Just in time for back to school, we have put together our Nutritionist & Naturopath approved snacks to keep your little ones (and kids of all ages) healthy and full of energy! Getting kids to eat well isn’t always an easy task but encouraging them to have healthy snacks is the stealthy way of approaching it. The most important thing to always have in mind is that kids are no different from adults in that they have absolutely no need for refined sugars. These are certainly not a natural part of our diet, and although they do provide energy, it is a rapid, unsustainable, health destroying kind, not what you would want for yourself, let alone your kids. See our snacks below for healthy snack ideas!

10 Healthy Snacks for Kids:

1. Nutty popcorn - Melt together 1/3 cup agave syrup and 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil. Mix together air popped popcorn, chopped nuts and sunflower seeds. Pour liquids over and toss together.
2. Stuffed cherry tomatoes - Scoop out the insides of cherry tomatoes and refill with cottage cheese, tuna, avocado or hummus.
3. Frozen yoghurt - Mix together fruit puree and natural yoghurt, place in single serve containers and freeze. Remove from freezer about 1 hour before eating to soften.
4. Lettuce wraps - Place filling of choice in lettuce leaf and roll into wrap. Good fillings include hummus, chopped egg, guacamole and cottage cheese. You could also use halved peppers with the seeds scraped out.
5. Nut butter dips - Cashew or almond nut butters are a much healthier alternative to salt and sugar laden peanut butter. Use them on sliced apple, celery sticks, oatcakes or ryvita.
6. Frozen fruit - Orange quarters, grapes, sliced bananas, strawberries, peas and even cucumber can all be frozen to make them more appealing especially during hot weather.
7. Nutty fruit rolls - Spread banana or other chopped fruit in nut butter then roll in finely chopped sunflowers seeds.
8. Kale chips - Wash and dry the kale leaves (they must be absolutely dry otherwise they will steam instead of getting crispy) and then tear into bite sized pieces. Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper, drizzle with rice bran oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 170 degrees.
9. Broccoli dip - Blend together low fat cream cheese and cooked broccoli. You can add garlic if your children like it. Warm in medium oven for 10 to 15 minutes and serve with wholemeal pita. Don’t tell them it’s broccoli! You can try this with other vegetables such as spinach and cauliflower.
10. Oatcakes - Unlike rice cakes, which have a very high glycemic index (which means they will have the same effect on your children as sugar), oatcakes provide a slow and steady source of energy. Try them with hummus, avocado, beans spreads or nut butters.