Best healthy snacks for back to school

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Nutrition is important to keep in mind when we think about kids going back to school. Snacks contribute a large part of children’s calories which is why parents should pay attention to selecting healthier options.

“Things to look for when we’re looking at labels, protein is really important. Protein is what our body needs to get that energy,” said Dr. Mindy Calandro, a Pediatrician with the Baton Rouge Clinic. “Carbohydrates are okay too. We want to try to pick good, healthy carbohydrates.”

Calandro said swapping out typical snacks for better options gives the whole-body benefits to nurture your child’s brain, gut and immune health.

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“I think for parents if you can cut fruit up and have it in the fridge at home that works great because it’s super easy for kids to grab it out of the fridge and eat it,” said Calandro.

Instead of grabbing the chips, she said popcorn is a good low-calorie alternative. Freeze-dried fruits have less sugar than dried fruits. Seeds and nuts are great for protein.

“These are great little packs that have just a serving of almond butter or peanut butter,” said Calandro.

Gatorade Fit and the Mio flavors that you can add to water are great alternatives to soda.

“It definitely is a challenge and especially when kids are presented with say vending machines or what’s an option to be that they can just buy at school are not these great healthy options, so I think as parents that becomes a really important job for us to try our best to have in the house those healthy snack options.”

There are many ways to save when it comes to buying healthy food. Calandro recommends growing your own fruits and veggies or buying them frozen.

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