3 Afternoon Snack Tips When Concerned About Your Child or Teen’s Weight

Do you wonder what to feed your child or teen for an afternoon snack that will be satisfying and something they will enjoy, yet support a healthy weight? Maybe you talk about your concerns with your child, hoping it can make a difference, yet it only creates more stress? I can help fix this.

You might think that giving them a “low calorie” snack is the answer. Maybe you’ve been told to cut out carbohydrates all together from their snack? These ideas are focused on deprivation rather than ensuring your child is satisfied and well nourished.

The truth is you really just need to provide a snack they will enjoy that keeps their blood sugar steady, which in turn will help keep them satisfied. Some people are sensitive to spikes in their blood sugar unknowingly making it easy to gain weight when eating too many carbs at one time. A simple shift in the balance of snacks can help change this.

I’ve helped hundreds of families concerned about their child or teen’s weight and these 3 tips work! They may seem simple, but when combined make a difference. I want you to think balance, location and timing with these 3 tips.

Tip #1: Balance The Snack. Rather than give multiple carbohydrates, such as fruit and crackers, or a fruit roll and a granola bar, give 1 carbohydrate + 1 protein or healthy fat. Multiple carbohydrates can spike blood sugars and cause cravings for more carbohydrates. Protein helps stabilize blood sugar, which will keep your child more satisfied and help prevent weight gain. And, healthy fats are satisfying. When you don’t have a balanced snack that includes a fat or a protein, your child may not feel as satisfied, which can lead to wanting more food.For example, try an apple and a spoonful of almond or peanut butter, or try cheese and popcorn, hummus and cut up veggies, edamame and fruit, or a few chicken potstickers with cut up vegetables. You can always add cut up vegetables into their snack if you want to make the snack bigger. The fiber in the vegetables will also help to satisfy them. Foods that can be added onto a snack plate that don’t raise blood sugars include pickles, olives, vegetables, cheese, turkey roll up, almond based crackers and guacamole, just to name a few.

Tip #2: Location: Plate The Balanced Snack and Eat at the Kitchen Table. This can help decrease mindless eating. Have the snack ready to go at snack time so it’s not a time of reaching in cabinets or snack drawers.

Tip #3: Timing: Create A Set Snack Time Midway Between Lunch and Dinner. This helps prevent eating multiple snacks. It also gives kids the opportunity to figure out another activity to do other than making snack the activity. And when a snack is balanced, like in tip #1, it should be satisfying and hold them over until dinnertime.

If you found these tips helpful and need expert guidance to help your child or teen lose weight, watch a free parent training video just for you. balancemyplate.com