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We’re pretty good at ensuring our kids are eating nutritious, healthy food for their main meals. But when it comes to snacks, there can be a tendency to just let the kids loose in the pantry or fridge for after-school, after-dinner, weekend, or ‘why-not’ snack raids!
The food that children eat is very important. Not only do kids need fuel for day-to-day life, they also require good amounts of nutrients to support their growing body, developing brain, and general wellbeing.
Snacks are important
Snacks make up an important part of the diet and should be seen as a way to boost your child’s intake of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients – rather than a time for “treat” foods which tend to be high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt. Snacks are the ideal opportunity to fill in any nutrition gaps from main meals with healthy options. Kids should eat a variety of foods in regular meals and snacks from each of the four major food groups.
Why Yakult is the best snack option
Part of a healthy diet includes probiotics – live beneficial bacteria that help the overall harmonious balance of bacteria in the digestive system. Yakult is an easy way to restore and maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Drinking one bottle of Yakult daily is a refreshing way to include probiotics in your family’s diet. A perfectly proportioned bottle of Yakult makes a great after-school snack for kids when they come charging in the door from a full day of learning. Yakult can also be added to tasty smoothies or cooling milkshakes – check out these Yakult recipes for more ideas.
Yakult is the only product in the world to contain the unique bacteria Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota LcS strain. The LcS strain has over 85 years of scientific research behind its benefits and efficacy.
There are two different types of Yakult available in New Zealand, Yakult Original and Yakult LIGHT.
- Yakult Original is available in a 5 and 10 pack of 65ml bottles with each containing 6.5 billion live beneficial bacteria. Each 65mL bottle of Yakult contains sufficient beneficial bacteria as a single serve.
- Yakult LIGHT offers all the same benefits and same high number of beneficial bacteria as the Original but with less sugar. Yakult LIGHT is available in a 5-bottle pack.
Other healthy snack ideas
- 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese with 2 carrots cut into sticks
- 1/3 cup chickpeas roasted in lemon juice and herbs
- 2-3 grain, rice or corn wafers with 1/2 tin of tuna or salmon and sliced tomato
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on 1/2 a pita pocket
- 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt and 25g of nuts or seeds
- 1/2 a pita pocket grilled with grated cheese, tomato, mushrooms, onion, capsicum etc
- Fruit kebabs
- 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt and 1 small piece of fruit
- 1/2 a cup of reduced fat milk, 1/2 a banana and 1/4 cup of blueberries blended into a smoothie
- 1/2 a cup thinly sliced potatoes, oven baked with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice and herbs
- 1/4 cup oats and 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt
- 1 boiled egg on 1 piece of wholemeal toast topped with sliced tomato
- 1/2 cup pasta with 1/3 cup of mince and leftover veges, sprinkle with parmesan cheese
- 1/2 a fish fillet cup into strips, coated with lemon juice, then breadcrumbs and baked
- 1/3 of a tin of baked beans on 1/2 a wholemeal bread roll
- 1/2 cup cooked rice with 1/2 cup of tinned tuna or salmon, leftover veges and 1 tbsp. Hummus
- 1/2 a cup of leftover potato chopped into squares and mixed with 1/4 cup cottage cheese with chives
- 1/2 cup of lentil and vegetable soup
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