Healthy Snacking

"If you are what you eat then I am fast, cheap and easy."


If your kids are like mine, they always want a snack. Usually I let them get whatever they want in the pantry. Sometimes, though, I try to give them good snacks. A couple of articles on Lifehacker caught my eye.

We tend to believe the marketing when the box of dried fruit says it's healthy. Fruit is healthy, right? A lot of foods sell themselves as healthy when they really aren't that healthy. This article lists five snacks that aren't as healthy as you would think.

But eating those snacks packs on the calories if the kids eat enough of them. Then they need to burn off some calories. What seems to be a good idea is to eat a snack that burns more calories than it gives. This article points to several that fit that bill. The Wikipedia article that it is based on is found here. It is disputed, however, so be careful. If you use any of these foods for snacks, use them as healthy fillers and not necessarily because you think they may burn more calories than they give.

In the end, we need to instill healthy habits in our kids. If they choose fruit more often than cookies, we are doing a good job. And remember that healthy eating isn't just for snacks. We need to keep an eye on what's going down at meal time, too.

What do you use for good snacks? How do you try to instill healthy eating habits?