Healthy Kids School Canteen Association

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Healthy Snacks for Teens

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

Adolescents, particularly active ones and those going through the major growth and development changes of adolescence, may not get their energy requirements from only breakfast, lunch and dinner. During adolescence, the need for most nutrients including energy, protein, vitamins and minerals increases.

Adolescents tend to eat differently to how they did as children. Research shows that adolescents snack frequently, especially in their leisure time often with friends or watching TV. After-school activities, part time jobs and an active social life means adolescents are not always able to sit down for three meals a day or be home for snacks. There can be an increase in meal skipping particularly breakfast, snacking throughout the day, and more eating away from home.

As appetite is likely to increase and be changeable from day to day and opportunities to eat vary it is important to make sure that there are good quality, wholesome and filling snacks available to provide the extra energy and nutrients adolescents need.
It is also important that adolescents know how to choose healthy snacks when eating away form home.

Tips for Healthy Snacking

• Think about the timing of snacks. If the snack will be replacing a meal that is going to be missed provide more substantial foods that include some protein such as chicken, tuna or egg or milk based drinks. (see snacks as meals ideas). If hungry before dinner is ready provide raw vegetables while they wait.
• Think about where snacks are consumed. At home, snacks should ideally be consumed sitting down and not eaten while doing other things.  Teenagers commonly eat watching TV so provide more fruit and vegetable based snacks at this time.
• Parents/care providers can be good role models for their teenagers and their friends 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.
• Only have chips, confectionery, sweet biscuits  and soft drink etc available occasionally.
• Encourage adolescents to prepare healthy snacks such as milk shakes, smoothies, wraps, toasted sandwiches, popcorn, eggs, wholemeal muffin or pita bread pizzas.
• Encourage drinking water rather than drinking large serves of fruit juice or sugar sweetened drinks

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)
• 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 or tuna
• Sandwiches and wraps with salad and grated low fat cheese or egg, chicken, tuna or salmon
• Toasted sandwiches made with reduced fat cheese and tomato, egg, baked beans, ricotta cheese and fruit, tuna or creamed corn
• Left over pasta or fried rice preferably made with wholegrain pasta or brown rice 

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 (less than 120mg sodium /100mls)
• Dried fruit and raw or dry roasted unsalted nuts and seeds such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds

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
• Reduced fat custard or yoghurt 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
• Spread ricotta on toast or crackers and top with sultanas or tomato
• Snacking on the run
• Healthy snacking for teenagers when out and about requires a bit more organisation. Keep some of these ideas in the pantry or fridge for teenagers to quickly grab when in a rush or heading out.
• Packets of dried fruit and unsalted nuts and seeds
• Packets of plain popcorn
• Tetra packs of plain or flavoured reduced fat milk or reduced fat custard
• 250mL 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
• Wholegrain or nut based snack bars with no added choc chips or chocolate or yoghurt coatings etc
• Wholegrain crackers
• Yoghurt tubs
• Keep some frozen sandwiches in the freezer

Snacking away from home

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 with a friend?  Ask for drinks to be made with reduced fat milk and butter and cream to be served on the side or not at all. Don’t take the upsized meal options.
Hot chocolate, cappuccino or milk shakes made on reduced fat milk (just ask). Supermarkets have single serves of cold reduced fat flavoured milk in their refrigerators which is often a cheaper option

• Raisin or cinnamon toast
• Sushi
• Bread rolls from the bakery
• Finger buns or 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.
• Snacks as meals
• Soup makes a nutritious snack as meal. Homemade is best however there are number of nutritious tinned and tetra pack soups available. Serve in a hollowed out wholemeal bread roll
• Milkshakes and smoothies can be a better option when missing a meal – use reduced fat milk. Frozen berries blend well with milk and yoghurt
• Freeze single serves of leftovers to reheat for a quick meal
• Toasted rolls, foccacias etc with substantial fillings eg tuna, salmon, baked beans, bolognaise sauce, chicken etc and add tomato and mushroom
• Wraps with salad and other fillings. Keep microwaveable reduced fat falafels in the freezer for a quick falafel roll

Eating Out

• Thin crust pizza with vegetarian toppings
• Plain burger with salad
• Grilled chicken fillet burger with salad
• Fresh or toasted sandwiches, wraps or rolls (avoid high fat fillings and sauces)

Drinks

Water and reduced fat milk are the best choices. Keep fruit juice serve sizes small (<300mL). Keep sugary drinks such as soft drink and cordial as occasional drinks.

Sometimes snacks

Many popular snacks consumed by teenagers 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. Encourage teenagers to limit these foods when eating away from home.

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 soups

Look for those <250mg sodium /100mLs and containing at least a serve of vegetables

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, < 0.5g saturated fat /serve and < 150mg sodium/serve
Breakfast cereal with > 8g fibre /100g and < 400mg sodium /100g