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Now that you’ve heard you should be feeding your kids real foods, what kinds of real foods are actually “kid friendly?” I spend a lot of time putting together realistic meal plans and brainstorming snack ideas for kids to show parents and kids that they don’t need to rely on high-sugar, pre-packaged foods. A recent study showed the detrimental effects of eating a SAD (Standard American Diet) on childrens’ brains. Kids who ate diets high in sugary, processed foods and unhealthy fats before the age of three, had a lower IQ at age 8 ½ when compared to children who ate healthier foods. It’s important to get kids on the healthy eating track at a young age! I hope you can benefit from the ideas I’ve put together here, and if you need individualization for your own family, feel free to contact me to discuss further.

Let’s talk about snack options; INSTEAD of teddy grahams and fruit snacks (100%carbohydrate = 100%sugar.) The goal for all snacks (and meals) is to incorporate a mixture of protein, healthy fat and nutrient dense carbohydrates. Easy snack protein sources include hard boiled eggs, lunch meats, tuna fish, or a whey protein powder. Healthy sources of fat include nuts, seeds, cheese and avocado. The best carbohydrate options are vegetables and fruits, which happen to be portable for convenience. (No excuses!)

Start by selecting an option from each category, put them all together and you’ve got a healthy snack. Then, as you get comfortable with the combinations of “PFC,” you can begin to get creative.

Here are six simple snack ideas:

  • A basic, portable option is a couple ounces of cut up pieces of lunch meat (protein) with a couple ounces of cheese (fat) and half a banana (carbohydrate).
  • Another simple, portable option is cottage cheese (protein) with blueberries (carbohydrates) and sunflower seeds (fat). Use the berries and seeds as toppings!
  • “Ants on a log” (celery, natural peanut butter and raisins) makes for a traditional, kid-friendly and balanced snack once you add in a protein source, such as a hard boiled egg or lunch meat.
  • A healthy alternative to sugar-laden yogurts (targeted at kids, of course) is plain, full fat Greek yogurt. This contains protein, carbohydrate and healthy fat, making it a balanced snack alone. Because we’re used to sugary yogurt, sometimes kids (and adults) like to sweeten it. You can use Dynamic Fruits & Greens, which is full of antioxidants, probiotics, fiber and a touch of stevia (a safe, plant based sweetener) for a flavor. One scoop is equivalent to 20 servings of fruits and vegetables, so they will be getting a big nutritional punch in addition to the fruit punch flavor. (See what I did there?) The yogurt + Dynamic Greens makes for an easy snack at home, or can be packed in school lunches if you portion and mix together a half or full cup of the yogurt and a half to full scoop of your greens in a portable container.
  • Another idea using meat as your protein source is to spread some full fat cream cheese onto a big piece of lettuce, add your slices of meat and roll it up around a pickle. It’s balanced and (surprisingly or not,) many kids go for it.
  • How about tuna or egg salad? If using a real, organic mayonnaise (ingredients: eggs, vinegar and water – I like this one from Trader Joe’s) then it is a healthy fat choice. Combine your tuna or chopped egg (protein) with the mayonnaise (healthy fat) and add some chopped celery, grapes or craisins (carbohydrates) and you’ve got a tasty salad that kids enjoy!
  • Smoothies are another kid-friendly option that you can jam pack full of nutrition, and they can be portable too! Make one of these, dump it into your kid’s cup (instead of juice!) and take it to-go! I recommend blending some carbohydrate (half of fresh or frozen banana or berries and half cup of spinach!) and healthy fat (1-2 tablespoons peanut butter to complement that banana or half an avocado blends in very nicely) and half a scoop (equivalent to about 10 grams of protein) of natural whey protein powder. Adding a half or full scoop of the Dynamic Kids’ powder will add flavor and nutrition, and you can also add in their teaspoon of liquid fish oil and powdered multivitamin to get a majority of their daily nutrition needs all in one sitting. Check out my Balanced Smoothie post for more ideas.

As you can see, it does take planning and preparation to provide nutritious meals and snacks for kids, but it’s so worth it. I know life gets busy and it’s not always realistic to have the perfect snack ready to be consumed at the moment your child is hungry. Rest assured knowing that it’s not going to kill a kid to have fruit snacks and french fries every now and then, but I think it’s important to know these are treats to be consumed on occasion and not a staple of everyday nutrition (or lack thereof). Try working some of these ideas into your kids’ daily regimen and encourage them to eat real, whole foods! And, if you missed it, check out Real Food for Real Kids (Beyond Fruit Snacks and Chicken Nuggets). And of course, get in touch with me if you have any questions or for individualized help for picky children.

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