Protein Snacks for Kids: Delicious and Nutritious Options
As a parent, getting your kids to eat healthy snacks can be a daunting task. With so many unhealthy options out there, it can be challenging to find convenient snack options that are both nutritious and delicious.
Protein snacks for kids on-the-go are essential for providing children with the energy they need to grow and develop. In this article, we’ll discuss how to get kids to eat healthy snacks, recommend some high protein snacks for toddlers, and provide some of the best snacks for kids on the go.
How to Get Kids to Eat Healthy Snacks
Healthy snacking is an important way to support your child’s growth and development. Snacks can help kids get the nutrition they need and prevent them from feeling overly hungry between meals. Getting kids to eat healthy snacks isn’t as challenging as you might think though! One way to encourage kids to eat healthy is to make snacking fun and appealing so that they build healthy snacking habits from a young age. Parents can accomplish this in a few ways:
1. Involve Kids in the Snack Selection Process
Allowing kids to participate in selecting and preparing snacks can make them more excited to eat what’s in front of them. Take your kids to the grocery store and let them choose fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options such as granola bars.
2. Make Healthy Snacks Fun
Come up with fun and creative presentations for healthy snacks. For example, make fruit skewers with a variety of colorful fruits or make a yogurt parfait with granola and berries.
3. Offer a Variety of Snacks
Offer options so that your child can choose their favorite. This will help them from getting bored with the same snacks over and over. It’s important to offer the right kind of snack that is rich in nutrients. One trick to doing this is combining two powerhouse nutrients: fiber and protein. Protein helps fuel growth and it also keeps our bodies healthy, full, fueled, and focused.
How Much Protein Do Kids Need?
Protein is considered the body’s main building block and one of its most critical functions is supporting immune systems, so you want to make sure your kids are getting this essential nutrient.
The amount of protein kids need varies depending on their age and weight. Based on the Dietary Reference Intakes guidelines, children from the age of 1-3 years should have 13g of protein per day, while children from the age of 4-8 years should consume 19g.
Since protein can be found in many different types of food, meeting the daily recommendation can be relatively easy. However, if you find yourself with a picky eater, the best way to increase the protein in a child’s diet is to make kid-friendly treats with lots of versatility so even the pickiest of eats will be asking for seconds.
High Protein Snacks for Toddlers
Toddlers have smaller stomachs, so it is important to provide them with high protein snacks that are easy to digest. Here are some great sources of protein for young children.
1. Dairy
Items like cheese, milk, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt are an excellent source of protein and calcium. You can add fresh fruit, honey, or granola to cottage cheese and yogurt to make it more appealing for your child
2. Eggs
This is an easy one! Cook eggs anyway they like and they’ll have a quick fix of protein for long lasting fuel.
3. Nut Butters
Nuts, seeds, almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower butter are a tasty, non-perishable protein option.
4. Trail Mix
Trail mix is a protein and fiber packed snack consisting of nuts, dried fruit, and seeds.
Many of these recommendations can be prepared ahead of time and taken on the go, providing a single-serving, convenient high protein after school snack. And for busy parents, finding protein snacks for kids on the go can be a total lifesaver. Opt for a cheese stick for dairy or an organic mini snack bar from Kate’s Real Food for nut butters and dried fruit. These choices won’t leave you wondering how to make healthy snacks for school.
Providing kids with high protein snacks is a great way to ensure they are getting the nutrients they need for growth and development. As most parents know, when kids are well nourished they perform better in school and are better equipped to fight off disease.
By offering a variety of nutritious snacks, we can help our children develop healthy eating habits with lasting benefits. Whether it’s hard-boiled eggs for toddlers, trail mix for kids on-the-go, or snack sized granola bars, there are so many protein-packed snacks that kids will love.
Let’s get creative in the kitchen and start offering our kids snacks that are not only tasty but also beneficial for their health. With the right snacks like organic mini granola bars from Kate’s Real Food, we can help our kids grow up strong, healthy, and happy.