Sensible Snacking

Nutrition and The Importance of Understanding Food Labeling

It is 3:00 PM, the kids are out of school, it isn’t quite dinner time, and lunchtime is long gone.  However, the cries from the back of the car begin; “I’m hungry!”, “Do you have snacks?”, “My teacher said I did great at school today, so can we go and get ice cream!” …. So begins the quest for a healthy snack that the kids will embrace!

Unfortunately, the majority of pre-packed, convenient snacks are filled with sugar, artificial ingredients, and preservatives; things that offer no nutritional value. Even more concerning is that many of the snacks marketed directly to children as “kid-friendly” can have a negative effect on a child’s attention span, cognitive abilities, mood, and emotional state, as well as their growth and development. Oftentimes, the way we screen for a food’s nutritional value is by reading the label, which includes small print and an ingredient list with complicated acronyms. While it takes time and research, there is readily accessible information to help guide us. Additionally, there are countless blogs, articles, medical studies, and resources that lay out what to avoid, the dangers of certain things subtly placed in “kid-friendly snacks,” and, on the flip side, what ingredients will bring true nutritional value.

Some avoidable ingredients noted on labels are simply understood, such as the sugar and sodium content. We know if it’s significantly higher than the protein, fiber, and vitamins, it’s probably not the best thing to feed the mind of a child who’s going to have to sit down and tackle an hour of homework. Knowing that carbohydrates and fruit translate to sugar, one needs to make sure the fiber content is enough to break down the sugar in the body. Knowing the difference between good and bad fats is also helpful.  Good fats are found in foods such as nuts, nut butter, avocado, and certain dairy products, while bad fats include Trans Fats attached to artificial ingredients.

Food labels and snack selection can become a maze that leaves a nanny or parent feeling overwhelmed. However, once you start to read and understand labels, your knowledge is power, and the quest for finding natural ingredients can become a fun challenge. It’s also something that my charges have enjoyed discovering, and you should absolutely involve them! The younger a child is when you encourage and teach them how to decipher between healthy and not-so-healthy food choices, the better. 

To assist you in the minefield of after-school snacking, here are a few tips:

1. Foods should come from a natural source. 

• Banana = Great
• Banana chips = OK, but they have much higher sugar content, and the nutritional value of the banana has somewhat depleted.
• Banana Flavoring = Terrible. Made up mostly of sugars, oils, colorings, and artificial compounds. It’s more than likely there is no real banana involved.  

2. Beware of fruit snacks, bars, and twists that claim to be made with “real fruit.” They are not fruit, they are concentrated fruit juice; the fiber content is gone, and it is primarily sugar. Giving these to a child as occassional treats is a good option.

3. Beware of partially false tag-line statements on food packaging, for example, “real veggies.” Companies will state that they are made from “real veggies,” but it doesn’t mean there are vegetables in the product.

4. My simple rule for reading nutritional information and ingredients is if I can’t pronounce it, have never seen it before, or don’t know what it means without a quick Google search, I don’t buy it. Nutritionally rich items usually have very few and self-explanatory ingredients.

5. A few things that appear on labels that are better to avoid: 

• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• (HFCS), Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (partially or fully hydrogenated)
•  Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• Aspartame
• Sucralose
• Sorbitol (artificial sweeteners)
• Artificial dyes, flavorings, and colorings (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, caramel coloring)
• BHA 
• Parabens
• Sodium Nitrate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein.

6. Homemade is always best, whether it be sandwiches, crackers, baked goods, or smoothies. By making it at home yourself, you know exactly what’s in it.

7. Snacks are not treats, nor should treats always be food-related. Think of snacks as an addition to a meal or part of their required daily nutritional intake.

Finally, a few snacks that I have found success with that taste good!

1. Homemade treats; vegetable loafs/muffins, nut & date or avocado & cocoa bombs.

2. Raw fruits and vegetables, with a tablespoon of organic nut butter (nut allergy awareness required)

3. Homemade sandwich; whole wheat bread, organic vegetables, meat, and/or cheese fillings.

4. Homemade cheese crackers with organic cream cheese and some grapes or mangos.

5. Homemade soup.

6. Hummus and vegetables or organic crackers

7. Homemade or organic oatmeal with raisins or nuts on top (nut allergy awareness required)

8. Homemade small fruit/vegetable smoothie.

9. Mashed avocado on whole-wheat bread or toast.

10.   Hard-boiled egg.