Learn how to plan, prepare and choose snacks that everyone will enjoy!
Children spend a large part of their day at school. In this context, healthy snacks are important because they provide children with the energy and nutrients they need throughout the day in addition to being a main source of the essential vitamins and minerals they need to grow and develop.
Here are some tips to help you choose healthy snacks:
- Read labels and choose foods that have little or no added sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
- Make water your drink of choice. You can add fruits and herbs to your water for flavour. For example, blackberries and mint, raspberries and cucumber, strawberries and fresh basil, chopped apples and a cinnamon stick or pear slices and a drop of vanilla extract.
- Limit highly processed foods such as:
- jams and jellies
- desserts such as ice cream and chocolates
- salty snacks like potato chips and pretzels
- bakery products such as cookies and croissants
- sugary drinks like juice and sodas
- Prepare your own snacks, for example:
- Make muffins and store them in the freezer.
- Chop extra vegetables when cooking so you’ll have some for snacks.
- Hard-cook eggs on the weekend. They will keep for a week in the fridge with the shell on.
- Among the snacks that are easy to put in the lunch box:
- oranges, bananas and plums are examples of fruit that come in their own natural packaging that makes them easy to transport
- cut vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, celery and peppers, which you can store in the refrigerator and bring along in a reusable container
Looking for healthy and delicious snack or meal ideas? Let us help you! Visit the Food Guide Kitchen regularly for tasty, healthy and easy-to-prepare recipes.
For more information, please read Healthy eating at school.
