Let’s Eat Healthy Snacks

Eating healthful snacks is a great way to put fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your family’s diet. Try some of the ideas below to make sure that you and your family eat better.

Building Blocks and Healthy Snacks

Snacks are supposed to be fun as well as healthful. So, use Building Blocks to get your child excited about healthy eating.

• Sing along with the "Healthy Snacks" song and learn lots of ways to eat treats that are good for you.
  
  
• Play the "Favorite Snacks Memory Game" to discover the Building Blocks' Friends' favorite treats.
  
  
• Click into the "Family Activity Book" (PDF) to help your child think of fun things to eat that aren't sweet. To check out "Healthy Snacks," go to page 10 with children ages 3 and 4 and page 22 with children ages 5 and 6.
  
  

Fruit Is on the Menu

Fruit is a great way to satisfy a craving for "something sweet." And, fruit is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals—all needed in a well-balanced, healthful diet. Encourage your family to try fruit at snack time and for dessert.

• Make a family list of favorite fruits. Then, make sure to keep plenty of these fruits on hand when in season.
  
  
• Take advantage of plentiful harvests. When your grocer has a sale on fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), buy more than you can use right away. These are the simplest fruits to freeze. Just wash and lay out on a large baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill and dry. Then, place the baking sheet in the freezer overnight. The next morning, toss the frozen berries into freezer bags, return them to the freezer and use them as you need them.
  
  
• Buy prepackaged, fresh-frozen fruits in order to eat family favorites year round. But, make sure that little or no sugar is added to the frozen packages.
  
  

Recipe of the Week

Challenge your family to create the most healthy and satisfying desserts and snacks possible. Here are some possibilities to explore:

• Natural peanut butter on apple slices
  
  
• Frozen fruit blends and smoothies
  
  
• Honey and crushed bananas spread on toast
  
  
• Plain yogurt mixed with honey
  
  
• Yogurt with fresh fruit (mashed bananas, berries, peaches)
  
  
• Frozen bananas on a stick
  
  
• Baked apples with cinnamon, maple syrup, and nuts.
  
  

Energy Treats

These snacks help us keep our energy up during the day, satisfy between-meal hunger, and add important nutrients to our diet:

• Nuts—pecans, walnuts, and peanuts
  
  
• Seeds—sunflower and pumpkin
  
  
• Raw veggies—carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower
  
  
• Dairy products—yogurt, cheese slices, and milk
  
  
• Salty products—popcorn and baked chips.
  
  

Please note—to view documents in PDF format, you must have Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader software. If you do not already have this software installed on your computer, please download it from Adobe's Web site.