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Publication #FCS8865

Snack Attacks: Be Prepared1

Glenda L. Warren2

A snack attack is likely to hit as soon as children get home from school. Plan ahead and have ready-to-eat foods that fit into a healthy eating plan. This means you should plan snacks that help children get the recommended daily amounts from each of the main food groups:

  • Grains

  • Vegetables

  • Fruits

  • Milk

  • Meat and Beans Group

Let us think about some snack ideas from the Fruit Group.

Most children do not eat enough fruit. MyPyramid recommends whole fruit instead of fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. Whole or cut up fruit provides fiber in addition to the vitamins and minerals found in fruit juice.

Try these ideas:

  • Fresh fruit available in the crisper in the refrigerator

Grapes, kiwi, plums, peaches, pears, strawberries, or tangerines

  • Fresh fruit available in a bowl on the table or counter

Apples, bananas, nectarines, oranges, pears

  • Fresh fruit already cut-up and available in the refrigerator

Cantaloupe, mangos, or pineapple

Always keep cut fruit in the refrigerator

  • Single servings of fruit created at home and refrigerated in individual containers

This could be a mixture of fresh, dried, canned and/or frozen fruit

  • Single servings of fruit purchased in cans, cartons, or plastic containers

Applesauce, apple chunks, peaches, raisins, pineapple or mixed fruit

  • Single servings of dried fruit, divided at home, or purchased in individual packages

Apples, apricots, peaches, raisins, or plums

  • Chilled fruit salad as a special treat. Have it waiting in the refrigerator!

Remember: always keep cut fruit refrigerated.

These are just a few of the many ideas that you can consider. Think about your budget, schedule and nutritional needs of your children to plan a snack idea. Remember, ideas for healthy snacks also include food choices that help get the daily-recommended amounts from the other major food groups. The main idea is to have available those foods that help your children to get the best nutrition.

The key is to be prepared by having these healthy snacks available when a snack attack hits!

Footnotes

1. This document is FCS8865, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date December 2008. Visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Glenda L. Warren, M.S., R.D., CFCS, associate professor, Extension nutritionist, EFNEP, Department of FAmily, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean.