Despite being just as important as the rest of the meals our children make during the day, the snack is perhaps one of the most neglected. The rush to prepare something fast before going to look for children at school, along with the lack of creativity can sometimes lead us to resort to processed foods, highly sugary and not healthy for children.
As we did a few days ago sharing with you healthy breakfast proposals, this time we wanted to talk with the nutritionist and dietitian Luis Alberto Zamora (which we can also see in the TV show "Better eat") about healthy, delicious and easy to prepare alternatives to enjoy with our children a rich outdoor snack at the exit of the school.
Monday, milk and fruit
What better snack is there for a kid than a glass of milk and a piece of fruit? A quick snack, easy to prepare and perfect to consume anywhere.
Luis proposes us incorporate fruits such as persimmon into the diet, because of its sweet taste and fleshy texture, children often like it, in addition to containing multiple properties, vitamins, fiber and help increase iron absorption.
Further, the nutritionist encourages us to sprinkle a little cinnamon of the Ceylan variety to give the persimmon a different and original touch. But he insists that it is this variety, since it has a lower concentration of coumarin, a compound potentially toxic to the liver when consumed in excess.
As for milk, the nutritionist emphasizes the importance of this food in the daily diet of children:
"It does not generate mucus, nor is it unnatural. As one great nutrition researcher said at a conference I attended: there is not a glass of anything that provides as many nutrients as a glass of milk".
Tuesday, yogurt, nuts and chocolate
Natural yogurt, without artificial sweetening, can become a excellent resource to combine with nuts and chocolate containing more than 75% cocoa. An idea of a healthy snack and that children will also like very much.
Luis advises us to instill in our children the habit of consuming raw or roasted nuts without salt, since they are rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids. But remember that younger children the nuts must always be ground and not whole, since according to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, whole nuts are one of the main causes of choking in children under six years.
In addition to ground nuts, we can incorporate dark chocolate with more than 75% cocoa into yogurt, another very healthy food since it contains all the properties of cocoa and very little sugar in its composition.
Wednesday, homemade cookies and fruit juice
And if we like pastries, we can prepare our children some tasty cookies without oatmeal and banana, rich in fiber and vitamins.
Luis proposes to accompany these cookies with a glass of homemade orange juice, but reminds us that this option must be something exceptional and not the usual norm, since even if it is homemade, the juice contains a high sugar content, so it should not become an alternative to which we resort frequently.
Thursday, grapes with cheese
Maybe on occasion we wanted to snack "pecking" and we have not come up with healthy alternatives to offer children. Luis offers us a special snack that is also a delight for the palate: cheese skewers.
We can use fresh cheese or type "Burgos" and Grapes of different colors but without seeds. If the child is less than six years old, it is recommended that we modify the size of the grape, splitting it into two, three, or four pieces, depending on their age, in order to avoid the risk of choking.
And if we like it, we can also accompany our homemade skewers with whole wheat bread.
Friday, sandwich and homemade smoothie
And if we want to choose to offer our son a sandwich, the nutritionist advises us to consider two things:
Always use whole grain or whole grain bread.
Lend special attention to what we put inside the sandwich, because it is not worth anything.
How healthy filling options, Luis recommends us to resort to vegetable pate such as hummus, smoked salmon or peppers with tuna, for just a few examples.
In addition, occasionally we can accompany the sandwich of a rich homemade fruit smoothie made with apple, pear and pure defatted cocoa. Who can resist this delicious combination of flavors?
To consider…
The nutritionist reminds us that the snack is a meal as important as any other and that, therefore, we must plan with the same attention and time, without neglecting the main recommendations of child nutrition- Avoid added sugars: Remember that the WHO (World Health Organization) in its call to reduce sugar consumption refers to added sugars, not those that naturally contain foods such as fruits, vegetables or nuts, for example.
But, How can we know if sugars are added or naturally present in the food? Luis advises us to look at the product label, specifically in the list of ingredients. If the word "sugar", "glucose", "glucose syrup", or some "syrup" appears, we will be talking about added sugars.
- Promote the consumption of natural foods, unlabeled and unprocessed. In this way, we will be bringing new and natural flavors to the child, inhabiting his palate at this key stage of his life, and educating him in a healthy diet for his future.
Therefore, and as we mentioned above, in early childhood it is time to instill certain eating habits such as the introduction of nuts in the diet, vegetables, fruits, legumes or pure cocoa, for example.
- Chew well and slowly at all meals. Luis insists that it is very necessary to instill in our children the importance of spending time to eat quietly, sitting, enjoying food and chewing conscientiously.
"It is necessary to devote time both to prepare the snack, and to consume it. They do not have to be in a hurry to go play and we must teach the children to chew calmly and then continue with their activities. This will prevent them from future digestive problems." - says the nutritionist.
Photos via iStock
Acknowledgments Luis Alberto Zamora
In Vitónica Cookies of oatmeal, banana and almonds. Healthy recipe
Live to the Palate How to make Hummus. Quick and easy recipe
In Babies and More Without pastries or industrial cereals: healthy breakfast proposals for children, Child Nutrition
