There are a few tried and tested shopping tips of snacking items that you should follow in general to make sure that you stock only healthy eating ingredients in your kitchen or your office pantry.
When you visit a grocery store physically make sure that you look at the outer edges of it more than the center. This is because most of the healthy snacking items are typically found at the perimeter of the store rather than in the center aisles. These specific portions of the store are normally filled with packaged and processed foods that are in no way good for your health.
On the other hand, at the perimeter of most of the grocery stores you will find:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Different dairy products
- A wide variety of fish and poultry items and
- Whole grain pieces of bread.
In addition to that, you will also find a few other things in the freezer section such as frozen fruits and vegetables.
However, this does not mean you will avoid the center aisles completely. You can visit these sections to buy oils, spices, and whole grains such as rolled oats, whole wheat bread or pasta, brown rice, and more.
Variety for the kids
More than the adults, kids are fussier about snacks. They will do everything and make all sorts of innovative excuses, thanks to the higher IQ of modern kids! In order to make them literally ‘eat’ their snacks, you will not only have to bring a variety in your cooking but you must add a lot of variety in the snacking items that you want to stock in your home for your kids.
- As for cooking, you can make a whole grain pasta taste a lot better for them by being innovative to add a dash of tomato sauce, preferably homemade.
- You may also make black bean quesadilla quickly and easily on a whole wheat flour tortilla.
All these recipes will turn out to be the go-to or like-to-have meals for your kids. Of course, there are hundreds of other recipes that you can make at home and avoid a trip to the grocery shop.
When you shop for your kids’ snacks from a grocery store make sure that you once again visit the perimeter of the store and look for food items that are rich in protein and fibre. Select the items in such a way so that you can create different combinations in making snacks that will be interesting to your kids and they will lobe to have more of it without knowing that they are providing their body with the desired protein and fibre that they detest.
A few combinations that you can try out include:
- Pear slices with low-fat cheese
- Fruits and nuts dipped in low-fat yogurt
- A trail mix of without added sugars dried fruits and nuts, whole grain pretzels and dry cereal with low sugar
- Nuts and raisins
- Low sodium sliced turkey breast wrapped around apple slices
- Baked tortilla chips immersed in salsa
- Roasted chickpeas
- Celery sticks packed with almond butter and speckled with chopped pistachios and dried cranberries.
These food items will not only be filling and sustaining but will also add to the quality of their snacks.
Smart snacking tips
Snacking at the wrong time with the wrong type of food will spoil the appetite. If taken correctly, snacks will play an important role in the hunger management and boosting nutrition in your kids. This will even out sudden hunger spikes and provide the just the required amount of energy boost between two meals. Smart snacking involves:
- Right food
- Right combination
- Right amount and
- Right time.
A proper plan for snacking will make sure that your kids are not so hungry so that they become cranky if they are too young. And as for the older kids, proper snacking will prevent them from overeating especially during large meals.
This applies to people of all ages especially those who are picky eaters. Ideally, snacks should act as insurance to them that will provide the ‘coverage’ of all necessary nutrients through this ‘policy.’
Summing it up
When it comes to kids’ snacking and planning, it may seem that providing them with a cupcake an hour before dinner will prevent early dinner but that can have an adverse effect later in the night. If it becomes a habit, it will have a negative impact in the long term.
Ideally, while planning your kids’ snacks, you should consider two basic features: the nutrition factor and the time. The best snacks for kids should ideally be low in fat, sugar, and salt but rich in fibre and protein. The portion size and time should not affect the next scheduled meal. There is no alternative to a structured meal and snack schedule.
Cook more if you can
As and when you can you should try to cook more. Make sure you cook in advance. This will not only save your time but will also save your money. Cooking your food is often gratifying and pleasure giving.
- If you cannot find time to cook in the weekdays, make a point that you make your snacks at home in at least one of the weekend days, if not both.
- As on weekdays, try to cook in the evening and make a little bit extra so that you can freeze it or set aside for your snacks the next day.
If you are cooking your meal, challenge yourself and come up with two or three items that you can cook together and freeze so that you do not have to run to the store often or order snacks online. Use all the things available in your freezer, pantry and spice rack to ensure that these are used up fresh and not old stock. This will ensure good health as well as the taste of your food.
Therefore, eating and snacking healthy is not a difficult task at all. All you need is to shop, cook and eat according to a specific plan.