Kids, Nutrition, and Cavities

Cavities are one of the most common nutrition-related problems in children in the United States. Choosing your child's snacks can have a big impact on developing or preventing cavities. Snacks should be from a variety of food groups and lower in sugar content. Replace sweet desserts and candy with healthier alternatives. Below are some options for quick and healthy snacks and the food groups they belong to:

Fresh fruits and vegetables: berries, oranges, grapefruit, melons, broccoli, celery, carrots, cucumbers
Grains: bread, plain bagels, unsweetened cereals, pretzels, pasta
Milk and dairy products: low or non-fat dairy products, like milk, yogurt, cheeses
Meat, nuts and seeds: chicken, turkey, sliced meats, nuts, sunflower seeds

Because of the small size of children's stomachs, it is often necessary for children to eat 2-3 snacks each day to help them get adequate calories. Picking healthful snacks are an important and necessary part of your child's nutrition.

Diet-Friendly Kitchen

Clean kitchen.
Always having a clean kitchen makes cooking at home seem more inviting than eating out. This is not just for the kitchen, but also keeping pots and dishes organized and ready to use can be beneficial. It is more motivating to make a dinner at home if everything is ready to go rather than overwhelming with a messy table and pile of dishes awaiting you. Of course, you still have to cook a healthy meal for a clean kitchen to work to your diet's advantage.

Make healthy snacks readily available. 
Having fresh fruits and vegetables in a bowl in the center of your table makes it more likely for you snack on healthier foods. Also have healthy snacks in your cabinets. Keep the fattier and saltier snacks on the top shelf  or leave them off the grocery list.

Keep water in the refrigerator.
You've probably heard some of the popular diet tricks: drink a cup of water before a meal, drink water with a meal to help you fill up, and water should be your main beverage everyday. Keeping water in the refrigerator in a pitcher or cup is one way to increase your water consumption. Many people believe water is more appetizing when it is very cold. Interesting, drinking water helps in weight loss because many times we think we are hungry, we are actually just thirsty.

Losing or maintaining weight takes many lifestyle changes and starting in the kitchen is one easy way to start your diet.

Snacks in Under 100 Calories

Snacks are a great way to insure you get enough calories in a day, a problem many of us do not have. However, snacking also helps keep our blood sugars even and metabolism going. Choosing healthful snacks are much more beneficial than those that are less than so. Monitoring the calories you take in from snacks can be an important part of any diet. Too much snacking can lead to eating excess calories and cause unwanted weight gain.

One way to control snacking is to know how many calories are in a serving of your favorite healthful snacks. Great snacks under 100 calories are listed below for your convenience:

1 cup blueberries= 85 cal

1 medium apple= 70 cal

1 small banana= 60 cal

2 cups popcorn= 95 cal

1/2 cup oatmeal= 75 cal

1 sheet graham crackers= 55 cal

1 cup carrots= 25 cal

1/2 medium cucumber= 20 cal

1/2 cup fat free fruit yogurt=85 cal

1 oz reduced fat cheese= 80 cal

3/4 oz sharp cheddar= 90 cal

1.5 oz chicken breast without skin= 70 cal

1 oz deli turkey breast= 30 cal

1 large egg= 75 cal

13 almonds= 90 cal

1 Tbsp peanut butter= 95 cal

Smart Snacking

Snacking is often seen as a bad thing, but it really isn't when you choose the right foods to munch on.  Snacks are needed if our meals are lacking in calories, if our stomachs are growling between meals, or if our bodies need energy to make it through our day. 

Generally, I try to stick to 2 rules when I choose a snack.  1. Eat a high fiber food. 2. Eat a high protein food.  Both fiber and protein are important in helping us feel full.  By choosing a snack with fiber or protein, you will be less likely to continue to snack on other foods and take in excess calories.  Chips and cookies usually have neither fiber nor protein so you can take in more calories than you intended, and they will leave you wanting more. 

Snack Fiber Foods:

• piece of fruit, with peel or seeds, such as apples, apricots, pear, raspberries, strawberries
• vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots
• whole grain products, such as cereals, breads

Snack Protein Foods:

• yogurt, light or fat-free
• milk, skim or 1%
• peanut or almond butter on whole wheat crackers or bread (has fiber too!)
• nuts, such as pistachios, almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts (fiber here too!)