Snacking: Is snacking – even of healthy food – a bad habit?

Hi

Thanks for your question. Snacking is part of a healthy diet and it’s particularly important for children, whose tummies are smaller than adults’. The NHS recommends that children eat three meals and two healthy snacks per day. There are lots of healthy snack options. Fruit and veg are great as snack foods, as are breadsticks and humous, pitta bread and cream cheese, oatcakes and peanut butter. There’s more advice and snack ideas on our recent blog: https://www.childfeedingguide.co.uk/documents/3/Article_for_Child_Feeding_Guide__joint_blog_post_revised_FINAL.pdf

Top tips are to keep snacks healthy and try to stick to just two a day. Avoid regularly having chocolate, sweets or crisps as snacks. They are ok as an occasional treat but should be avoided frequently. Instead, focus on using snack time as a way to boost children’s nutritious food intake.

We hope this helps,

Dr Emma Haycraft