Kids and Snacks

Feeding kids can be hard, pickiness and growth spurts are just a couple things that can be challenging.

One thing that is crucial (for adults too 😉) if you are finding your kids eating/snacking all the time is look at what they are consuming.

Make sure each meal/snack has adequate protein, ideally carb, fat, protein. This will help the meal/snack “stick” and create satiety. 

The carb heaviness also can create a blood sugar roller coaster which for someone young can express itself as behavior issues.

Also, this frequent snacking means they are less likely to eat well at mealtimes where the nutrient density is often greater. Make the snacks have nutrient density too!

Some of these snack ideas aren’t meant to be perfect, but try to grab the concept of carb with protein and some fat. I love making a homemade snack mix with popcorn, nuts/seeds, dried fruit (no sugar added, I love grabbing from nuts.com), chocolate candies (Real brand is great). Often our go to’s are the Go Macro Bars, we stock up on sale times. 

I try to aim for quality ingredients, organic, grass-fed, no food dye, no seed oils when possible. Costco and Trader Joe’s is where I grab a lot of our snack options.

When the kids just want cereal they know they need a little protein, like a beef stick, cold meat or beef jerky. This combo works well for us as they then can get what they want, but compromise with the protein option! This tactic is key for us!