Healthy after-school snacks
Keen to have happier, calmer and more focused kids at the end of the day?
What we feed our kids can have a big impact on their mood, concentration and energy levels. Many snacks marketed for children are highly processed, lacking in nutrients and sometimes contain harmful additives, despite the fact that these foods are often promoted as “healthy” and “great for lunchboxes”. These snacks unfortunately don't fill our kids up and can cause blood sugar spikes, mood swings, lack of energy, poor concentration and general irritability.
A way to avoid this is to give kids a healthy, nourishing snack when they get home from school. The best snacks contain a mixture of protein, fruit and vegetables, healthy carbohydrates and good fats.
Whipping up a shared snack plate may not be an option for busy working parents or for children who go straight from school to sport or activities but I encourage my clients to try to include as many nutritious foods as possible in their children’s snacks. I also understand that parents may not have time to make bliss balls or cook muffins so I have included healthy snack options that are available from the supermarket.
The main elements of a healthy snack are:
🥚🧀 Protein – helps keep blood sugar levels (and mood!) stable; important for immunity, growth and cell repair.
Options: hard-boiled eggs, slices of roast chicken, bliss balls/protein balls, hummus, cheese, yoghurt, nuts and seeds.
🍎🥕 Fruit and vegetables – excellent source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Essential for healthy immunity, disease prevention and overall wellbeing.
Fruit options: apples, pears, oranges, mandarins, grapes, berries, melon (whatever is in season).
Vegetable options: carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber sticks, sliced capsicum, cherry tomatoes (tip: children are more likely to eat vegetables if they are served with a dip that they like).
🍚🥙 Healthy carbohydrates and fibre – carbohydrates are needed for energy and brain function; fibre helps us feel full for longer and is needed for healthy digestion and keeping our bowels regular.
Sources: bliss balls, wholegrain crackers, popcorn, mini muffins (sweet or savoury), omelette nori rolls (omelette rolled up in seaweed)
🥑🥜 Good fats – essential for brain health, energy, hormone production, immunity and skin health.
Sources: avocado, nuts and seeds (e.g. trail mix, bliss balls), eggs, tinned salmon (can be served on crackers or rice cakes).
Note: If you don’t have time to make your own bliss balls you could try Tom & Luke Snackaballs, Health Lab Protein Balls or Tasti Smooshed Wholefood Balls (all available from the supermarket)
If you would like to check if your child is on the right track in terms of their diet. I encourage you to take advantage of my free 15-minute discovery call offer, available via the website.