Sensible Snacking for Children (2024)

FAQs

What does sensible snacking mean? ›

Snacks should be calorie controlled, nutrient dense, appetizing, and filling. When preparing your snacks for home, work, or on-the-go, try to pick the healthier option that will keep you fuller longer.

Healthy snacks help manage kids' hunger and boost nutrition. Snacks can keep them from getting so hungry that they get cranky. Snacks may help prevent overeating at meals. And for picky eaters of all ages, snacks are a chance to add more nutrients to their diets.

A good rule of thumb is to offer snacks a few hours after one meal ends and about one to two hours before the next meal begins. Postponing snacks until a few hours after a meal helps prevent kids from refusing food at a meal and then begging for more food as a "snack" just after the meal ends.

Examples include yogurt, fruits, and raw vegetables. Opting for healthful snacks can provide a variety of benefits, such as boosting the overal intake of nutrition if a child is not consuming enough vitamins in their main meals.

"Sensible eating is an effort to eat healthier by making small, manageable changes over time rather than making many big changes all at once," said Monica Garvey, RD, LDN, CNSC, a clinical dietitian at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "It doesn't have any strict diet plans or rigid menus like many fad diets.

"Sensible" eating means making smart and thoughtful choices about the food you eat. It's about finding a balance and being aware of what and how much you eat. Sensible eating involves picking foods that are good for you, like fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats.

Feeding. Give your child something to eat or drink about every 2 to 3 hours, or about 5 or 6 times a day. This will give your child about 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks every day.

“Kids have small stomachs and need to eat very often — like at least every three hours. And if you're in the toddler years, or in growth spurt periods, maybe like every 90 minutes.” So kids do need to snack — they're not just trying to drive you crazy.

Kids need a lot of carbohydrates (quick energy fix) so it makes sense that you may see your child love foods like breads, biscuits or fruit. Babies and young kids also have small stomachs, so offering multiple eating opportunities and snacks per day is helpful to help them achieve their nutrient needs for growth.

Some ways that snacks can be beneficial in a diet are: they can increase nutrient intake, sustain energy levels, help the body recover from exercise and give individuals plenty of healthy options.

What is the guidance on snacks for children? ›

Fruit and veg snacks are always the best choice, but if the kids are having packaged snacks, just remember to aim for 2 a day max.

Foods with added sugars, low-calorie sweeteners, or no-calorie sweeteners are not recommended. Foods with added sugars can include muffins, flavored yogurts, or cookies. Children younger than 24 months old should avoid added sugars. Check the Nutrition Facts Label to find foods with no added sugars.

Having a familiar/enjoyable dip such as ranch dressing, hummus, yogurt, or peanut butter to dip novel or non-preferred veggies (carrot sticks, pepper sticks, cucumbers, pretzels etc.) or fruits (apple slices, banana slices, pears) into can increase a picky eater's repertoire of fruits and veggies.

A snacc is internet slang for an extremely attractive or sexy person (i.e., you want to gobble them up like a snack). It's also internet slang used when cute animals are seeking or enjoying a snack.

Dinner should be a 500-calorie, “sensible” meal that includes veggies, a lean meat and whole grains. Snacks are essential and usually consist of fruit or veggies, which you may sometimes pair with a snack bar.

Snacking is a normal part of eating; yet, if you find yourself snacking constantly it may be a sign that you're not eating enough at meals, you're eating emotionally, or you're not getting enough sleep. Learn why you may be snacking so much and how to stop constantly snacking.

Snacking refers to consuming small, often quick bites of food between regular meals. It can also be considered a light quick, hurried meal. These mini-meals are usually smaller than main meals, and they serve to provide a bridge between periods of more substantial eating.