All You Need to Know About Healthy Summer Snacks for Your Kids

It’s that time of year when school is coming to an end, kids are home, the days are warmer, and there is the never-ending, repeated sentence of “can I have a snack? I’m hungry!”

If your kids are anything like my kids, there is a blackhole compartment in the stomach that has room for 1,000 snacks throughout the day, and this compartment never seems to fill up until a meal comes around. Does this sound familiar to you? It is a daily occurrence over here! So, what is a parent to do, especially now that the kids are home all day? How do they stay occupied, well-fed, and how do they not graze out of boredom?

Well, for starters, it is crucial to maintain some sort of structure around meals and snacks, as well as around physical activity. The nice thing about summer is that it’s warmer out and kids can get outside more! The other wonderful thing about summer is that many more fruits and vegetables are in season, which means it is easier to get those nutrients into your kids!

What’s wrong with the pre-packaged snacks?

It’s easy to keep the packaged goods on hand for snacks. While those treats can be enjoyed once in a while, it’s important that these aren’t the main staples for kids. Unfortunately, these processed foods tend to be higher in carbohydrates, sugar, unhealthy fats, and various chemicals and additives. These can lead to:

• Spikes in blood sugar, leading to crashes —> which in turn leads to more hunger (and a vicious cycle begins)

• The additives and chemicals can disrupt the gut microbiome of the child, which can alter digestion (lead to diarrhea, constipation, stomach aches, etc.) and ultimately lower the immune system of the kid —> this can lead to more illness during the summer

• These foods can negatively impact behaviors for kids (especially foods containing dyes and high sugar foods)

• These foods can also lead to energy disruption for kids, making them more sluggish and less likely to want to go out and be active

What about those cool treats for hot summer days?

As previously stated, these treats can be enjoyed in moderation, but they should not be a regular staple in the diet. The same goes for those sweet cold treats on those hot days. Ice cream, popsicles, freezee pops, ice cream sandwiches, sno-cones, slushies, etc. all sound delicious and can cool you off during those scorching days, but these treats are also high in sugar, chemicals, additives, and dyes as well. You can incorporate these for a once-in-a-while treat, and also enjoy other cold treats that can satisfy cravings while cooling you down. Some examples of these include:

• Fresh homemade smoothies (you can even get some veggies in there – try spinach, celery, or carrots, there are a lot of recipes out there)

• Use leftover smoothie and add it to popsicle molds to create smoothie popsicles

• Make homemade fruit popsicles

• Frozen grapes are delicious

• Halved bananas on a stick, dipped in peanut butter + dark chocolate and frozen (they’re delicious)

• Homemade yogurt parfaits with some fresh fruit and granola

• Frozen Greek yogurt bark with fruit and nuts

• Frozen fruit with nuts/seeds in a cup

• Homemade frozen yogurt popsicles (blend greek yogurt with fruit and freeze it in popsicle molds)

How can I keep my kid nourished with all the summer activities?

Summer is also a time when athletic activities pop up so it’s vital to support your kid’s body and fuel properly. With the weather heating up, it’s also crucial that your children are properly hydrated. Meeting hydration needs can be done through adequate water intake AND through hydrating foods. Some great snacks that can help a kid fuel for activities, include:

• Homemade no bake granola bars (can always add in protein powder to up the protein content)

• Homemade granola bites/balls or protein balls (there are MANY recipes out there) – peanut butter energy balls are delicious

• Homemade fruit pizza

• Peanut butter and apple-cinnamon topped toast, or peanut butter and fresh strawberries on toast

• ½ of a homemade deli meat sandwich

• Yogurt + banana

• Beef or turkey jerky + apple or fruit of choice

• Whole grain crackers + hard-boiled egg

• Homemade healthy trail mix (dried fruit, dried nuts and/or seeds)

• Homemade smoothie

• Veggies and hummus

Tips for staying hydrated:

• Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages like sweet teas, lemonade, juice, or soda

• Add fruit to water for flavor

• Try sparkling flavored waters

• Fruits and vegetables generally have great water content, especially watermelon, berries, melons, cucumbers, celery, and bell peppers – make sure to incorporate these into the day

How can I make healthy eating happen when summer gets so busy?

Overall, June is a time when lives can get a whole lot busier with all the summertime activities and get-togethers planned. Many times, families are camping or going to a cabin where easy-to-grab meals and snacks are a mainstay.  This is when planning really needs to come into play to help set up proper fueling and healthy eating. One way of easy planning (and to make it fun) is to get your kids involved! Other tips:

• Set time aside during the week to prep any snacks or meals

• Keep a consistent schedule for kids:

  • Kids don’t have free access to snacks when they’re in school, so keep a similar pattern at home

  • Have a healthy balance - 3 meals a day and planned snacks throughout the day (do the best you can)

• It doesn’t have to be complicated – have healthy sandwiches and wraps on hand that incorporate quality protein and vegetables

• Make a big batch of trail mix ahead of time

• Make extra smoothie mix and freeze it into popsicles

• Make a bigger batch of snacks at one time

• Put your kids in charge of making certain snacks (they’re more likely to eat it then)

Final thoughts

Having an organized plan that involves the input and help of your kids can make summer eating a whole lot healthier and easier, especially when it comes to snacks. It does take a little bit of effort, but once you get the rhythm and routine down, these snacks and meals can be streamlined. Keeping kids on a schedule during the summer will also help avoid the constant “can I have a snack?” question. With proper planning, and utilizing more whole foods and less packaged foods, your kids will also likely stay fuller longer! For more ideas and a meal plan, schedule your free 30-minute discovery call here. Happy summer eating!

Check out this latest video on healthy summertime snacks for kids with me and Jennifer Jensen from Sutton Ridge Farm - Click here to watch the video