{"id":9987,"date":"2014-02-12T20:39:06","date_gmt":"2014-02-12T20:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nutritionknowhow.org\/blog\/?p=9987"},"modified":"2014-03-17T19:35:37","modified_gmt":"2014-03-17T19:35:37","slug":"snacking-for-kids-on-the-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nutritionknowhow.org\/blog\/e\/snacking-for-kids-on-the-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Snacking for Kids on the Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As a child I remember not being able to eat in my parents\u2019 cars.\u00a0 We lived in a small town so it only took a few minutes to get around.\u00a0 Plus, I don\u2019t think we were as fully scheduled as kids and families are today, so our time in the car was minimal.\u00a0 Well times have changed and I\u2019m sure my mom cringes when she gets in my car and sees all the food debris. \u00a0The older my kids get the more time we spend in the car eating snacks and meals in between activities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As a mom it didn\u2019t take long for me to realize what a large role snacking plays in our lives.\u00a0 Without snacks in between meals my kids quickly turn cranky and irritable.\u00a0 It is recommended that children have at least 2 snacks a day between meals.\u00a0 Nutritious snacks help provide much needed nutrients often low in children, calcium, vitamin D, fiber, and potassium.\u00a0 Snacks help children learn and behave better.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With some pre-planning healthy snacking can be convenient, tasty, and easy.\u00a0 Here are 5 simple steps to successful snacking on the go:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Involve your kids in selecting and preparing healthy snacks. <\/b>\u00a0Letting them be involved in a simple task such as sprinkle granola on yogurt or picking out what color of apple they want to eat will significantly increase the likelihood that they will eat it.<\/p>\n

2. Take time one day a week to prep and divide food into snack size portions<\/b>. Use baggies, cups, or re-usable plastic containers to make the snacks easy to grab and go.\u00a0 This also helps children learn appropriate portion sizes.<\/p>\n

3. Use snacks to improve your child\u2019s overall diet.\u00a0 <\/b>Snacks can be thought of as mini meals that provide nutrients to help your children grow and thrive.\u00a0 <\/b>Try to limit foods that <\/b>provide only empty calories and little nutrients such as chips and pop.<\/p>\n

4. Choose snacks that contain 2-3 of the 5 different food groups<\/b>: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, and Dairy.\u00a0 Some of my favorite kid approved grab and go snacks that contain 2-3 different food groups:<\/p>\n