Kids love snacking! In fact, most medical professionals recommend two to 3 balanced snacks per day for growing children for many reasons. Firstly, healthy snacks play an essential role in meeting a child’s daily nutritional needs. Why? Because small children have still growing stomachs that can’t necessarily consume and digest the same amounts of food at a meal as adults can. This means they often eat less at meal times. So snacking becomes a vital part of supplementing the daily caloric requirements for what the kids don’t eat during main meals.

Here are a few healthy, satisfying, and nutritionally-fuelled snacks for kids:

1. Health dips and chips
Most kids not only love a colorful snack, they love a snack they can dip! Try cutting up a colorful array of veggies (i.e., bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and grape tomatoes) and serve them alongside a zesty hummus or black bean salsa with baked whole wheat tortilla chips and pita. Both of these dips are bean or legume based (i.e., black beans and chickpeas), which means plenty of lean plant protein and fiber in each bite. 

2.  Oat and trail mix bites
Oats are loaded with plenty of fiber, and because oatmeal is whole grain, this is a snack that will keep kids satisfied and energized between main meals. Plus, you can utilize oats as your main base for baked goods (i.e., cookies, muffins, and bars) as a healthier option compared to refined white flour. Mix your oats with a natural nut butter (i.e., almond or peanut) and add applesauce, dried fruits, nuts, and coconut for a well rounded snack that’s portable. 

3. Fruity smoothies
Fruit smoothies make a great quick meal or snack when you’re rushing out the door to school or soccer practice. And don’t dare tell the kids but you can actually sneak quite a few healthy ingredients into your smoothie blend without them even knowing (i.e., spinach, carrots, berries, banana, coconut oil, chia seeds, etc.). 

4. Ants on a log
Kids love a snack that has some creativity to it, and ants on a log are a fun little snack that you can enlist little hands to help make. Start with celery sticks and smear a bit of all natural almond, cashew, or peanut butter right there in the middle. Then sprinkle raisins overtop for a naturally sweet and fiber and potassium filled snack that the kids will just gobble up.