Natural Selection
Written By Catherine Newman
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Pro Portions
In one study of children and snack patterns, Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating, found that kids given mini cookies in a small bag — a finite portion — did not crave more. Those same cookies on a plate, however, suggested that there were others and so, naturally, the kids wanted more. "Kids are no better than adults in knowing the right size of a snack," he says. "If we give them a small bag and hide the rest away, they don't know there's more and they feel satisfied."
Thoroughly Decent Snacks
Trail mix: Make your own from almonds and walnuts, which offer the most protein, fiber, and minerals for the least saturated fat. Add in dried fruits, pumpkin seeds, and low-sugar cereals.
Bananas: Full of potassium and conveniently packaged for your child by Mother Nature herself.
Edamame: They're those green soybeans you may have eaten in Japanese restaurants. Find them in the freezer section of a large supermarket or natural foods store, steam them in their pods until tender, salt the pods heavily (shhhh), then let your child pop out the beans for munching. Delicious, entertaining, protein-filled.
Hummus: A fine accessory for raw carrots, celery, and bell peppers, or lightly steamed broccoli and sugar snap peas.
Whole grain crackers: Try Wasa crispbreads or Triscuits for scooping up low-fat cottage cheese.
Deviled eggs: The protein, vitamins, and minerals more than offset that wee bit of extra fat. I want to tell you to try mixing the yolks with yogurt instead of mayo, but then we'd have to try that ourselves.
Apple slices: Spread them with peanut butter for fiber, vitamins, and protein.
Whole grain tortilla chips: Douse them with melted cheese (protein and calcium!) and mild salsa (lycopene! which is an antioxidant!) or guacamole (healthy fats and vitamins!).
Low-fat yogurt: Calcium, protein, acidophilus. And remember those wrinkly, smiling Soviet 100-plus-year-olds in that old Dannon ad?
Freeze-dried fruit: It offers the crunch of chips with the additive-free nutrients of fresh fruit, and a nice change of textural pace. Try Trader Joe's strawberries or Crispy Green's pineapple (crispygreen.com).
Slim Jims: Because I'm totally kidding!
The Skinny on Fat
"Kids do need fat," says Jennifer Sacheck, assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. "It's where they get most of their energy when they're little, and it's extremely important that they get fat for growth, brain development, and nutrition." Babies need to get about half of their calories from fat. As they become toddlers, that should gradually lessen to a third. "With the increase in childhood obesity, we worry about fat because it's such a calorie-dense food," says Sacheck. "You want to shift to nutrient-dense foods."
Which fats are the worst? Saturated fat, which can raise your cholesterol, and trans fat, which raises bad cholesterol, lowers the good, and sounds like a stick of butter cross-dressed as Liza Minnelli singing life is a cabaret, old chum. True, you don't see heart disease until adulthood. But kids' arteries can begin to clog by around (wow) age 10.
So which fats are the most phat? Stick to the monounsaturated kind — what you find in olive and canola oils, nuts, and avocados. They have the same caloric density as other fats, yet push up good cholesterol while cutting down on the bad. Omegas are good too; they're a subgroup of polyunsaturated fats thought to benefit your immune system, brain, and heart. Cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel), flaxseeds, and some eggs and meat are mega in omegas.
The Sweet and Lowdown
High fructose corn syrup is a sticky issue, as its rise in use parallels national waistline growth. "It's pretty controversial," says Jennifer Sacheck, of Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. "Obviously it's associated with high-calorie foods, like sodas, so it's something I would avoid by virtue of what it's usually in. But I wouldn't freak out if there's some in your ketchup." (I had, in fact, been freaking out because there was some in our ketchup!)
Do naturally occurring sugars beat the refined kind? Margo G. Wootan, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, explains that the difference is not in the sugar itself but in the nutrients that accompany it (or don't): "Sugars in fruit come with nutrients. Sugars in soda do not."
Meanwhile, natural sweeteners such as real maple syrup may slip your kids some minerals, but this benefit can be nutritionally drowned out if the syrup soaks a stack of chocolate-chip waffles.
While the FDA still approves the use of artificial sweeteners, I feel queasy about them, beyond the occasional piece of Trident. There are just so many clues they may turn out to be bad for us. I'd rather stick with real sugar, in moderation, than let my kids chug a trough of diet soda.
Plus: 3 tasty, healthy snack recipes from Catherine
