Empty Calories

Snacks, snacks, snacks. Why are there so many snack foods? And why do kids need so many snacks in a day? Also why are most snack foods void of nutrients? Pretzels- not terrible as far as a processed snack food goes, but think… where’s the nutrition in them? I don’t mean where’s the health-food, but where are the nutrients that the body needs to function? So you’ve given your kids some calories to tide them over, but those potato chips, cheese puffs and corn chips are lacking any vitamins or minerals. So guess what? The body says, “great I’ve got something now, but in just 15-30 minutes when I realize I got nothing out of those calories, I will want more food to fuel me.” This cycle is a major reason our population is getting fatter… along with portions being too big plus a reduction in physical activity.

So think— is this snack food going to tide them over just to be hungry again or maybe some carrots, apples and cheese are better alternatives to the empty calorie snacks.

Also, try for the snacks that don’t have my 3 worst types of ingredients: artificial colors, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

Here are a few ideas for those in-between times when you really must fill a hole until mealtime.

Fresh Vegetables!