Healthy Kids School Canteen Association

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Healthy Snacks for Kids

For children, snacks are an important part of a healthy diet. 

Children, particularly active ones and those going through growth spurts, may not get their energy requirements from only breakfast, lunch and dinner. When children get hungry between meals, it is important to make sure that there are good quality and wholesome snacks available to provide the extra energy and nutrients they need.

Tips for healthy snacking

• Think about the size of the snack. Snacks don’t need to be too big. Give children just enough to keep going until the next meal.
• Think about the timing of snacks. Don’t let kids get so hungry they want to eat anything in sight. Snacks should be offered at regular times of the day, preferably a couple of hours before the next meal to avoid spoiling their appetite for the main meal. If hungry before dinner is ready provide raw vegetables while they wait.
• Think about where snacks are consumed. At home, snacks should be consumed sitting down and not eaten while watching television or doing other things.
• Parents/care providers can be good role models for children by eating nutritious snacks themselves and by making these snacks readily available.
• Keep a selection of healthy snacks easily available in the fridge or pantry such as milk, yoghurt, chopped fruit, nuts, bread and breakfast cereal. Top up the fruit bowl with in season fruit.
• Teach kids how to use simple kitchen equipment to prepare healthy snacks such as milk shakes, toasted sandwiches and popcorn, wholemeal muffin or pita pizzas.
• Snacking at Home

It is easier to prepare healthy snacks at home where a variety of foods and equipment is available.

Breads and Cereals

• Toast, fruit toast, English muffins and crumpets – preferably wholegrain or wholemeal
• Home made pizza made using wholemeal muffin or wholemeal pita bread, reduced fat cheese and homemade tomato sauce that contains added vegetables.
• High fibre breakfast cereal with milk, sliced fruit or yoghurt
• Homemade popcorn (only add a drizzle of polyunsaturated margarine and a sprinkle of salt if at all)
• Wholemeal pikelets
• Cakes and muffins made with wholemeal flour and with added fruit or grated vegetables
• Wholegrain crispbread and crackers topped with tomato and avocado, peanut butter, reduced fat cheese
• Sandwiches and wraps with salad and grated low fat cheese
• Toasted sandwiches made with reduced fat cheese and tomato, baked beans, tuna or creamed corn

Fruit, Vegetables, Nuts and Seeds

• Use sliced tomato, cucumber, avocado or thinly spread unsalted peanut butter for topping biscuits, toast and in sandwiches
• Serve carrot, cucumber and celery sticks with low fat dips, reduced fat cream cheese or reduced fat cheese cubes
• Fresh or tinned fruit (packed in water or natural juice) with yoghurt or custard
• Home made or commercial low sodium vegetable soup ( with less than 250mg sodium /100mls)
• Dried fruit and nuts eg almonds, pecans and walnuts

Dairy Products

• Milkshakes made with reduced fat milk and a small amount of flavouring
• Smoothies made with reduced fat milk, fruit and reduced fat yoghurt (frozen berries work well blended in smoothies)
• Reduced fat custard served with fruit
• Small low fat ice confections containing extra calcium
• Banana split made with sliced banana, yoghurt, custard or low fat ice cream and chopped peanut sprinkles

Snacking on the run

Healthy snacking when out and about requires a bit more organisation. Keep some of these ideas in the pantry or fridge to quickly grab when in a rush or heading out.  On hot days pack snacks in a small, light weight esky with a frozen water bottle. Send an extra container to school containing afternoon tea if kids are going straight to after school activities.

• Small packets of dried fruit and unsalted nuts and seeds
• Small packets of plain popcorn
• Tetra packs of plain or flavoured reduced fat milk or reduced fat custard
• Small tetra packs or pop tops of 99% fruit juice
• Portable fresh fruit such as mandarins, bananas and apples
• Container of high fibre bite style breakfast cereals
• Fruit tubs
• Fruit straps 99% fruit
• Small wholegrain or nut based snack bars with no added choc chips or chocolate or yoghurt coatings etc
• Wholegrain crackers and tinned tuna

Snacking at the Shops

It can be a challenge to find healthy snacks when out and about. Snacks purchased when away from home tend to be served in large serve sizes so why not share one serve?  Ask for drinks to be made with reduced fat milk and butter and cream to be served on the side or not at all.

• Hot chocolate or small serves of milk shakes made on reduced fat milk (just ask). Supermarkets have single serves of cold reduced fat flavoured milk in their refrigerators
• Raisin or cinnamon toast
• Fresh or toasted sandwiches
• Bread rolls from the bakery
• Small finger buns or small date or sultana scones
• Fruit with easy to peel skins from the fruit shop or supermarket
• Small serves of reduced fat ice cream without chocolate coatings
• Supermarkets have single serve yoghurt and frozen yoghurt available

Drinks

Water and reduced fat milk are the best choices. Keep fruit juice serve sizes small (<200mL). Keep sugary drinks such as soft drink and cordial as occasional drinks.

Sometimes snacks

Many popular snacks consumed by children such as biscuits, crisps, cakes, sausage rolls, chocolate bars, soft drinks etc are high in kilojoules, salt or sugar and are low in nutrients. These foods and drinks belong in the extras section of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. These can be included in a healthy diet but should not be eaten on a daily basis. Serve or purchase these foods only occasionally and don’t let them take over the pantry or fridge as easy to access snacks.

Reading labels

As a guide for packaged snack foods choose ones that are:

less than or around 600 kilojoules per serve
low in saturated fat (<2g/serve) 
provide some fibre (>1g per serve)
nutrient dense containing ingredients such as oats or nuts

As a guide for dairy products choose:

Milk with < 2.6g saturated fat/100mLs
Yoghurt, custard and dairy snacks with < 2.6g saturated fat/100mLs and > 80mg calcium /100g. If the calcium content is not on the Nutrition Information Panel look for products with milk as the first ingredient

As a guide for breads and cereals choose

Breads containing >3g fibre /100g preferably wholemeal or wholegrain and < 450mg sodium /100g
Savoury biscuits with > 1.5 g fibre /serve, saturated fat < 0.5g/serve and < 150mg sodium/serve
Breakfast cereal with > 8g fibre /100g and < 400mg sodium /100g