Tweens are snackers, but they don't have to reach for the bag of chips every time. Sometimes parents assume that preteens will reject healthy foods. But any food that's tasty will appeal to tweens, or anybody for that matter. It's all about presentation and taste. What healthy snacks can you get your tweens to eat? Read what healthy snacks other parents find successful with their children, and tell us your favorite healthy snacks for kids. Share Your Food Ideas
Healthy and Quick Snacks for Kids
- The right time for healthy snacks is often the time after school, in the evenings, when kids are hungry and the body demands energy and nutrition. But if you indulge in preparing exhaustive and tedious varieties, that consume time to prepare, your kid will look for other simpler options like biscuits and wafers. Hence, just like it is important to prepare nutritious snacks, it is also important to do it quickly.
- —Guest MediManage
Sugar Snap Peas, aka "Crunchy Beans"
- My kids love raw snap peas, with or without dip. They also love edamame (soybeans, boiled in the pod and then dusted with salt).
- —Guest catherine
The World of Food Possibilities
- Food is so fundamental. The best snacks are always the simplest ones. By choosing food that is as close to how it was grown, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, you create comfort foods that are real, rather than synthetic. The delightful part comes when you turn those colorful, fresh, juicy snack foods into teachable moments by slicing the apple to see the star in the center or counting green and purple grapes or choosing green, red and yellow peppers to slice into halves, then fourths...the choices are as delicious as they are endless.
- —Guest Sharon
Wrap It Up!
- My 8-year-old loves warmed cheddar cheese tortilla wraps. Take some shredded low-fat cheddar, put it in low-fat flour tortillas and zap it for a minute in the microwave. Serve with mild salsa for a little extra flavor. Yum!
- —Guest Katherine
Frozen Home-Made Yogurt, Fruit and PB J
- We freeze organic yogurt in Popsicle trays, and add fresh berries to the middle. It freezes really well, and doesn't have all the coloring and junk in some of the kid yogurt products. We also like celery and apple slices coated with Peanut Butter.
- —Guest M M
Pita and Hummus
- My kids adore hummus and pita bread - especially the stuff from Trader Joe's! Lemony, garlicky, yum. And fruit, of course...
- —parentingyoungadults
Fruits and Low-Fat Cheeses
- We love grapes and low-fat cheeses as a snack. We also like fruit yogurts and natural freeze-dried fruits. When we're craving salty snacks, we go for whole wheat crackers instead of potato chips. There are so many good brands out there now that you don't have to feel like you're eating cardboard. I like the whole wheat crackers better than regular crackers now!
- —Guest Apryl
