What are some good snack/meal choices for children?

Question

After reading this article http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1823509,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-healthsci

I am confused!

What are "good" foods!?! I have a 22 month old and a 4 year old.

Answer 1

fruit

Answer 2

A. It was a study done by Canadians persecuting American health standards. I'd be concerned as to whether the article was slightly biased.

B. 'good' snack foods are things that are as close to being all natural as possible. The more PROCESSED a food is, the less nutrition it usually has. And foods that are fortified aren't as healthy as they sound, because the body does not absorb vitamins from artificially fortified sources as well as it does from natural sources (ie you will be better off eating a Banana than taking a Potassium pill).

So if you're trying to save time and dont want to cut up apples for a snack so you go out and get some of those pre-sliced ones in the bag, you'll notice a difference in taste and color. They use preservatives to keep those apples looking pretty, so that would be a bad choice. Chewy bars have chocolate chips in them, so even if the granola part is healthy, it's still got chocolate in it. Those 'fruit snacks' like Fruit Roll Ups or Gushers are all pure sugar, obviously. I wouldnt give my 4 1/2 year old any of those.

But goldfish crackers for a snack or waffles for breakfast every now and then? Why not? As long as they're eating balanced meals most of the time, they don't need to be health freaks as toddlers. They'll grow up weird and unable to cope with television food advertising and school cafeteria food.

Answer 3

Check out this link on this exact topic: http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_WhatsToEa...

Answer 4

Fruits are really good. My son will pick fruit over even ice cream . What i did was give him choices and he picks fruits now. They thing is he is only 4. But grahm crackers with peanut butter and applesauce is always good.

Answer 5

Most non-processed or prepackaged foods. If you stick to whole fruits, veggies, meats, and whole grains then you shouldn't have a problem. Same as eating out at fast food places or restaurants, they load the food up with fat and salt so it keeps people coming back.

Answer 6

fruit and veggies!??

Answer 7

OK go organic for your snacks yea its a bit more $$ but soooo worth it for healthy alternatives for the kids. Also READ LABLES while shopping, ask your hubby to watch the kids while you go and just take your time. Stock up on fruits, veggies and wash everything except rapsberries and mushrooms before storing them as they get waterlogged. My girls love, fruit and cheese platters, or fruit and peanutbutter dip, Veggies and sour cream onion dip" onions soup mix and sour cream" Stove prepared popcorn with a little bit of salt and nutritional Yeast. Dont be afraid to sneak veggies in your dinners too, like pasta sauces, meatloaf, meatballs or burger patties just chop super fine and add to the meat mixture. Good luck and  remember to read carefully