Teach Pupils Savvy Snacking Between Meals
Children need to grab a healthy bite to eat between breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it’s important not to let them graze on empty calories
- by Nigel Denby
- Registered dietitian and founder of Grub4Life Visit website
The debate about whether snacking is a good habit for adults will probably never be settled. Some say that savvy snacking is the secret of a healthy body, while others battle against the between-meal munchies all day, every day.
When it comes to children’s diets, though, there is no debate.
Children must snack – they will fail to achieve their daily nutritional needs without a snack mid-morning and another one in the afternoon. The Caroline Walker Trust’s nutrient-based standards for under-fives in childcare specifically allocates snacks to provide 20% of the daily nutrient intakes of children.
For providers who run sessional groups, it’s recommended that any children who are with you for just two hours should also be served a snack that contributes at least 10% of the daily nutritional needs of the child.
Play groups, stay-and-plays, and mum and toddler groups all fall into this group – and a plate of biscuits just doesn’t cut it.
Why is snacking important?
Show me a child who eats every part of every main meal they are served and I’ll show you a very shocked dietitian. All children have off meals and off days when they just don’t eat as well as you’d like. Nutrient-dense snacks help plug the gaps and are an essential contribution to the overall nutrition for the day.
Compared to adults, children have tiny tummies. However, they have comparatively high nutrient requirements, e.g. a five-year-old needs almost five times the zinc per kg bodyweight compared to a 30-year-old woman. They don’t cope well with large portions – many will refuse to eat anything when faced with a large plate of food. In order to meet these high nutrient needs, snacks need to be planned to complement the other meals throughout the day.
Three-quarters of toddlers will go through periods of problem/fussy eating. It’s a normal part of development and the bane of just about every parent’s life. Snacks are so valuable during these times to help get essential nutrients in.
What’s savvy snacking?
Now, you’ll be relieved (or possibly disappointed) to discover that savvy snacking does not mean feasting on packets of crisps, chocolate bars and doughnuts.
This type of snacking, on empty calories, is one of the greatest contributors to both childhood and adult obesity. Empty calories are from foods that offer very little nutritional benefit. Empty calorie foods include confectionery, sweets, crisps and sugary drinks like cola. These foods are not recommended as regular snacks for children (or adults) to snack on every day.
Instead, snacks need to be nutrient-dense – a good guide is to try to make sure your snacks contain foods from two foods groups, e.g.: • Cheese cubes and cherry tomatoes – protein/dairy and fruit • Bread sticks and hummus – carbohydrate and protein • Wholemeal bread soldiers with cream cheese – carbohydrate and protein/dairy • Wafer-thin turkey and apple slices – protein and fruit
Snack, don’t graze
Savvy snacking needs to be planned – ideally snacks should be served around two hours after one meal and two hours before the next. Snacking should be written into your menus so that you can make sure you’re offering a variety.
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Savvy snacking is not serving rice cakes or bread sticks every day; that’s a token gesture, from those who can’t be bothered catering. You might choose for one of your snacks each day to always be fresh fruit and milk, with the other something more inventive, such as the combinations shown – that’s perfectly fine.
Savvy snacking should not be confused with grazing. Grazing is sitting in front of the TV with a packet of biscuits, mindlessly eating them until they are finished, or nibbling while you are preparing dinner without realising you’ve consumed half a meal before you sit down to eat properly.
Grazing is as big a nutritional nightmare as empty calorie snacking. Savvy snacking is planned and documented into your menu. It’s a moment in the morning and afternoon to stop other activities and settle down and focus on food – perhaps with children involved in preparing and choosing snacks.
Sometimes a group of children might serve their peers their snacks. Snack-time can be a great opportunity for learning and developing important social skills, as well as topping up calcium, iron or fibre intakes.
What about obesity?
You’re right to be concerned about obesity. You’re also right to recognise that you have a huge role in preventing obesity in the children who attend your setting. I’d go as far to say your role is just as significant as that of parents, if not more in some cases.
In children who are a healthy weight, savvy snacking will help them to maintain their status. For children who are struggling to reach a healthy weight, savvy snacking will be a vital top-up in both calories and nutrients.
For children who are already showing signs of becoming overweight, snacking is essential too. It will help these children to achieve appropriate portion sizes at mealtimes.
If they are already attached to sugary drinks, confectionery and crisps, snacking is a good opportunity to introduce them to healthier options, and also a chance to get them involved in preparing and serving foods you want to encourage them to eat more often.
Start snacking
The bottom line is that every child in every setting needs to snack – they need to enjoy planned snacks that have a real nutritional purpose for being on the menu. Here are some of our recommendations to get you started…
• Whole natural yoghurt with fresh fruit • Half toasted crumpet with spread or cream cheese • Half cheese or fruit scone and spread • Plain popcorn and sliced pears • Canned peaches in natural juice with fromage frais • Bread sticks with mackerel pate • Cucumber and pepper sticks with hummus • Wafer-thin ham and pineapple chunks • Plain scotch pancake with spread • Home-made cookie and milk • Banana bread with fromage frais Nigel Denby is a registered dietician and founder of Grub4Life. To find out more about how Grub4Life can support you, email feedback@grub4life.com.
