Looking for a healthy snack for your child this year? Try some of our exciting suggestions so they’re not bored with the same apple slices and carrot sticks. These items are budget-friendly, travel easy, and are very tasty.
Dried fruit: They’re less likely to spoil or get damaged and they have natural sugar, not artificial sugar, so they’re not likely to make your child jumpy from a sugar rush. Look for dried mangoes, apple slices, pineapple slices, strawberries, and raisins. Supermarkets carry them and you can find a wider variety in your local ethnic market.
Apple sauce: They come in a variety of flavors and are vacuum sealed so they remain fresh while sealed in your child’s bag. Some parents freeze them the night before so their child has a cold, slushy treat at lunch.
Snack crackers: These pre-packaged treats come in whole grain and low-salt varieties. They are a great way to introduce fiber into your child’s diet and are an alternative to salty, greasy potato chips.
Rice cakes: These healthy treats have come a long way from their five-minutes-of-fame in the 1980s. There are many varieties available now (bonus: try Spelt cakes. These are relatively new to the market and have a little bit more flavor than traditional rice cakes. Your child can eat them plain or top them with the applesauce we mentioned above).