Your little one will look up to you whenever he or she sees you eating, and as they grow, he or she will learn to explore different kinds of food. Kids do not just eat out of curiosity. Just like adults, they eat to satisfy their appetite.
Snacking can help your child solve the spike of hunger even when mealtime is still a few hours away. Here are some reasons why snacking is important for raising healthy kids.
It Provides Nutrients for the Developing Body
A child’s body continues to develop after birth. Children demand more nutrients compared to adults because of the ongoing processes of development in their brain, bones, and other organs.
Snacks can help your child complete developmental processes by obtaining more nutrients. According to studies, you should allow your child to have at least two healthy snacks each day.
If your little one is already attending school, make sure to check out the cafeteria to know if there are any healthy options for your little one’s snack time. Better yet, let your child bring their own snacks to school, which they can share with others too.
Improves Mood and Promotes Good HealthHave you ever noticed how you can get so irritable whenever you feel hungry or whenever your order at the restaurant gets delayed? Kids also get grumpy whenever they do not find a way to resolve their hunger.
Snacking at particular times of the day can help your child manage hunger. This way, their mood will also be improved the moment they get to take a bite of a delicious and nutritious snack.
Snacking can also help your child achieve the ideal weight appropriate for his or her age. When a child eats enough, he or she will be at the normal range in terms of weight.
As a parent, you should guide and control how much he or she should eat. Your child can eat anything he or she wants for snack time—may it be an organic clubhouse sandwich or some chocolate-coated pretzels.
The important thing to teach your child is to learn how to control their appetite so their health will not be compromised. When good health and weight is maintained according to the normal range, your kids will surely become wiser and stronger, especially if they are already of school-age.
Enhances Academic Success
Snacking absolutely gives brain power. Notice how you run out of creative ideas if you miss out on lunch or when you are super hungry but have no means to resolve the hunger? According to studies, snacking has been found to be associated with academic success, especially if the kids’ snacks are nutritious.
It is suggested that healthy eating habits will help a child excel in school. Too many fast-food snacks and sweetened beverages are to be avoided for kids to perform better in school.
Learning about Food and FlavorsIf you offer your child a variety of snacks to choose from every day, they will start to expand their choices when it comes to food.
Kids learn more about food and how it is made or prepared through snacking. They will also learn to appreciate different flavors of food. While they learn more about food, it is during this time that you can introduce them to snacks from different countries as well. This can help them expand their knowledge about diverse foods from various cultures.
For instance, you can let your child try Japanese snacks and make the experience more exciting by talking to them about Japan. Here is a yummy visual guide to help you out.
Snacking is indeed essential for a child’s health and well-being. It helps a child grow through the influx of the nutrients needed for developmental processes. It helps enhance a child’s cognitive and motor abilities and improves their mental health as well.
Don’t scold your child for reaching for a slice of bread or picking up a pack of biscuits in the middle of the afternoon. Instead, teach your child how to choose the right snacks and when to engage in snack time. This is how you raise a healthy kid through snacking.