Kid snacking used to be a minefield in our house. It was Chip City in our pantry: Pirate's Booty, Cheese-Itz, Doritos, pretzels, large bags, small bags, all the bags. Then one day, they disappeared.
Who doesn't love a good chip, amirite? My chip of choice? Doritos all day. Followed by Pirate's Booty (the healthy chip! lol). Chips are perfect - easy and oh-so-tasty by design, so we keep coming back for more, and boy, did I. As I've said repeatedly, our children are reflections of us, so it was no surprise that my kids also loved the chip. I would put them in school lunches (because that's what you do), pour goldfish in a bowl, and send them into the family room whenever I hear the inevitable "I'm hungry." I'd bring processed snacks every time we left the house and on long road trips. Chips were a staple in our lives.
When we shifted our eating in July 2022, highly processed chips were the first to go. We sat the kids down and shared how we would change what we ate (click here for a deep dive into that convo). We let them know that we would enjoy the last of the chips we had in the pantry, and when they were gone, they would not return. And I'm proud to share they have not.
So what did I replace them with? Well, I'm afraid I don't have a magic bullet snack for you, but rather a pretty obvious replacement that we all know benefits our minds and bodies: fresh fruit, vegetables, and other minimally-processed snacks.
The key, however, is *normalizing* fresh food as snack food, and keeping highly processed items as a once in a while treat.
When processed foods are removed from your home and are no longer an option, you and your children will learn to find alternatives that are better for your health and wellness your wallet and the environment.
And when your children see *you* snacking on real food, they will follow suit. It will not happen overnight but it will indeed happen.
Let's talk nitty gritty now: what's on the menu for snack time in our house?
Bananas (var: sliced bananas and natural peanut butter)
Apples (var: sliced apples and natural peanut butter; apples and cheddar cheese)
Seasonal fruit (offering a variety keeps it interesting and seasonal fruit has known benefits!)
Hummus and slide veggies (carrots, cucs, all the peppers/whatever comes in our CSA)
Microwave popcorn
Trail mix
Granola
Other random things: cheddar cheese slices, hard-boiled eggs, deli turkey...whatever is in the refrigerator. My point: don't overthink snacking.
A few tips:
This isn't an extensive list for a reason. I don't offer my kids a ton of options because if they're *that* hungry, they'll eat the dang apple.
For parental sanity, make snack food accessible to your kids. I'm talking about the food itself, ie: the fruit bowl in a reachable place and the dishware/silverware needed for the snack. This creates independence, ownership of, and connection to, the healthy food they're eating. Plus, one less thing a parent needs to do.
Give yourself grace. Progress, not perfection. While I still haven't mastered snacking - and no, my kids don't beg me for carrots and hummus every day - I feel good knowing that whatever I offer them is healthy or at least decent, which is better than endless bags of Doritos any day (although delicious).
I challenge you to remove and not replace the chips in your pantry for a week or two and see what happens. You might be surprised how your kids (and you) will respond to it.
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