Healthy Snacks

With an increasing number of junk foods on the market, children are bombarded left, right, and centre with goods crammed full of refined sugars, phosphoric acid (cola drinks), excessive amounts of salt, monosodium glutamate (flavoured crisps), artificial sweetners and colourings - its no wonder that children today have many health issues and hyperactivity disorders.

Children are a true mirror to what we feed them. They will reflect back the quality of what food they have been given without fail - this is where the saying 'you are what you eat' really takes on its true meaning!

So what snacks are good? Obviously we do not want to remove their appetite for a good dinner however children have fast metabolisms and may need a few snacks inbetween meals to keep them going.

You can try any of the following and see whic work best with your children...

• Chopped fruit
• Nuts and seeds
• Dried fruit
• Vegetable sticks and dips (see recipe section of this blog)
• Lightly salted corn chips and dips
• Fruit smoothies
• Fruit and vegetable juices
• Oatcakes and pate
• Naturally sweetened sweets, carob bars and other childrens snacks from Health Food shops
• Rice/Corn cakes with peanut butter and jam and/or sliced bananas
• Fruit kebabs with Peanut butter toffee sauce
• Homemade dried fruit and nut cereral bars
• Homemade Polenta summer berry cake (recipe coming soon!)
• Homemade fruit jelly using agar agar
• Sourdough toast with tahini and sugar free fruit jam

etc etc etc. Be creative, see what works and what doesnt, experiment and try new products out. Start getting into the habit of first reading the ingredients list of supermarket bought snacks and also visit your local Health Food shop and be amazed by the wide variety of products on offer.

Happy snacking!