Coming home from school and enjoying a delicious cake with a cup of chocolate... Sometimes you'd like to go back to childhood just for that! But the snack, before being that madeleine de Proust, is a nutritional need for children. And to be healthy, as you've heard often enough, you need to eat: BALANCED! But what really makes a good snack?
Growing children have high energy requirements but low glucose storage capacity. As a result, they need to eat on average every 4 hours. That's why it's important to give them a snack between lunch, especially if they didn't really enjoy their canteen lunch, and dinner. It's also an opportunity to take a comforting break after a busy school day, before getting down to homework or an activity.
While a snack is essential, it must also be balanced, i.e., nutritionally correct. It should be composed of :
> Water to rehydrate. Children often don't drink enough water at school. Sodas and other ultra-sweet drinks are therefore outlawed.
> A source of carbohydrates with a low or medium glycemic index, so as not to raise blood sugar levels too high. This means whole-wheat cookies, whole-grain bread or whole-grain cereals are preferable. Forget chocolate bars and other sweets.
> Fruit, preferably fresh and in season. If your child ever gets a taste of fruit at school, compote to drink can be a good solution, as long as you choose it with no added sugar.
> Dried fruit. But be careful, no more than 4 or 5! A source of good fats, they also have the added benefit of calming the stomach. They can also be found in the form of spreads.
> A dairy product. Not obligatory, it is often much appreciated by children.
Added sugars, poor-quality added fats, colorants, preservatives... Let's face it, when it comes to nutrition, industrial snacks are far from perfect. There's no substitute for simple, homemade snacks, but sometimes they're just what you need. On a day-to-day basis, even if your children are staying at daycare, remember to pack your snacks in a snack box. They're easy to carry and keep your homemade snacks fresh.
Please note that snacks should only represent 15% of daily intake. It's a snack, not a meal, otherwise your child won't have an appetite in the evening. With this in mind, you should also allow at least 2 hours between snack and dinner.
Finally, try to make snack time a quiet moment apart. A pleasant break away from visual stimuli. And to avoid associating sweet snacks with television or the tablet!
No. Unlike adults, who let themselves be dominated by stress or emotions, children know how to listen to their bodies. So there's no need to force him to taste if his body doesn't need to eat. On the other hand, offer him water to keep him hydrated, and keep listening!
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