Smart Snacking for Kids – 9 Nutritious Snack Ideas

I have often seen new moms offering store-bought biscuits, chips, cake slices to their kids as snacks. These packaged snacks are high in refined flour, added sugars, unhealthy fats, artificial ingredients and empty calories.

Offer your kids whole, unprocessed, fresh & nutritious food items at snack time instead of prepackaged snack items.

Below are 9 nutritious snack ideas.

1. Fresh Fruits 

Offer a variety of fruits like banana, apple, mangoes, berries, oranges etc. Always prefer seasonal and local fruits.

Fruits supply key nutrients that your child needs to grow.

Fruits are great source of fiber. Fiber helps keep your child’s digestive system working normally, which reduces his risk of constipation.

2. Dairy

The dairy group is very important for children because of the high amounts of calcium essential for strong bones.

Milk is called as “complete food” because of its protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, healthy fats, antioxidants and other essential minerals content which are needed for growth and good health.

You can offer whole milk, Yogurt & Cottage Cheese.

• You can make milk interesting by adding dry fruits powder to it. In winters, you can make turmeric milk. Turmeric-rich milk is not only tasty but has numerous health benefits.
• Yogurt is best option for the kids who dislike milk. Prefer unsweetened whole milk yogurt. You can also make Yogurt at home. Quick google search will help you with the recipe. But all you need is miking 2 spoons of curd into boiled milk which is slightly warm. 
• Fresh homemade cottage cheese is another wholesome way to ensure baby gets nutrients they need.

3. Eggs – Offer hardboiled egg or fried egg as per your child’s liking. Eggs contain good number of important vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

• Boiled Eggs – Sprinkle some salt, pepper or cheese over Hardboiled eggs and your delicious healthy snack is ready.

• Fried Egg/Omelette – Make fried egg interesting by adding vegetables of your kids liking. Diced onions, spinach, tomato, mushroom, bell pepper are popular choices to add into the Omelette. Omelette is an easy, healthy & quick snack which can be made with simple kitchen staples.
• Egg Muffins – These are perfect for picky eaters. Similar to Omelette, you can add various vegetables to it & make it more nutritious.

4. Dry Fruits – Offer unsalted nuts & dry fruits. 

• Most babies love cashew nuts. But make sure to offer soaked almonds, raisins, walnuts as well. 
• Dates can be healthy alternative to sugary desserts.
• Raisins are packed with natural sugars, fibers and various nutrients. 
• Makhana (Fox nuts) Slightly roasted makhanas also make excellent snack item for kids.
• My son loves roasted peanuts. 

5.Vegetables – Carrot sticks, cucumber sticks & tomatoes also are good ideas too.

• Cucumber is a best snack option on hot summer days. 
• Kids enjoy carrots due to its sweet taste. It’s a great idea to include this highly nutritious vegetables as snack.
• With little seasoning, tomatoes make a good snack too. My childhood is filled with memories of carving out tomato seeds & pulp from small hole and refilling it again with pulp mixed with little salt & chili powder. It was a quick snack we could manage without parental assistance. 

6. Crunchy goodness– Whole grain crackers, rice crackers, pop corns, homemade granola bars etc.

Puffed rice can be good snack option for babies & toddlers. You can also try this simple crunchy puff rice recipe. – Puffed Rice Bars | Murmura Chikki – (happymomhappyfam.com

7. Boiled Sweet Potatoes – Cook a medium sized sweet potato in boiling water. Peel it and cut it into slices. This is a filling nutritious snack with minimal effort. Sweet potato contains decent amount of fiber, protein, potassium, Magnesium, and vitamins B6, Vitamin C & Vitamin A. Why not use the snack time to fill in the nutrition gap with this simple yet delicious treat. 

8. Baked butternut squash or sweet potato served with yogurt-based dip or tomato sauce is a great alternative to potato fries -fried in refined oil.

9. Sweet Corn- Serve it boiled or roasted, sweet corns are another good option as a snack. 

• Cook the corn in boiling water with some salt. squeeze some lemon juice over it and serve it as is.
• Roast the corn on fire or open grill.  Sprinkle a little red chili powder & some salt. Squeeze lemon over it. server it hot. This is a perfect rainy-day snack. You can also roast it in the oven if you have induction-based stove and do not have access to fire/charcoal.
• Take the cooked corn kernels. Sprinkle salt, chili powder, chaat masala. Add chopped onion, tomatoes & cilantro. Add in some lemon juice. Mix everything well. Your corn chaat is ready. 

I have listed the snack items that requires no cooking or very less cooking. For most of the snacks, you just have to be vigilant while grocery shopping and stock the items. 

Along with above listed items, you can also offer any other homemade nutritious item at snack time.

The key to smart snacking is planning to offer your kids healthy snacks at regularly scheduled times.

Also, read my article about how to establish healthy eating habits in children – How to Get Kids to Eat Healthy Food – Happy Mom Happy Family