After-School Snack Attacks

The Healthy Way!
When you get home from school, what’s the first thing you do after shedding your backpack? If you’re like most kids, your first stop is the fridge or the pantry for a snack. After all...it’s been hours since you ate lunch, and you’re hungry! Snacks are very important and help us to keep energized and alert. Walking, playing, gym class and even studying all take energy. Kids also have smaller stomachs so you need to eat more often than adults. But you’ve also heard your mom say “don’t ruin your dinner by eating too much junk!” When we are really hungry, it’s easy to choose the wrong things to eat or eat too much. Here are some tips for how to choose healthy snacks that will keep you satisfied until dinner.

1. What makes a snack healthy? Ever wonder why they call it “junk food?” Because
even though foods like chips, cookies and candy taste good, they include lots of
calories, sugar and fat, offering little nutrition for your body. When choosing healthy
alternatives, look for snacks that include a combination of protein and carbohydrates
or “carbs” for short. Protein is found in foods like eggs, milk, meat, beans and nuts. Carbs are found in bread, crackers and pasta. Whole grains are also very healthy and will keep you feeling full longer. That’s why a whole grain English muffin with some peanut butter will keep you energized longer than a candy bar.

2. Don’t overdo do it. Ever hear someone say, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!”?
Of course they don’t mean it literally, but sometimes when we are so hungry, we
feel like we could eat an entire box of cookies or bag of chips. It’s easy to do, too.
That’s because it takes several minutes for our stomachs to tell our brains that we’re
full. So instead of taking an entire box or bag to where you plan to enjoy your snack,
measure out a reasonable amount and put it in a bowl or on a plate. Once you’ve eaten it, wait a few minutes before deciding you’re still hungry. Remember, the point of a snack is to hold you over until your next meal, not to replace it.

3. Together with a parent, come up with several healthy options you can both agree
on. Write them down on a list (including how much of each) and post it close to the
fridge. That way, when you come home with a growling tummy, you can look at the
list to make a quick and healthy decision. There is a great recipe below, but here are
some other simple ideas: sliced apple with peanut butter, cottage cheese mixed with fruit, pretzel rods with yogurt for dipping, graham crackers with a glass of milk, carrot sticks or veggies of your choice with ranch dressing for dipping.

Ants On A Log
This is a fun snack that you can make. Just have a parent cut up the celery ahead of time and keep them stored in a plastic container in the refrigerator. When you get home from a long day at school, you can grab the celery and make this tasty treat in no time.

2 celery sticks
2 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter
2 tablespoons raisins

Wash the celery and have a parent cut each one in half. Spread the peanut butter inside the hollow part of the celery sticks and top with raisins. For a little variety, try using peanuts, other dried fruit, granola or sunfl ower seeds in place of the raisins.