One of the most common problems is that children do not eat lunch or it is almost impossible to offer them vegetables. The main reason is that children eat foods with a lot of sugar: sweet cottage cheese, yogurts, muffins, buns or other sweets. We also see these products in children‘s snack boxes. They get a large amount of calories eating snacks, so they are not hungry during lunch. Snacks should end at least an hour before lunch, and they should be less caloric and healthier. In LIFV kindergarten and primary school children eat a snack (French “goûter”). After 1.5 – 2 hours they have lunch, so it is important that the snack is not too filling, so we recommend to reduce the amount and size of the snacks so that the child eats more lunch.
Healthy snack ideas:
• Banana + natural nut butter
• Whole grain crispy sticks + hummus + cherry tomatoes
• Cottage cheese + berries + chia seeds + cinnamon
• Slice of whole grain bread + grain cottage cheese + avocado
• Carrot, celery sticks
• Chopped fresh vegetables (cucumber, cherry tomatoes, peppers, radishes, etc.).
• A handful of nuts or seeds (not salted, not baked, not sweetened)
• Fruit (apple, pear, banana, orange)
• A handful of berries (blueberries, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, currants, gooseberries, etc. – it is best to choose according to the season, but don’t forget berries in the cold season as well)
• Dried fruit with no added sugar (note quantity, e.g. 2 dried apricots)
• Salad
• Legumes fried with your favorite spices (peas, chickpeas, beans)
• Cheese sticks (unsalted, unsmoked).
If you buy snacks, pay attention to the nutrition declaration. When choosing snacks, give preference to food products containing up to 5 g/100 g of sugar, salt up to 1 g/100 g; if they are cereal crops or fruit products, the fiber content should be more than 6 g/100 g.
What do we need to pay attention to when children are having a snack?
It is important not to be too hungry and not to eat in passing:
• Allow at least 5 minutes for eating a snack.
• Eat snacks sitting comfortably (not standing, walking)
• Eat while focusing on the food, its taste, smell (not on the phone or computer, TV screen).
Mindful eating helps to satisfy not only physical, but also emotional hunger, and at the same time reduces the risk of overeating.
It is also important to pay attention to the size of the snack. Maybe the snack becomes just a high-calorie meal rather than a snack?
The list of products prohibited in kindergartens and not recommended in schools:
• potato, corn or other chips, other products cooked in fat, fried or popped;
• sweets, chocolate and chocolate products;
• ice cream;
• dairy products and confectionery with frosting, frosting, chocolate or cream;
• chewing gum;
• carbonated drinks; energy drinks; non-alcoholic beer, cider and wine;
• beverages and food products made from (or containing) coffee beans or their extract; chicory, acorn or grain drinks (coffee substitutes);
• kisielje;
• concentrates of broths, sauces;
• sauces with crackers;
• cold, hot, lightly smoked meat products and meat products, in the production of which smoking flavoring substances were used; Kipper;
• canned meat and fish products; strip (herring), caught in the Baltic Sea;
• canned products of industrial production;
• mechanically separated meat, fish and food products containing mechanically separated meat or fish; offal and their products (except tongues and liver);
• fried meat, poultry and fish products rolled in breadcrumbs or sprinkled with breadcrumbs;
• food supplements;
• food products made from genetically modified organisms (hereinafter referred to as GMOs) or food products that contain GMOs;
• foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable fats.
Do not forget that children copy adults, so start with yourself by developing a child’s attitude to healthy and complete nutrition.
If you have any questions please contact our Healthcare service:
- Šilo campus : Mrs Silvija Cicėnaitė, silvijacicenaite@lifv.lt
- Subačiaus campus: Mrs Kristina Giedrytė, infirmerie@lifv.lt