Healthy Kids Snacks to Serve Up This Summer

By Sherrie Le Masurier

Just because its summer doesn't mean your kids don't need to fuel up on some healthy kids snacks between meals. When your kids are active indoors and out it's important to give them nutritious food and drink that will keep them full and hydrated this summer.

Following are some great ways top up your kids with fluids, boost their level of antioxidants, help them grow and maintain healthy bones, add fibre to their diets with whole grains, and show them that veggies do have a fun side.

When your kids are hanging around pool side or knocking on the back door looking for something to eat or drink, try these healthy kids snack and drink ideas on for size.

Avoid drinks laden with sugar and caffeine. Instead of sports drinks and pop, serve ice water (add a slice of lemon, lime or cucumber), low-fat milk, or 100% fruit juice. When serving juice, consider half cup servings over larger ones to avoid loading your kids up with too much sugar.

Serve fruits with a high water content. When hunger strikes and it's hot out, nothing refreshes quite like watermelon and oranges.

Keep fresh fruit and veggies washed and ready to eat. One of the best ways to ensure that your kids consume enough antioxidants on a daily basis is to make sure that there is always a healthy supply of cut up fruits and veggies in your fridge.

Serve healthier chocolate milk. While there's a certain appeal to chocolate milk, you can reduce the sugar content by diluting it with a little white milk.

Pair up pitas with hummus and 'pop' some healthy corn. Whole grain, whole wheat pitas cut into wedges and served with hummus and other healthy dips like baba gnoush are great summer snack ideas for kids. Instead of butter laden microwave popcorn, use an air popper or make some the old fashion way on your stove top, using healthy oil (olive or vegetable) and a little sea salt.

Use cut up veggies to make silly facial expressions on open face sandwiches. Be creative, use a slice of red pepper for the mouth, carrot circles for the eyes, a green bean for the nose, sprouts for the hair etc.

Make mini homemade veggie pizzas. Thinly slice up a bunch of vegetables and get your kids to assemble their own veggie pizzas on sliced English muffins or pocketless pitas.

Discover more healthy kids snack ideas by visiting www.school-lunch-ideas.net and signing up for a complimentary subscription to Sherrie's School Lunch Ideas Newsletter.

Sherrie Le Masurier is a mother of two, a lifestyle columnist and founder of School Lunch Ideas, a creative and helpful resource for parents of kids with food allergies and/or who attend a school with a nut-free policy.