A healthy snack can be a quick and tasty one, too
Kids may be more apt to try something healthful if they have a hand in making it, but to keep them coming back it has to be tasty as well.
Here are some proven crowd pleasers from a panel of nutritionists: Julie Paul with WakeMed, Ashleigh Miles with Rex Healthcare and Liz Watt with the University of North Carolina Wellness Center at Meadowmont.
Mini-pizza. "Most kids get excited about this one," says Miles. Take a whole-wheat English muffin (high in fiber; "It'll keep 'em satisfied longer"), add low-fat cheese (good source of calcium) and marinara sauce (contains lycopene, a cancer fighter). "If they're getting to feel wild, add veggies" such as mushrooms and spinach. For best results, toss it in a relatively kid-friendly toaster oven.
Strawberry parfait. Combine strawberries with yogurt (calcium), low-fat granola (fiber) and you have a balanced protein-and-carb dessert with about half the calories of ice cream. And, what that heck, a little whipped cream won't hurt. "Use one of the lighter whips," advises Miles, and "one small squirt isn't an issue."
Smoothies. Tasty, nutritious and you get to use a kitchen appliance with a loud motor. ("They might want to be supervised," Miles says of younger users.) Use frozen berries (their nutritional value isn't affected) and 100 percent fruit juice (make sure it's not a fruit "drink," which may have added sugars.)
Wrap sandwiches. Chicken, turkey or canned tuna married with veggies in a whole-grain wrap work well. Or even lunch meat and low-fat cheese with lettuce and tomatoes thrown in for vegetable effect. And remember: mustard is fat-free.
Hummus. A good source of protein, contains heart-healthy fats and it has a way of making even celery tasty.
Peanut butter and celery. Another way to sell celery to kids is slathered with peanut butter. Make that "natural" peanut butter, made from little more than peanuts, oil and salt (check the label).
Veggie dip. Take some low-fat plain yogurt or sour cream and weave in a seasoning of your choice (garlic or onion powder, perhaps). Best if used for dipping veggies, though nutritionists are OK with baked potato chips, which have 1-2 grams of fat per serving compared to 9-10 grams for regular chips. "I would even take that to a party and see if I could pass it off," says Watt.
Trail mix consisting of a high-fiber cereal (Cheerios are good), dried fruit and nuts.
And how about those 100-calorie snack packs that everything comes in now, are those OK? "If a kid really wants something sweet and they can stop after one, then it's a good way to sate your hunger," says Miles. "I do think it's a good concept," agrees Paul. "I still think it's better to steer kids in the direction of not eating all this processed food."
Scripps Howard News Service