The Importance of Healthy Snacking for Kids

Find out why healthy snacking can support your children’s wellbeing

Food is fuel

Kids are continuously learning and growing and seem to have an endless supply of energy. Food is what fuels each and every one of us and for children the food they eat is very important. Not only do kids need fuel for day-to-day life, they also require good amounts of nutrients to support their body to grow and brain to develop. For kids who are quite active or play sports, their energy needs are even higher. Feeding the appetite of your children can sometimes be challenge. Some days it seems they are constantly searching the cupboard for snacks to fill them up.

Children are generally good at gauging their hunger levels and eating to meet their energy needs, which can vary from day to day. Snacks make up an important part of the diet and should be seen as a way to boost your kids’ intake of vitamins, minerals and nutrients – rather than a time for treat foods which tend to provide the energy but with much less of the nutrients. The best place to start is with the Food and Nutrition Guidelines which provide the number of serves to aim for each day to help children reach their nutrient needs, or Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs). This approach means you can look to fill in the gaps from main meals with healthy snacks. It also means you do not need to be limited to ‘snack foods’ which can often be low in nutrients and high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt.

Recommendations

Here’s a summary of recommendations from The New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines – Eat a variety of foods in regular meals and snacks from each of the four major food groups. Aim to meet the child’s energy needs for activity, growth, and to maintain a healthy body size.

Type of FoodServesExample
Fruit and Vegetables – different colours and textures2+ serves of fruit About one handful, 2 small or 1 large fruit
3+ serves of vegetables1 medium potato or kumara, 1/2 cup of Salad or Vegetables
Breads and cereals - increase the wholegrain products as children increase in age5 serves for children 1 slice of bread, 1 roll, pita or wrap, 1/2 cup of oat muesli/porridge, 1 cup cooked pasta or rice, 4 grain based crackers
6 serves for older children
Milk and milk products, or suitable calcium fortified alternatives - preferably reduced or low-fat options2-3 serves for children 1 glass of milk, 1 pottle of yoghurt, 2 slices of cheese
3 serves for older children
Lean meat, poultry, fish shellfish, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds2 serves for older children100g cooked meat, 3/4 cup cooked mince, beans or lentils, 1 egg, 90g tin of tuna or salmon, 1/3 cup nuts or seeds (50g)
1-2 serves for children

Portion sizes

Portion sizes

You can also reach your recommended serves by having smaller portions of a serve size – for example ½ cup of low fat cottage cheese provides around ½ the calcium you may get in a pottle of yoghurt and is great mixed with avocado for a healthy spread or dip. You may also find 50g of meat or ½ a tin of tuna fits well in your standard sandwich and 25g of nuts is enough in a snack which leaves room for a meat serve at dinner time.

Here’s some of our favourite healthy snack ideas!

  • 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese with 2 carrots cut into sticks
  • 1/3 cup chickpeas roasted in lemon juice and herbs
  • 2-3 grain, rice or corn wafers with 1/2 tin of tuna or salmon and sliced tomato
  • 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on 1/2 a pita pocket
  • 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt and 25g of nuts or seeds
  • 1/2 a pita pocket grilled with grated cheese, tomato, mushrooms, onion, capsicum etc
  • Fruit kebabs
  • 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt and 1 small piece of fruit
  • 1/2 a cup of reduced fat milk, 1/2 a banana and 1/4 cup of blueberries blended into a smoothie
  • 1/2 a cup thinly sliced potatoes, oven baked with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice and herbs
  • 1/4 cup oats and 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt
  • 1 boiled egg on 1 piece of wholemeal toast topped with sliced tomato
  • 1/2 cup pasta with 1/3 cup of mince and leftover veges, sprinkle with parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 a fish fillet cup into strips, coated with lemon juice, then breadcrumbs and baked
  • 1/3 of a tin of baked beans on 1/2 a wholemeal bread roll
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice with 1/2 cup of tinned tuna or salmon, leftover veges and 1 tbsp. Hummus
  • 1/2 a cup of leftover potato chopped into squares and mixed with 1/4 cup cottage cheese with chives
  • 1/2 cup of lentil and vegetable soup

 

We also love our range of KidsCare® snacks which are lower in fats than regular potato chips and are great as a tasty and convenient option in the lunchbox or when you are on the go.

1. Ministry of Health. 2012. Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children and Young People (Aged 2-18 Years) A Background Paper. Wellington: Ministry of Health. Retrieved from www.health.govt.nz