Family on a diet - Any suggestions on snacks?

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  • arickim
    arickim Posts: 137
    We have been making fruit salad. Apples, bananas, red grapes, marshmellows, and a few chocolate chips. Last night we got Blue Bunny frozen yogurt and m&ms and made Sonic Blasts. We eat tons of fruit in the summer.
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
    we really just don't snack that much anymore except on weekends or special occasions such as movie night. but when we do we air pop our popcorn and don't buy chips anymore and we have a ton of fruit in the house we have trail mixes or granola bars. My little one is picky but he knows he has to have a fruit a day and he gets help pick the fruits that i buy. Grocery shopping has gotten a lot easier that way and he feels he is helping.
  • Lovely_Doll
    Lovely_Doll Posts: 72
    You can always make sugar free jello. It's about 15 cals per serving, and my mother would always cut up fruit and put it in the jello when I was a kid.
  • beckyinma
    beckyinma Posts: 1,433 Member
    My girl loves carrots and Laughing Cow Cheese wedges, or the cheese with triscuits.

    cheese, I buy the 8 and 16 oz blocks at the grocery store and cut them up into 1oz cubes then ziplock them so they are a great grab-n-go snack for all of us.

    Hummus and carrots, cucumbers, pepper strips,

    Hidden Valley makes an AMAZING light ranch dressing.

    reduced fat chips if they 'neeeeeed' chips,

    pickles

    ff or lower fat yogurt

    fruit

    prunes. sounds silly, but the sweetness is sometimes all one needs for a little satisfaction.

    Blue Diamond seasoned almonds



    Ok, just as important as WHAT they are eating for snacks is portion size. They need to realize, with your help, that they are capable (if they're old enough, my 9 year old is) of using a food scale, measuring cups and spoons. No snack is healthy in excess, so make sure they are measuring their own snacks so they start to get a feel for proper portion/serving sizes.
  • sashanicole88
    sashanicole88 Posts: 180 Member
    I personally love carrots and hummus! That may not be kid-friendly haha, but think of some creative ways to make eating healthy more appealing.

    Make faces out of fruits and veggies! You can also use healthier varieties of dip. For example, instead of normal ranch that packs a huge punch in calories and other unhealthy ingredients, Bolthouse Farms makes a great yogurt ranch that is much better to snack with! & your kids won't be able to notice a difference :)

    Also, pair string cheese with some apple slices. Make small swaps. Instead of chips, replace those with another healthy crunchy substitute (any vegetable or fruit that they enjoy!). Instead of a huge triple chocolate chunk bowl of ice cream, use a moderate about of chocolate frozen yogurt. Moderation is SO important! Really pay attention to the portion sizes of things you are feeding your children. Instead of powered donuts in the morning, make a delicious, protein and fruit filled smoothie. It may take a few extra minutes, but the health of children is so important!!!

    Good luck! <3
  • bethieannie
    bethieannie Posts: 75 Member
    Archer Farms real fruit strips. sold at target. They are little chewy strips of fruit, like a homemade fruit roll up. My kids love them and they are only 45 calories.
  • frogmommy
    frogmommy Posts: 151 Member
    Kudos to you for helping your kids get healthy along with you!!

    If you cook/bake at all, google oatmeal-banana muffins. My kids are tall, lean and athletic teenagers, but I still make big batches of muffins (replacing oil/butter with applesauce, subbing half whole wheat flour and such) and put them in the freezer. They can get quick fuel that tastes like dessert, but they are filled with mostly healthy ingredients.

    Baked tortilla chips and salsa are a favorite, flavorful snack.

    Also, I get melons, berries and other fruit once or twice a week. I cut up the fruit and keep it in containers in the fridge so it is always handy.

    For quick side dishes with dinner, make a large batch of brown rice or quinoa, cool it and put it into the fridge. It can be jazzed up as necessary with spices, onions, chopped fruit or nuts as the week goes on. Much less sodium than pre-packaged side dishes. This works well for quick lunches, also ~ toss in some cooked legumes or bits of leftover fish/meat for a hearty lunch.

    I still try to keep the kids away from artificial sweeteners, so I am not a big fan of "sugar free" anything (frozen treats, pre-made jello/pudding). I do freeze juice as popsicles or sorbet, but typically only as a treat. I would rather them get the fiber from whole fruit. Frozen raspberries, bananas and grapes are a fun and easy alternative to other frozen treats.

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