Yesterday I led our Columbus Attachment Parents Meeting. The topic was food and nutrition, one that I take quite a bit of interest in, even though both of my children are very good eaters. There are so many factors that go into helping kids learn good eating habits, though, it’s a long journey, one with many outside factors including grandparents, culture and the always changing nutrition research.
Much of what we discussed I took from Dr. Sears’ ABC’s of Nutrition. There’s a lot of great information on that page covering many different concerns and challenges when it comes to feeding our kids.
One of the things we discussed is how to head-off the crankies with food. No, this isn’t teach your kid to drown their sorrows in chocolate cake! We all have those times of day when our kids get fussy, whiny, or otherwise unreasonable. Did you know that many times this could be related to hunger? Making sure your child gets a good snack, something with protein, regulates blood sugar levels which in turn can prevent mood swings and the dreaded whiny-ness.
This is something that I need to make sure I remember! Sometimes I don’t realize that my kids haven’t had a good snack until they’re cranky or fighting with each other.
Here’s some good snack tips from Pauline Lupercio at Babygooroo.com.
Snacks
If you have it in the house, it is going to get eaten. Well, that’s at least true for snacks like chips, cookies, and other unhealthy options.“If you keep candy bars and fruit in the home, most children are going to pick the candy bar,” Kraus says. “So just keep it out of the house.”
Instead of pre-packaged sugar and empty calories, kids can snack healthy with:
* Combinations of lean protein with a high fiber carbohydrate, like string cheese or peanut butter with whole grain crackers.
* Homemade smoothies with yogurt and whole fruit.
What kinds of snacks do you and your kids like?
12 responses so far ↓
1 Tina // Aug 29, 2008 at 10:32 am
It’s been hot, so my kids are really into cold baby carrots. Finally, eating a vegetable!
2 Nina // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:45 am
My 5 year old is a great eater of fruits and veggies but horrible with the meat. I have encouraged healthy eating from the time he was little and always have fresh fruit for him. I get yelled at if I show up at the daycare and I don’t have his afternoon banana snack for the drive home.
3 Mary // Aug 30, 2008 at 11:06 am
Thanks for the reminder! You’re so right; my kids and my husband all get cranky if they’re hungry.
4 shannon // Aug 30, 2008 at 3:47 pm
The cranky part is so true! My oldest, when he start getting cranky, we make sure he eats (that kid is skinny and eats as much as a grown man!)
shannon
5 Stephanie // Aug 31, 2008 at 12:14 am
What great tips. We try not to keep anything sweet and unhealthy in our house.
6 Jennae @ Green Your Decor // Aug 31, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Only lately has my daughter been wanting sweet snacks like cookies and candy. But she also loves munching on baby carrots, strawberries and other fruit. She actually will munch on vegetables too, particularly broccoli. I wish I had her appetite myself
7 Janine // Sep 1, 2008 at 1:00 pm
This is so true and I keep forgetting it.
My kids love snacking on raisins and wheat crackers.
8 Tess // Sep 1, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Great tips- I need to get the junk food out and the healthy in!
9 Helene // Sep 1, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I’m slowly transitioning my kids over to healthier eating habits….buying more whole grain items, wheat bread and fruits/veggies, rather than junk food. I’m surprised how much they actually like the healthy stuff, which makes me feel better.
My kids’ favorite snacks these days tends to be mulitgrain tortilla chips with salsa or natural peanut butter with whole grain crackers.
10 Elle // Sep 2, 2008 at 7:32 am
J-Man won’t eat a fruit or vegetable to save his life. I’ve never met a more stubborn child. His sister Sissy loves all fruits and vegetables. I don’t get it.
11 Cathy // Sep 2, 2008 at 12:09 pm
My little one just loves green beans and corn . She can it all day. I used vegetable chips as a snack in the afternoon. I try to avoid giving her candies and other junk food.
Thanks this post. It’s very helpful.
12 Elizabeth Channel // Sep 3, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I have one who dips broccoli and carrots in ketchup. Not that I find that tasty, but whatever works!
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