Discover Healthy Recess Snacks
Now that summer is in full swing, it’s time for children’s favorite time of year: summer vacation. However, it’s never too early to start back-to-school planning! When children start school, they start expending more energy and thus, their nutrient needs also increase. That’s why it’s important to ensure that healthy recess snacks are part of their day to day.
Benefits of healthy snacks
Mainly, healthy recess snacks promote children’s learning, since their brains will be well-nourished. In turn, they’ll have an easier time concentrating.
In addition, they won’t get overly tired and will enjoy playing or exercising for a longer time. Likewise, they’ll also stay in good health until adulthood. Another advantage is that they’ll enjoy optimal growth.
Are there any ideal healthy recess snacks?
Despite the widespread idea that snacks must include at least one piece of fruit, a dairy product, and some cereal, there’s no evidence in this regard. The only premise is that children should eat healthy foods, while respecting their appetite.
In addition, they can follow a vegetarian or vegan diet as long as it’s balanced. Thus, you can substitute whole milk for a plant-based drink. The recommended foods are:
- Fruit.
- Unsalted nuts.
- Cereal flakes with no added sugar.
- A food that contains protein (cheese, tuna, mackerel, ham, legumes, and tofu).
- Whole wheat bread.
- A glass of whole milk or plant-based milk.
- Cow, goat, or soy yogurt.
Healthy recess snacks
Below you’ll find a list of varied snack ideas that are easy to make.
- Whole or diced fruit.
- A few unsalted roasted nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or cashews.
- A whole grain and peanut butter snack or any sugar-free nut. It goes very well with banana.
- Fruit and a handful of unsalted nuts.
- A natural or soy yogurt. You can add some berries (blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries), apple, or cut pear to it. You can even add cinnamon to give it a different touch.
- A hazelnut cream and sugar-free cocoa sandwich.
- A sandwich with ingredients such as ham, cheese, tuna, hummus, spinach, roasted peppers with tuna or mackerel, or fresh cheese or tuna with tomato slices.
- A banana, strawberry and cocoa smoothie.
- A piece of fruit and one ounce of 70-75% cacao chocolate.
- A fruit salad with various fruits.
- 2-3 cereal bars and homemade nuts.
- Apple slices with peanut butter and pumpkin seeds.
- Oat flakes with nuts or fresh fruit. In fact, you can soak them with a glass of milk or a plant-based drink.
- Baked spiced chickpeas.
- Crudités (carrot sticks and celery) with hummus.
Now you have no excuse to pack healthy recess snacks for your child. We’re sure they’ll enjoy them!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Agencia de Salud Pública de Cataluña. (2017). La alimentación saludable en la etapa escolar. Barcelona.
- Agencia de Salud Pública de Cataluña. (2018). Mejoremos los desayunos y meriendas de los niños. [Consultado 18 septiembre 2019] Disponible en : http://salutpublica.gencat.cat/web/.content/minisite/aspcat/promocio_salut/alimentacio_saludable/02Publicacions/pub_alim_inf/millorem_esmorzars_i_berenars/mejoremos_desayunos_meriendas.pdf
- Aitor Sánchez. (2018) Mi dieta ya no cojea. 1ª ed. Paidós.
- Craig, WJ y Mangels, AR. (2009). Position of the American Dietetica Association: vegetarian diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(7): 1266-82.
