Kellogg's Nutrition - Eat Well - Do You Snack Well?

Snacktivate!

If you have kids, you know better than anyone that their daily routines are punctuated by snacks. However, research shows that kids are snacking most often on soda, sweets and salty snacks – like potato chips. That’s why we teamed up with “master-moms” Deb Geigis Berry and Rachel Brandeis. Together, we’ve created information and recipes to help you turn snack time into an opportune time for good nutrition. Together, we’re going to help you Snacktivate!

Meet the Snacktivate Experts

Deb Geigis Berry
Kellogg teamed up with Deb Geigis Berry to get cooking with Snacktivate’s snack activities. An ideal partner for this initiative, Deb is a mom of two and is one of the country’s leading experts on planning family activities. “The Snacktivate portfolio of 12 fun activities is a great way to get kids cooking, teach them about nutrition and strengthen the ties that bind mom and her children,” says Deb. She is a frequent guest on LIVE with Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America and the CBS Early Show.

Rachel Brandeis, MS, RD
As a mother of two, Rachel recognizes the importance of the snacking opportunity. “Planning and preparing nutritious snacks teaches kids the importance of vitamins and minerals, proper portion sizes and how to establish a balanced diet,” says Rachel. Rachel owns Personalized Nutrition Counseling, a private practice in Atlanta that focuses on weight management, nutrition and pregnancy and diabetes. She has been featured on CNN, USA Today, Ladies’ Home Journal and Shape.

The Snacking Opportunity

While there are as many opinions about how to feed kids as there are parents, one thing is for sure: snacking is an essential part of a child’s daily routine. Young children with small appetites need small, frequent meals to ensure they’re getting the nutrients needed for healthy growth and development. Older children rely on small snacks to recharge so that they may carry on with their daily activities.

The key to healthful snacking is to remember that snacks aren’t “extras” you hand out every now and then. Instead, snacks should be thought of as an opportunity… an opportunity to complement the meals you serve so that you can provide essential nutrients to your little ones' diet. With more than 30% of the calories children consume coming from snacks, it is important that the majority of these calories are nutrient rich.

Four Easy Steps to Snacking

Here are four easy steps to help you turn snack time into an opportune time for nutrition.

PLAN IT: Designate specific snack times so that snacking is a conscious activity built into your family’s routine. Additionally, keep snacks small and simple, so your children are still hungry at meal time. Purchase pre-portioned snacks or make your own single servings by using small sandwich bags when you bring home your groceries. To help older children police their portions on their own, try labeling measuring cups with the foods they commonly eat. For example, label a ½ cup measuring cup with “fruit” or a ¼ cup measure with “nuts.”

PICK IT: Successful snacking starts with the food you put in your grocery cart. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest eating a variety of foods from each food group. The majority of your snacks should come from primary food groups rather than from “fats, oils and sweets.” (Visit www.mypyramid.gov to learn more!) Children are most likely to eat what is readily available, so be sure to keep a variety of tasty, nutritious snacks visible for kids, while keeping those offering fewer nutrients “out of sight, out of mind.”

MAKE IT: Be creative with your snack choices and bring your kids into the kitchen as your schedule allows. Inviting your child to help plan and prepare his or her snack is a great way to teach kids about nutritious choices, as well as to get picky eaters to try new foods. The ideas and recipes from Kellogg’s Nutrition can help your family Snacktivate!

MOVE IT! Energy balance is key to healthy living. Make a goal to keep your family active so that the energy (calories) you are taking in equals the calories you are burning off (through physical activity). Visit www.getyourmoveon.com or www.earnyourstripes.com with your kids to find some fun ideas for staying active.

Cook Up Some Fun

Simple kitchen chores can help young kids practice hand-eye coordination and learn about shapes, colors, smells and tastes. As children grow older, they are able to learn about nutrition and recipes and can challenge their reading and math skills, too. Being in the kitchen can also teach kids to plan ahead, cooperate with others and follow through with a task. Most importantly, your time in the kitchen together can provide you with invaluable time together.

With a pinch of love and a dash of imagination, you can turn your kitchen into a learning laboratory. Kellogg can help you stir up some fun with your little ones.

Recipe for Safety and Success

Start with a heaping cup of safety. For example, turn pot handles away from other burners so they don’t get hot, and never reach across hot burners or boiling pots. Always use an oven mitt when handling hot pots and be sure areas around electrical cords are dry, especially when unplugging. Also, make sure everything is turned off before you leave the kitchen.
Stir in a little supervision. A grown-up should always be nearby to help kids handle knives, electric appliances and the stove.
Add a pinch of planning. Be sure to read the recipe and get all the necessary ingredients together before beginning. Putting away ingredients after using them will help you keep track of what you put in!
Season with patience. A key ingredient in your first lesson should be patience. Be sure to allow enough time to let children learn by doing things for themselves.
Don’t forget your apron. Wear an apron, tie your hair back and remove your jewelry … because you’re going to get messy and have fun! Remember, kids shouldn’t wear loose clothes or long sleeves when cooking.

Cooking Skills for Kids

Children develop skills at different rates, so it’s important to have an adult introduce children to skills that match their ability level. In general:

2-3 year-olds can: wash and scrub vegetables, name and count foods, break bread into pieces, tear lettuce to make a salad, talk about colors and shapes
3-4 year-olds can: shape meatballs, shell peas, peel bananas, mix dry ingredients together, pour pre-measured liquids into batter, talk about tastes and smells
4-5 year-olds can: break eggs into a bowl, help to measure out ingredients, open packages, pour cereal, wipe up after cooking, press cookie cutters into dough or soft food, sort and classify foods
6-8 year-olds can: fill and level measuring cups and spoons, set the table, beat ingredients with a wire whisk, mash soft fruits and vegetables, learn about food groups
8-10 year-olds can: use a can opener, use a microwave oven, prepare simple recipes with a few ingredients, practice reading and math skills

Stock Up

Keeping nutritious snacks on hand is the best way to ensure the snacks you serve are providing your children with important vitamins and minerals. Consider making your family a “help-yourself shelf” in your pantry (or refrigerator). Simply fill a shelf with good-for-you snacks that kids can choose from at designated snack times. String cheese, fresh fruit, yogurt cups, cereal bars and boxes of raisins are good examples.

The Kellogg Company is proud to bring you a variety of products that can be part of snack time. Here is a taste of some of our favorites.

Keebler® Animal Crackers, Keebler® Grahams and Keebler® Vanilla Wafers are simple snacks that kids love. Pair one serving of these favorites with fresh fruit or low-fat yogurt for a nutrient-rich snack.
Keebler® Scooby Doo® Bones and Keebler® Bug Bites® are graham snacks that are sure to capture your little ones' attention. Both offer a good source of calcium and make a great accompaniment to low-fat milk.
Enjoy Sunshine® Cheez-It® Cheese on apple slices. 2 tablespoons of Cheez-It® Cheese provides 90 calories and is a good source of calcium.
Mix Sunshine® Cheez-It® Reduced-Fat Crackers with nuts, dried fruit and whole-grain cereal for a tasty trail mix that offers 3 food groups in one!
Make milk sippin’ fun with Kellogg’s® Cereal Straws, a good source of 7 vitamins and minerals.
With raised edges, Keebler® Townhouse Toppers® Crackers were built for topping. Kids can stack layers of lean meat and cheese or spread on salsa, hummus or peanut butter.
Keebler® Club® Sticks are great for dipping. When served with bean dip, this snack can offer a punch of protein and fiber.
Real fruit topping, yogurt or peanut butter spread easily on a Kellogg’s® Eggo® Toaster Waffle. Try a Kelloggs® Eggo® Nutri-Grain® Waffle, which provides 3 grams of fiber per serving.
Try Morning Star Farms® Veggie Bites are fun finger foods for kids. Most varieties are a good source of both protein and iron.
Fill Keebler® Mini Graham Cracker Pie Shells with low-fat yogurt, fruit or calcium-rich pudding for a treat that is both nutritious and delicious.
Keebler® cookies can fit, too! While cookies should be served less often than other nutrient-rich foods, chidren’s favorite combination of milk and cookies can help kids get the calcium they need, with a snack they like.

“On-The-Go Solutions”

Kellogg’s™ Crunchy Nut Bars offer at least 3 grams of protein from nuts and provide a good source of 8 vitamins and minerals.
Kellogg’s® Nutri-Grain® Cereal Bars are made with real fruit and whole oats and are packed with a good source of 9 vitamins and minerals.
Kellogg’s™ Nutri-Grain™ Fruit and Nut Bars are all-natural with no preservatives, offering 3 grams of dietary fiber with lots of fruits and nuts.
Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies Treats® Original Square is an old-fashioned favorite – providing a good source of 4 B vitamins in 90 calories.
Kellogg’s® Grab n’ Go Cereal Packs™ make it easy to take some of our favorite cereals on-the-go – all of which provide a good source of 8 vitamins and minerals.
Keebler® Right Bites® are a perfectly portable way to take your favorite cookies and crackers along in 100 calorie portions.