Snacks Parents Should Avoid Packing in Their Children's Bag

Snacks are an important part of children's diets. Snacks fuel the body to help it continue working throughout the day. Parents have varying definitions of what they consider a snack to be. Some parents believe a snack should be a handful of chopped fruits and dry cereal and others believe a snack should consist of a small cupcake and a juice box. So what exactly is a snack? Snacks are supposed to provide the body with nutrients to help fuel it. If the snack that you are giving your child does not provide any significant nutrient and is instead full of saturated and trans fats chances are that the snack is not a proper snack.

With the return of September, school will be right around the corner and parents will have to start packing lunch boxes again. If you want to provide your little one with a wholesome snack please check below at some of the snacks to avoid giving your child and the suggested healthier alternatives.

Chips are tasty but are often full of unnecessary trans and saturated fats. Chips are empty calories and do not provide the body with any fuel. A great alternative to chips would be Melba snacks made by the Old London company or Triscuit (reduced fat) made by Nabisco. If you must place chips in your child's bag you should go for the baked variety such as Baked Lays, Kettle Brand baked chips or even Pita Chips or Vegetable chips.

Cakes are scrumptious but often contain a tremendous amount of sugar, fats, and cholesterol. If you start feeding your children cakes for snacks at an early age they might develop unhealthy eating habits which will make them more susceptible to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Instead of placing cakes inside of your children's lunch boxes, try placing Graham crackers with banana or low fat/low sugar yogurt with diced fruit or raisins on the side.

Pre-packaged cookies and doughnuts have a significant amount of fat and trans fat in them for very small serving size. Instead of placing cookies in your child's lunch bag pack a whole wheat English muffin spread with jam or peanut butter. If your children really enjoy the occasional cookie in their lunch bag consider baking cookies from scratch. When you bake cookies from scratch you control the ingredients and can place healthier alternatives into the batter.

Candy Bars are high in fat and can wreak havoc on children's teeth. Avoid placing candy bars inside of your child's lunch bag. Candy bars (with the exception of raw dark chocolate) do not provide a significant amount of nutrients for your child. Instead of placing candy bars in your child's bag place homemade trail mix or granola inside. You can also consider packing certain granola bars in your child's bag. When purchasing granola bars make sure you read the nutritional information. Take a good look at the grams of sugar and if there are any trans fats in the bar. Z bars contain whole grains and 12 essential vitamins and minerals and are marketed towards children.

Soda is full of sugar and is one of the leading causes of tooth decay in children. Instead of placing a bottle of soda in your child's lunch bag place flavored water or juice prepared using a sugar free mix such as crystal light or diet Ice Tea. 100% fruit juice such as Juicy Juice juice boxes are okay for children as well.