Taking control of your eating habits requires preparation so you have access to healthy options quickly. This is even more important when you are feeding children. Most store bought snack foods are carbohydrate (i.e. bread/flour/sugar) based so here I focus on increasing fruits and vegetables. Here are some quick and easy ideas for kids snacks (these can double as adult snacks as well).

These are some common ones I use for my kids. Feel free to comment on your healthy snacks & I just may add them to the list!

1)   Cut up or small Veggies

• Celery sticks
• Sweet pepper slices
• Cherry tomatoes
• Baby carrots
• Cucumber sticks
• Edamame

2)   Dips (alternatives to ketchup and ranch dressing)

• Nut Butters (Almond, peanut etc)
• Hummus
• Pureed fruit and veggies (see below)
• Herbs and olive oil (Basil, Mint etc)
• Guacamole
• Salsa (Tomato, Mango)

3)   Pureed fruits and veggies (Can double as dips)

• Apple sauce
• Pear sauce

4)   Dried Nuts and seeds

5)   Cut up fresh or frozen fruit

• Cantaloupe
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Strawberries*
• Melon
• Apples*
• Berries*

7)   Whole fruit

• Pears*
• Apples*
• Bananas

8)  Beef Jerky (if you’re a meat eater)

9)   Cheese sticks (in moderation for dairy eaters)*

*These foods should be organic (See EWG.org)