Mon amour snack! Everything you need to know about why it's important for kids to do it
Good nutrition always includes five meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks. Too often, however, the sandwiches between one meal and another are forgotten or underestimated.
Especially for the little ones, distributing energy and nutrients in a correct and balanced way is important for eating and being well. These small snacks, one mid-morning and the other mid-afternoon, allow you to arrive at your main meals less hungry, thus allowing you to have more control over what you eat.
Five meals a day are good for your health
Numerous studies and researches have shown that between two subjects, who consume the same diet, those who distribute calories and energy in 5 different meals, instead of just on lunch and dinner occasions, have higher cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin levels. low and better glucose tolerance.
Having a couple of snacks during the day, according to modern diet therapy, is also recommended to prevent and combat diabetes and various cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive disorders.
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Having a snack brings joy
Did you know that having a snack also helps your mood? Studies have shown that carbohydrates, which must never be lacking, also serve to keep stress under control because they stimulate the brain to produce serotonin, or "the" good mood hormone ".
Obviously, a healthy snack must not lack a little protein and a small amount of fat, especially for the little ones who practice sports every day, essential for providing energy and providing precious essential fatty acids and for promoting the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
The hour of the break
Many children are not used to having breakfast or they do, but very poor. Precisely for this reason the mid-morning snack is essential for many of them, in this way they will not risk arriving at lunchtime tired, nervous and hungry by gulping down an excessive amount of food of inadequate quality.
Sweet or salty?
The little ones should get used to alternating sweet and savory snacks. In this way neither too much sugar nor too much salt will be introduced during the week. Teaching them to eat foods of different flavors and textures is the best way to accustom their palates to the food variety.
Take advantage of the snack time to teach your child the correct eating habits: never eat a snack while studying or watching television, eat what the mother proposes and not what happens and, finally, chew slowly.
Let's dispel the false myths
Let's dispel certain myths: today's snacks are better foods and more suitable for children's snacks both as a nutritional composition and as a portion.
Today, thanks to the individually packaged single portions and nutritional labels, it is possible to choose the most suitable product for the child, both according to the energy value and taste, but also in case of allergies or intolerances.
A snack ranges from 100 to 150 calories, less than traditional ones such as bread and ham or pizza, they can reach up to 200-250 calories. Moreover, thanks to the reduced calories, it is possible to combine these products with fruit, yogurt, milk or fruit juices. In this way your baby will always eat different and never boring things.
