SMART SNACKING
FOR FAMILIES ON THE GO
By Liz Weiss, MS, RDN
The way Americans eat has changed over the last few
decades. The era of three square meals per day has given way
to the snack age. Research from The Hartman Group on the
state of snacking finds that 50% of all eating occasions involve
snacks and 91% of consumers snack multiple times daily.^1
Dietitians are challenged to help their clients maintain a
healthful diet even while snacking takes precedence over
meals. This is perhaps particularly notable when it comes to
families. If kids are snacking so much, how can we make sure
their diets are balanced, wholesome, and nutritious? And if
some of their snacking is unsupervised (eg, at school, after
school, with friends), how can dietitians provide families with
ideas for easy, appealing, grab-and-go options that will keep
children’s bodies growing strong?
Shelley Balanko, PhD, senior vice president at The Hartman
Group, says their research shows that parents are more
concerned with the quality of their kids’ snacks than their own.
This is an important starting point for RDs working with families.
Snacking Benefits
Parents want to make the best snack choices for their
kids, and RDs can help, as snacking can offer the following
advantages.
Snacks Can Balance Kids’ Nutritional Intake
First, Balanko asserts that parents can leverage the conve-
nience and appeal of snacks to help balance their child’s nutri-
tional intake for the day: “We hear a lot of consumers say that
snacking is a great way to increase their fruit and vegetable
consumption in particular.” In addition, parents’ biggest con-
sideration when choosing snacks for their kids is that they’re
low in sugar, so RDs can share nutritionally balanced, low-
sugar snack ideas with clients.
Heather Mangieri, RDN, author of Fueling Young Athletes,
finds it helpful to reframe the idea of snacking altogether
when creating snack ideas with clients. “I personally prefer to
use the term ‘mini-meal’ over ‘snack’ ... [it] helps to visualize
something more substantial and nourishing.”Snacks Can Help Sustain Energy Levels
Balanko also says that snacks help maintain energy levels.
“That is a primary need that consumers have today ... [RDs
can help parents] choose snacks to maintain energy levels,
whether it’s over the long term or to give someone a quick
burst of energy to fulfill the demands of a sport or a particu-
larly challenging meeting.” This is especially relevant given
how many after-school activities children are involved in;
some kids are on the go from 7 am to 8 pm and need fuel to
enable them to fully participate.HEALTHFUL SNACKING
Snack Boards
Trendy “snack boards” (aka
grazing boards, cheese boards,
appetizer boards) are easy and
quick to prepare, so if parents
keep a variety of ingredients on
hand—eg, fruits and vegetables,
protein-rich foods, whole grains—
their kids may be able to create their
own snack boards when they’re hungry.
(Younger children will need supervision.) “What
could be more fun than letting kids help you rummage
through the fridge, assemble everything on a big board,
and sit around to nosh? Give them little tasks, like piling
almonds into a ramekin, arranging crackers on a plate, or
deciding which fruits you’re going to include on the snack
board,” says Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RDN.
Dietitians can help parents teach their kids about
balancing healthful fats, carbohydrates, and protein so
families can get a feel for a well-rounded snack board.
The ingredient possibilities are endless. An example
of a family-pleasing board is one filled with a medley
of ingredients such as carrots, snap peas, cucumbers,
grapes, and strawberries, as well as sliced turkey,
salami, cheese, hummus, whole grain crackers, pretzel
thins, shelled pistachios, dried apricots, and olives.
Snack boards are ideal as a fun family snack, but
when piled high with everything but the kitchen sink, they
also can become dinner.
— LW8 today’s dietitian august 2019