Healthy Snacking For Kids

It is never easy to run the fine balance between great taste, good health and visual appeal, more so if the customer is a child. Adults can be told about health benefits of certain foods, but a horde of hungry kids will not listen to this voice of wisdom. For them, health, calories, fiber and nutrition are the last considerations when they need to eat. So what's to be done about teaching them healthy eating styles? The oft touted idiom that good habits should be formed early falls flat here, when is the early that is referred to? Teenage, pre- teens? How can you persuade an eight year old to eat a stick of celery when she would much rather have fries? Well, there is a way, make the stick of celery as attractive as a French (!) fry. A good way to do is to make an accompanying dip with low fat cheese, a dash of paprika and half a teaspoon of garlic flakes (or powder). Then even sticks of carrots, broccoli flowers, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini or mushroom slices can be downed without too much trouble. Convincing youngsters to eat fresh fruits may be an onerous task, but made into smoothies with low fat yogurt, nuts and a combination of fruits will always go down well.

Fresh fruits also taste very good with dips that go with the fruit. For instance, a dip made by blending together cottage cheese, cinnamon powdered, and a tablespoon of skimmed milk is an excellent idea for accompanying a variety of sliced fruit - pears and apples, to name a few. A caramelized banana or a banana fritter will also make an excellent accompaniment to this dip. This specially if the dip is chilled for a while before serving, because then it tastes divine with hot and crisp caramelized banana fritters.

The power to take decisions is a very important part of growing up. Allowing the kids to choose what they want to have, out of a list laid down by you will get you two pronged success, the kid eats well, and also feels he or she actually took the decision. A great recipe for his exercise in freedom of choice is layered delight. You can offer to have a tortilla, a slice of full grain bread, a khoboos (a Lebanese corn bread), or even a naan roti (from an Asian store). The next set of choices will be the spread on the base. It could be low fat cheese, low fat cream or plain olive oil drizzle. You could also offer mashed up cottage cheese or hung yogurt from low fat yogurt (low fat yogurt pressed by hanging up in a cloth to drain out all liquid - an excellent spread, tasty and very healthy). After this comes on a layer of fresh lettuce (sorry, no choice on this one), then the next choice is between a mixture of diced smoked chicken, shredded carrots and nuts combination, or a turkey mince with tossed green peas or beans with raisins combination to spread onto the bed of lettuce. The whole thing can then be rolled up into a kind of roll available everywhere in the Asian countries, making a whole meal out of a snack..full of choices. You can choose to name it, better still, let the youngster do the naming...and then come up with possibilities of filling combinations. But remember, no white bread base, fatty cheese or mayo spreading and no red meat or mincemeat inside. Tortillas, cut into little triangles are very interesting for kids, and this interest is best encouraged because tortillas fill up the little tummy, satisfy an after-school appetite but do not weigh down the system, because they are easily digestible.

Tomato ketchup never fails to do the trick. You could use old slices of whole wheat bread for an interesting tomato stick snack. Cut the bread into about three quarters of an inch square fingers, brush with olive oil and tomato ketchup. Dust with a bit of oregano or basil and bake lightly, till crispy. These sticks can be refrigerated after cooling, and then popped into the microwave or even an ordinary over just before pangs-time.

For slightly elder children, Soya nuts are a very healthy alternative to greasy nut sacks. Roasted walnuts, soy nuts, raisins, dates, and almonds when roasted together, make an excellent little bowl to dip into, without worrying about calories, fat and whatnot. Soy nuts, remember, are one of the healthiest food known to humankind.

For add excitement, try skewering together interesting combinations of fruits and cheeses. A good combination can be pineapple, chicken chunks and mozzarella, or try grapes, a cube of cheddar and apples. These can be skewered together on toothpicks or longer sticks...the possibilities are endless and so are the taste combinations.

The most important ingredient of a great snack is your imagination, creativity and the child's involvement in preparation. It is a great idea to get the youngsters to decide what they want, but the options need to be well thought of...then any choice is great choice. But the bottom-line is - snack healthy, stay fit. Something every child should learn in the crib itself.