Healthy Snacks for Preschoolers and Choosing the Right Foods to Improve Their Health

Making healthy snacks for preschoolers shouldn’t be as difficult as you think – not if you are creative and you don’t let yourself being bounded by strict rules and regulations. Sure, you probably associate healthy snacks with veggies and fruits and beans – but guess what? They can be so boring and plain. Not every kid wants to be stuffed with these foods, no matter how healthy they are. Creative moms are able to combine the ‘fun stuff’ with those healthy foods and turn them into something pleasing to the eyes. But what are they?

About the Healthy Snacks

Your preschoolers need something energizing and yet healthy enough to support their growth and health. At their age, they are still growing, so you want to make sure that they get enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. You also want to ensure that they have a balanced carbs, protein, and also fats.

The problem with kids is that they don’t understand the concept of living (and eating) healthily. In most cases, they don’t see healthy foods appealing. At the sight of fruits and veggies, kids tend to create their own barrier and refuse those foods. If you simply serve them a plate of a mashed potato, a boiled egg, and boiled broccoli, they would probably refuse. They may take the potato and egg only, while they don’t really enjoy broccoli – they may not eat it.

It is a good thing that there are creative and innovative healthy snack recipes for kids that include the healthy stuff without making them repulsive. The snacks are pretty healthy – and most importantly, they are tasty. There are some alternatives options that you can tweak if the main recipe doesn’t suit your needs.

The Options

Here are some of the easy healthy snacks for kids incorporating the things you can find in your daily life. The first option is the cereal – the whole grain type. Instead of choosing the chocolate one or the ones with too many sweets, why not trying the fruity loops type? If you want to create something tasty for your kids, a bowl of cereal won’t hurt them. If you choose the whole grain cereal that is packed with fiber, calcium, and vitamins, they will get all the important nutrients they need. It would be okay to combine the cereal with fruits and milk. It doesn’t contain a lot of sugar, so you don’t have to worry about the excessive calories. If you want to have an alternative option, you can mix cereal with yogurt (not using the milk) and then sprinkle it with dried strawberries. Your kids will love it!

Another alternative is the cheese. It shouldn’t be surprising if cheese is quite versatile – you can include it in the healthy snacks for preschoolers menu. This food is packed in protein and it is good to boost your kids energy level. You can make your own fruit and cheese combo on skewers. Cut the fruits with the cookie cutter and then mix it with the cheese. It is a high energy but healthy kabobs that your kids will welcome.

The next one is the smoothies. Yes, kids love smoothies because they mostly think that it is almost the same as the milkshake. After all, smoothies aren’t only designed for adults who want to lose weight. Moreover, these smoothies are coming in a form of shippable treat. They love it because they don’t really have to eat or chew on it. Making your own healthy and nutritious smoothies is easy. Feel free to use banana or orange juice or vanilla yogurt (the nonfat one) as the base. Then create your own version of healthy fruits. Instead of having to eat the fruits, most kids love to drink them. Who knows? Maybe you can create two fruits combination to include more fiber. It is also possible to mix fruit and veggies in these healthy snacks for preschoolers. Cooling them off will really pamper your kids.

Other Alternative Options

There are also other alternative options for these healthy snacks for preschoolers, such as:

• Baked goods. When you bake cookies or cakes, your kids won’t know what’s inside them. You can find such recipes as carrot cakes or zucchini muffins, or banana bread. Try them and your kids will enjoy their treats without knowing the healthy contents. 
• Yogurt. Choose the low fat one or the Greek yogurt. They are packed with calcium and also protein. Have you tried making a fruit yogurt lollipop? It’s like the ice cream but with the healthier value. If you want to, you can have a bowl of yogurt parfait mixed with granola and berries. 
• Sweet potatoes. If your kids are into chips so much, why not making one yourself? You can make it from the sweet potatoes because they have the natural sweetness that potatoes don’t have. Try it. Who knows? Your kids will definitely love it and they may help you in your next project making the chips. 
• Peanut butter. It is packed with fiber and protein. If your kids are bored with the regular serving, try the rice cake or mini toasted waffles. They are great alternatives for the bread. Don’t forget that peanut butter is super flexible. You can also freeze it, if you want to. Combine it with raspberries and yogurt (and peanut butter, of course), and make it look like a lollipop. After you freeze it, your kids will love this kind of new treat. 

Those are some of the examples of the healthy treats that you can give your kids without making yourself feel guilty. Oatmeal, for instance, can be mixed with the baking dough. You can serve it with milk and cookies. Feel free to make oatmeal cookies, cakes, or bread. There are tons of healthy things around you – if you want to take a closer look, really. Tomatoes, for instance, can be an interesting fruit salad. If you want to, you can cut a tomato in smaller pieces and then sprinkle it with sugar.

In the end, the options of the healthy foods depend on your wisdom and creativity. If you know what to expect and you know the right elements to include, choosing the healthy snacks for preschoolers should be easy.