How to Create Healthy Habits with Summer Snacks | Woombie
Nine months out of the year most of your child's nutrition is handled by their school. But during the summer months when they're home and hungry, you have to find foods they enjoy that also provide quality nutrition. No mom wants her kids eating sugary cereal and potato chips all summer. Instead, you can employ some creative techniques and have certain staples on hand to encourage healthy eating.
Although these tips are aimed at kids, eating healthy is a great activity for the whole family. The tips in this article make it easy for everyone to embrace new foods and create good habits during the summer.
Put Fruits Front and Center
Fruit is a great summer snack for kids. It's packed with key vitamins and nutrients to keep them healthy and hydrated, plus it's sweet like candy! The trick to encouraging your kids to pick fruit over other unhealthy snacks is to keep it somewhere that's easy to find.
Instead of stuffing the apples in a drawer in the fridge, leave them out on the counter. For things that have to be refrigerated like berries or sliced kiwi, put it on the top shelf so it's easy to see and grab. When you make fruit the more accessible option, kids (and you) are much more likely to reach for the peaches than a bag of pretzels.
Try New Things
If your child is having issues with some foods or you're just ready for your whole family to try something new, you could experiment with a new diet over the summer. Gluten free and paleo are popular options that are great for the whole family.
The switch can be confusing at first because you might not know if some of your favorite things are within the diet. You might be wondering "Is sourdough bread gluten free?" or "Can I have potatoes on paleo?" To make sure you have a successful experience, you'll have to do a little research first. And to get the kids on board, it will certainly need to be a full-family change.
Make Vegetables Fun
Vegetables are probably the toughest things to get kids to eat, but it's not impossible. You just have to find ways to spice things up so they're excited to try that new food.
Ants on a log is a popular summer snack that also gets kids to eat some celery. You could also do a carrot cake shake, PB&J smoothie or salads with fruit added for sweetness. It also helps to come up with some silly names or let your kids name their newest concoction!
Encourage Drinking Water
Drinking water is a key part of any healthy diet, but especially in the summer. As your kids run and play outside, they'll need to stay hydrated to combat the hot summer sun. Limiting other drinks such as soda or juice in your home make it easier for kids to choose water because there aren't other, more appealing options.
According to Tampa Dentists, drinking water over soda and juice is also better not just for your kid's overall health but specifically for their dental health.
You can also let your kids all pick out a water bottle for the summer. Let them get the color or design they want and then they customize it at home with paint pens or stickers. This will get them excited to use it and show it to their friends, which means they'll be carrying water with them everywhere they go.
Getting your kids to eat healthy over the summer can seem like a big challenge. But with these few tips, your children will be happy to choose fruits, eat vegetables and drink water all summer long. Plus, it could even have some extra health benefits for you!
