoes go well with part-skim string cheese. Big tomatoes can be cut into slices or chunks if that’s how they like to eat them.
- String cheese and poppable tomatoes are both standard kid favorites. London says that cheese has 5 to 8 grams of protein, which helps kids stay fueled and motivated better than high-carb snacks that cause blood sugar to spike and then crash, and tomatoes are a good source of vitamins and antioxidants.
2. Frozen Fruit Sticks
- Stick up to three pieces of fresh fruit on a toothpick or popsicle stick, then put them in the freezer to keep them cool. London says, “Once it’s frozen, serve it with cashews or coconut chips.”
- “It tastes like a fruit pop!” Yes, frozen fruit will also work. Just give it a little time to thaw before skewering. Along with some fat, protein, and fiber, they’ll get a range of vitamins and minerals.
3. Chickpeas that are crunchy
- If you want to make chickpeas crispy, you can use the oven or an air fryer. Then, add your favorite sweet or spicy spices on top.
- London says, “Roasted pulses like chickpeas are tasty, easy to make, and high in protein and fiber to keep you from getting hungry in the afternoon.” Not interested in or don’t have time to make your own?Biena has some crunchy, tasty food.
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4. Trail Mix
- As long as your child isn’t allergic to nuts and seeds, they’re a great healthy snack. They give you energy in three ways: fiber, protein, and fat. For extra fun and a taste of natural sweetness, add some dried fruit to the mix. Make sure to choose brands that don’t add sugar.
- If you can get them to eat it, yogurt is a great healthy snack for kids. They can spoon it, sip it, or suck down a pouch. It gives you some fat, protein, and iron.
- London says to look for 2% fat choices that aren’t sweetened and to add your own sweetness with fresh fruit, jelly, or chocolate chips. “It tastes better when you add your own sugar than when they are already sweet!”
5. Fries with sweet potatoes
- To make sweet potato fries at home, cut a sweet potato into sticks and cook them in the air fryer or on a baking sheet in the oven.
- Sweet potatoes get their color from beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant. These fries are also full of vitamins, fiber, and beta-carotene.
6. Fruit and nut butter
- You can dip or smear this classic combination. Remember when your mom added raisins to make “ants on a log”? Either way, it’s a good way to get fiber, fat, and protein to fill you up.
- London says, “When I need something quick, I can’t get enough of Dandy Celery and Peanut Butter snack packs.”
7. Chips Made From Veggies
- If you want to make your own veggie food that has more fiber and nutrients than most prepared ones, you can air fry almost any vegetable.
- Try frozen corn or peas, too! But if you need something quickly, these are London’s favorite brands that are quick, tasty, and good for you:Jackson’s kettle chips made with sweet potatoes, Harvest Snaps (made from snap peas), Hippeas (made from chickpeas), PeaTos (made from pulses), or Love Corn (crunchy flavored corn niblets).
8. Having oatmeal
- This healthy breakfast food is also a great snack for kids because it has whole grains, protein, and fiber. Don’t buy the single-serve oatmeal packs; they usually have too much sugar or salt.
- Instead, make a bunch of overnight oats and keep them in the fridge for an easy-to-grab breakfast.
9. Foods with fruit
- Good job if your child is happy to eat a piece of fresh fruit. But if they’re still in the “I’ll only eat it if I don’t know it’s there” stage, there are many good boxed choices made with the whole fruit.
- This way, they’ll still get the fiber and vitamins instead of just sugar, which will raise their blood sugar. I really like RIND, pressed by KIND fruit bars, Crispy Green, and any store-brand freeze-dried fruit from Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and other places.
10. Snacks and cheese
- For kids, this popular snack is like a charcuterie board for adults, and the two together make a great healthy snack. To make sure they’re getting fiber and nutrients instead of just refined white flour, look for crackers made from whole grains or nuts and seeds.
- To make your life easier, keep cheeses like Tillamook, string cheese, Babybel, and Belgioso on hand in snack or movable sizes.
11. Popcorn
- Oh no! This treat for movie night is also a great healthy snack for kids because it’s full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
- It’s best to make it yourself because you can control how much butter or salt you use. You can also buy a brand like SkinnyPop, Pipcorn, Smartfood, or Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP. London says, “If you want cheese-flavored popcorn, make sure the ingredients list has real cheese on it.”
12. Drink Smoothie
- London says, “This lets you sneak in healthy ingredients like spinach or chia seeds without anyone noticing.”
- Make them whenever they want or make a big batch of their favorite smoothie mix, pour it into ice cube trays, insert a popsicle stick into each one, and freeze them. That way, you’ll always have smoothie pops on hand.
13. Cheese Cottage
- Cottage cheese needs to be made cool again. You can feed it to your kids and feel full while giving them protein, calcium, vitamins, and a little fat.
- Need a review?There are only real materials in Good Culture, and the cultures inside are alive and well.
14. Roll up a turkey
- We love that it tastes like a sandwich but is a snack. You can give your kids a snack by wrapping a slice of cold turkey (better if it has less salt) around their favorite vegetables and a slice of cheese.
- There will be a tasty snack for them that is full of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
15. Nut and fruit butter
- It’s impossible to go wrong with a sweet and salty pair, like apple or pear slices and almond butter.
- London says it has the important parts of a healthy snack for kids: protein, fiber, fat, and an amount of vitamins and minerals.
16. Hummus and greens
- You can start teaching them to love hummus at any age. It’s also a healthy way to make veggies fun.
- Try giving them other vegetables besides their favorite dippers (like celery and carrots) like bell peppers, cucumber, or even radishes or jicama!
17. Toast it up
- Kids should love breakfast toasts just as much as adults do. In fact, it’s a great way to eat something healthy. First, toast a piece of whole grain bread.
- Then, try different toppings, like hummus and cucumber slices, cream cheese and tomato, nut butter and blueberries, and so on.
