Consuming fruit juices and sports drinks can fill kids up and prevent them from being hungry at meal times. Plus, most fruit juices contain concentrates and other added sugars that kids don't need.
SNACKING FOR KIDS 101
Tips from the Pirates Sports Nutrition and Fueling Team - Allison Maurer and Courtney Ellison
Hydration, Recipes and More
For kids AND adults, hydration can't be forgotten during these days at home. During a normal school day, kids are limited to water and whatever beverage they consume at lunch. That should not change while they are learning at home.
Looking for something with flavor? Freeze fruit in ice cube trays (with water) and let those melting cubes be how they flavor their water.
Milk is another great way to not only keep kids hydrated it but also adds protein, calcium and other vitamins & minerals needed for growing kids.
To prevent kids (especially older ones) from grabbing a bag of chips and mindlessly eating until the bag is gone, portion it out. Since larger bulk items are often less expensive, you can buy those larger bags then fill resealable bags with the portion size as listed on the label.
This can be a bowl of fruit on the table or something else that is always available & allowable. Slice apples, peel oranges and wash some grapes. Put them in an easy-to-see location so when kids find themselves grazing, it will be on the good stuff.
Let them make their own snacks. If they want strawberries, let them cut off the stems and put them in a sandwich bag. If they want peanut butter with apple slices, let them scoop the peanut butter out of the jar. Even little kids can use a plastic knife and learn some basic kitchen skills right now!
YOGURT PARFAIT STATION
If you want to have a little fun with snacks, here is one way to get the kids involved. This is a great idea to do for movie nights or anytime!
Use either plain or vanilla Greek yogurt as your base. Put the following toppings in small resealable containers so you can easily reach for them again… And GO! Everyone in the family can choose what they want in their parfaits!
- S'mores - crumbled graham crackers, dark chocolate chips, mini marshmallows
- Caramel Apple - apple chunks, cinnamon and caramel topping
- Very Berry - mixed fresh berries and honey
- Pina Colada - canned pineapple, coconut and almond slices
- Plus other add-ins like granola, peanut butter, chia seeds and walnuts
