7 Days a Week: Healthy Snacks for Children

Children need to eat healthy snacks throughout the day. Trying to think of creative ways to feed your child the same healthy foods is a big challenge. Here are snack ideas for every day this week that will keep your kid coming back for more.

Sunday- Snack Kebobs. Cube low fat cheese and wash some grapes. Alternate the grapes and cheese on the kebob. You can use any type of fruit with this snack. The children will love the fact that they have to play with their food by taking it off the kabob before they eat.

Monday- Fruit and Cereal. Whole-grain cereal, low fat milk, and your child's favorite fruits are all that make up this easy to make snack. Try using strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and other type of berries for a "Berry Crunch" cereal snack. Cube Granny Smith apples, Fuji apples, and Red Delicious apples for an "Apple Explosion" cereal. Use your imagination and have fun creating.

Tuesday- Pear slices and low fat cheese. You can mix any combination of fruit and cheese to make this snack. A spin off of peaches and cottage cheese this snack offers a new age twist to an old favorite. Slices of cheese, cubed cheese, string cheese, any kind of cheese will work. Oranges, bananas, or plums also work well.

Wednesday- Fruit Shake. Yum! Take your favorite fruit. Deseed and peal the fruit if necessary. Cut up the fruit and place in a blender with plain low fat yogurt. Whirl the mixture together and pour in glasses. You have yourself a healthy and yummy fruit shake.

Thursday- Sweet Potato. Bake a sweet potato in the microwave until done. Cut the potato in half and add your child's favorite toppings. You can use salsa, low fat sour cream, low fat cheese, or anything else healthy to top your sweet potato with. These can be kind of big for smaller children so think about halving the sweet potato.

Friday- Vegetable Plate. Cut up some tomato, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, and green bell peppers. Make a delicious veggie plate that your children cannot resist. Offer low fat version of your child's favorite dressing to dip the veggies. Try making a face or a picture out of the veggies before serving them to your child.

Saturday- Celery and peanut butter. Cut pieces of celery and let your children dip it in peanut butter. You could even do the old favorite ants on a log and add raisins to the top. Try using cream cheese for the celery if your child doesn't like peanut butter or is allergic to peanuts.

What's good for your children to eat is also going to be beneficial to you as well. When you are making a snack for the kids be sure to set some aside for you as well. Try to stay away from foods that are high in fat and sodium. Eating food in between meals is very important to not just children. There are benefits that come from eating small healthy snacks in between our 3 large meals each day.

- Promote Learning. Having a snack will help your child learn and boost their memory.
- Stops Overeating. Providing yourself or your children with snacks will stop overeating at dinner and other meals.
- Fuel Growth. Healthy snacks have calories and nutrients that our kids need to fuel their growth.

Want to become healthier with your children? Check out www.mypyramid.gov for fun games that teach you how to eat healthier and be active.