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Magazine
NUTRITION
Plan, don't ban
MADHAVI BHATT-TRIVEDI
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The right kind of snack helps keep your child healthy.
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PHOTOS: K. ANANTHAN and VINO JOHN
Provide healthy choices: Snacking by itself is not bad.
KIDS love to snack. But all they want is junk food. Much of the nibbling that happens, whether in the midmorning (in school) or at home (after school) or on the run, is from pre-packaged snack foods, which are high in calories (fat and sugar) and salt and low in nutrients (vitamins and minerals). The popularity of these fattening treats may be one of the factors responsible for the childhood-obesity epidemic. Also, a high calorie-low nutrient diet will eventually decrease the growth potential, physical and mental work capacity and immunity in most kids.
Content is important
Snacking itself isn't necessarily bad. It is important to a child's well being. The content of a child's snacks is what is most important. The timing and portion-size are also important. Providing healthy snack choices now will help children learn to make healthy food choices in the future.
Why are healthy snacks essential? Children grow and develop rapidly. Nearly one-fourth of their daily energy intake comes from nibbling between meals. Active children have an increased need for energy as well as other essential nutrients, but they have small stomachs. Children cannot eat enough at three meals a day to satisfy their hunger and provide all of the nutrients they need. Healthy snacks help bridge the gap between meals and also prevent overeating late in the day, associated with weight gain.
If children get too hungry, they may become cranky or find it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Healthy snacks also help ensure that children get all the nutrients they need to fuel their growth. Snacks provide additional foods they need but cannot eat at meals. Healthy snacks can help prevent costly and potentially disabling diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.
Mix and match
A good snack is nutrient dense. Six nutrients are needed to maintain a growing healthy body — carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and water. To plan ahead for quick and easy snacks, keep foods on hand from each of the five food groups on the Food Guide Pyramid. Mix and match the nutrients at snack time to choose foods from at least two different levels of the pyramid. Strive for variety in nutrients.
Cereal grains provide carbohydrates, B vitamins and fibre. Foods in this group fuel growth and provide children with energy to run and play. Serve whole grains, which provide more fibre, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains. Healthy whole grain options can include popcorn, kurmura, low-fat biscuits/crackers, tortillas, granola cereal bars, and chikkis. Refined grains, such as white bread, noodles, pasta or biscuits should not be everyday offerings. When buying snacks read nutrition labels to pick options that are low in sugars, saturated fat, and trans fat.
Fruit and vegetable groups provide vitamins such as A and C, carbohydrates and fibre. Do your children meet the goal of five servings of fruits and vegetables each day? Snack time is a great time to slip in a fruit or vegetable. Serve whole fruits/dry fruits (good source of vitamins and minerals especially iron) and try to sneak in as many nutritious vegetables as possible.
Dairy foods like low-fat milk, curds/yoghurt/butter/cheese/ paneer provide calcium, riboflavin, protein, and vitamins A and D. Since cheese is the number two source of heart-damaging saturated fat in children's diets, choose low-fat cheeses, serve small portions, and serve it with other foods like fruits, vegetables, or with whole grain bread/crackers/rotis. Calcium-fortified chocolate-flavoured cereals are a tasty way to have milk and sneak in extra calcium.
Protein group like meats, fish, poultry, nuts and beans provide protein and iron. Include low fat meat/fish/poultry; chana, mung and soya; peanuts, walnuts, almonds.
Snacks are a bigger part of kids' diets now than in the past. They can make positive or negative contributions to diets — depending on the choices offered. Since today's kids like a lot of unhealthy snacks, it is good to provide healthier options of the same.
The writer is a nutritionist and writes on healthcare.
Healthy options
Include a combination of fruits or dry fruits with other snacks at all times.
Whole grain cereals/muesli (fortified with vitamins and minerals) with or without milk. Mix nuts, dry fruits and fortified cereal together.
Vegetables like cucumber, carrot, capsicum, red/yellow peppers, celery, tomatoes, boiled baby corn, steamed corn /broccoli/cauliflower with dips or sprinkled with herbs, chaat masala, lemon and salsa.
Whole grain bread (all brown breads are not necessarily whole grain) sandwich with chutney/cheese/vegetables (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, potato, shredded carrots, cabbage) with peanut butter
Vegetable poha, upma, utappa, muthia, dhokla, idli. Dosas and chilas can be made by adding a variety of dals, soya and vegetables.
Whole grain parathas/rotis/theplas with a variety of vegetables.
Healthy whole grain pizzas/pastas/Frankie/subs/noodles/burgers with lots of vegetables.
Cracker biscuits with healthy toppings like pasta, cutlet, corn and vegetables.
Water and low fat milk are ideal drinks. Soya milk and masala chaas are also good.
With fruit juice choose only 100 per cent fruit juice, but limit intake to no more than six ounces (a little less than a cup) for one to six year olds and no more than 12 ounces (one and a half cups) for seven to 18 year olds.
Simple rules
Keep it simple. Think of convenience, nutrition and taste that children like.
Offer kids only nutritious snack choices or offer healthier options of their favourites. Try to keep sugar, fat and salt content low.
Plan when and what will be eaten in advance.
Involve children in shopping for foods that will be used as or to make the snacks.
Pre-portioning can help prevent overeating.
Stock only nutritious ready-to-eat snacks.
Let children snack at fixed times, say, midmorning and early evening.
Avoid snacking close to the meals and nibbling through the day.
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