Help Kids Make Fun, Healthy Snacks
by Pat Melgares

National statistics indicate that approximately 70 percent of all kids and adults do not eat the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day for good health.

Kathy Walsten, a nutrition educator with Kansas State University Research and Extension, offers the following ideas to help parents provide nutritious snacks for kids:
  • Freeze fruits. Bananas are a popular choice. Parents can cut bananas in half, dip them in yogurt and roll in granola cereal before freezing. Frozen grapes are also becoming popular: "They are cool like popsicles and sweet like candy, but they've got plenty of vitamins and fiber, too," Walsten said.

    To freeze grapes, wash and place individually on a cookie sheet before freezing. Later, transfer the grapes to a plastic bag - ready for a cool summer snack anytime. Walsten cautioned that whole frozen grapes should only be served to children age 3 or older; cut frozen grapes into smaller pieces for younger children as a precaution against choking.

  • Make a fruit pop cup. Mix fruit and 100 percent juice in disposable small cups and freeze. Serve with a spoon.

  • Use cold corn in salads and salsa. "The next time you cook corn on the cob, make extra and refrigerate for another day," Walsten said. "Then, cut the corn off the cob and serve over a salad."

Other popular fruit snacks include blender shakes (sometimes also called 'smoothies' or 'frosties') which include fresh fruit and yogurt; or a banana split with yogurt, granola and cherries or blueberries.

Walsten recommends three Websites for more information on healthy fruit snacks for children, including:

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Source: Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research and Extension

For more information: Kathy Walsten is at 785-532-1676