In addition to healthy, balanced meals, snacks provide another opportunity for children to practice healthy eating habits that contribute to their overall health.

PLASP follows the Canada Food Guide when it comes to making healthy food choices. Here’s how you can make healthy foods a habit in your home each day:

• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often
• Choose foods with healthy fats instead of saturated fat
• Limit highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, eat them less often and in small amounts
• Prepare meals and snacks using ingredients that have little to no added sodium, sugars, or saturated fat
• Choose healthier menu options when eating out
• Make water your drink of choice (replace sugary drinks with water), and
• Use food labels, which provide information that can help you make informed choices and help you compare and choose products, and know what ingredients a food product contains.

Did you know that healthy snacks are good for you? According to the Canada Food Guide, when you make healthy choices, snacks can:

• keep you energized
• help support good health
• provide important nutrients
• be an important part of daily eating habits
• help satisfy your hunger between mealtimes

Young children can benefit from snacks as they:

• have small stomachs
• may have trouble eating all of the foods they need at mealtime

Looking to switch up your child’s snack routine? Here are some PLASP favourites!

1. English muffin pizza. Toasted or plain, just add a little pizza sauce, shredded cheese and toppings such as shredded chicken, cheese, chopped green peppers, and green onions, to name a few, for a mini version of a childhood favourite.
2. Wraps. Using a whole grain tortilla as a base, fill it with shredded chicken or hummus for a healthy, handheld snack. Add in some shredded cheese and chopped veggies for some extra vitamins and minerals.
3. Hummus and crackers. Made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, hummus is high in fiber and can be paired with whole-grain crackers or spread in wraps. Chickpeas contain iron and manganese that keep our energy levels up and our blood healthy. Perfect for growing bodies!
4. Yogurt. This is a great snack option, as it contains protein, carbs, and fat. You can buy it in a large container and portion it into small cups using an ice pack to keep it cool. Or, buy yogurt tubes to save time and freeze them, then allow them to thaw by snack time.
5. Fruit. Seasonal and an important part of healthy eating, fruit offers important nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Berries, apples, oranges, grapes, pears, fruit salad, and bananas are great choices for little fingers.

PLASP encourages and supports children in taking ownership of their well-being by making healthy eating choices. Children take an active role in serving themselves, which inspires a growing sense of independence and well-being. PLASP programs and centres follow the Student Nutrition Program guidelines and child care centre nutrition guidelines. Fresh food is delivered in refrigerated trucks and menus are planned based on recommendations from registered dietitians.

Healthy snacking takes practice. Here are three ways you can build – and maintain – a healthy snack habit.

1. Plan ahead. Think about healthy snacks when planning your meals and add them to your grocery list.
2. Choose healthy snack foods. Make it a habit to choose a variety of healthy foods for your snacks and limit highly processed snacks.
3. Eat your snacks mindfully. Eat your snacks slowly and without distractions, such as watching TV. Choose small portions and try not to eat directly from large containers. Eat snacks when you feel hungry, and not just out of routine or when you feel tired, bored, or emotional. Too much snacking can lead you to eat more than you need.

What’s your child’s favourite snack? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below!