Making Healthy Snack Choices
Cheers to the New Year! My goals for 2024 are pretty simple: to be intentional about my time and to focus on my health and my family’s health! My little guy, Paul, is getting old enough to understand that different foods do different things for our bodies, and he’s making his own food choices. So I am going to start talking to him about ingredients - especially when it comes to snacking. There is nothing wrong with a snack- in fact, most toddlers over 12 months are eating 3 meals a day PLUS 1-2 snacks. And since they expend A LOT of energy during the day, it’s important to make sure those meals and snacks are packed with ingredients that fuel their bodies and support their growth!
Let’s talk SUGAR!
The AAP recommends no added refined sugars for children under 2 years of age, and less than 25 g of added sugar for children over 2 years of age. Sugars that come from fruits (e.g., dates) or other natural sources (e.g., maple syrup) are not considered added sugar.
What about coconut sugar? Coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar that goes under little processing, so it can be considered a better alternative to refined cane sugar. So, when looking for sweet treats like cookies for your toddler, selecting a product with no added sugar or coconut sugar is my recommendation.
A great snack bar with NO added sugar is Skout Organic’s Kids Snack Bars. They use dates as the sweetener and contain organic fruits, as well!
A great kids cookie is Skout Organic’s Soft Baked Cookies. They are made with organic ingredients and use organic coconut sugar as the sweetener.
Let’s talk MACRONUTRIENTS.
Picking snacks that have a good balance of macronutrients (carbs-protein-fat) are ideal!
DID YOU KNOW: Carbs should make up most of a toddler’s diet at about 45-65% of calories, with fat coming in next at 30-40% of calories, and protein at 5-20% of calories. (AAP, 2023)
Skout Organic Snack Bars are an example of a balanced snack food as they are higher in carbohydrates, but also contain smaller amounts of fat and protein. So, you can feel good about offering these bars, knowing that you’re not overloading your little one with an unbalanced snack.
Let’s talk MICRONUTRIENTS.
Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are important for littles’ growing bodies and brains. It can be hard to pack a sweet treat with lots of nutrients, but using dates is a great way to do that! Dates contain lots of micronutrients like: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Iron, Vitamin B6 as well as fiber. Looking for snacks that are sweetened using natural fruits are a great way to ensure that you are offering a micronutrient filled snack!
Skout Organic Snack Bars use dates as their main sweetener, making them a great nutrient-dense snack choice!
How to TALK about foods.
If you’re planning on talking to your little one about making healthy food choices, avoid using words like “good” and “bad.” Instead, talk about what ingredients are inside the foods and what they do for your child’s body. For example, when eating something like chicken or beef, you can say “This food gives us lots of long lasting energy and helps our muscles grow strong!” Or when talking about a fruit like a blueberry you can say, “This food gives us energy and has lots of nutrients that keep us healthy!”
When choosing one snack over another, like an Organic Soft-Baked Cookie over a store bought sugar cookie you can say, “Both of these are yummy! But these cookies have ingredients that help our bodies work better, and will give us more energy, so let’s go with these!”
Remember less is MORE.
When reading ingredient labels, less ingredients is better! And ingredients that you can pronounce and are familiar with is BEST. Picking snacks that contain a handful of nutrient-dense ingredients is a good rule-of-thumb.
Skout Organic Snack Bars for example are all made with 7 ingredients or less and I am familiar with each one listed- so I know that I am making a good choice for my little guy! If you want to try these bars yourself, I have a discount code. “EATPLAYSAY” will save you 20% at checkout. Happy snacking!
It can be so hard to make food choices for our littles, especially snack choices, so always try your best! Make snack time fun by sharing one together, setting up a snack party for stuffed animals or dolls, or making it special with a certain bowl or place where you have snack. I hope you have a healthy and prosperous 2024! Cheers to the New Year!
