Lower Sugar Snacks Kids will Actually Love

I’ve been on a mission to cut sugar out of my family’s diet, as much as I can, for the last few years. We’ve slipped up often but we are making progress. I thought for sure that my kids would push back but we have been able to find lower sugar snacks that they actually love. I have a few of our favorites to share with you. Seeing how excited my kids get about these healthier snack options makes me wonder why I didn’t make the change earlier. A big thanks to Stonyfield® Organic YoKids® for sponsoring this post so we can share some of our favorite low sugar snacks for kids with you. 

My kids would snack all day long if given the choice. They used to reach for food that was high in sugar and a waste of calories. I’ve learned a few tricks to make sure that they are making the most out of snack time and getting the nutrition they need. 

Before we get into a few of our favorite lower-sugar snacks for kids, I know the first question you are going to ask me is, “but how do I get my kids to eat healthy snacks???”

The answer is actually easier than you think. 

Make a daily snack plate. You have to make lower-sugar snacks accessible. Kids will eat what is in front of them if you catch them at the right time. I like to make a daily snack plate each morning and pull it out whenever my kids are feeling snacky. Even if they complain that it doesn’t have their favorite sugary snacks, they’ll still eat it. Why? Because it is right there! I pull out my daily snack plate throughout the day, but especially while I am cooking dinner because my kids always want to nibble then. At least with the snack plate, I know they are getting some great options. 

Make healthy choices appealing. With kids, it’s all about the visual appeal. Display your snacks in a fun way and they’ll try them. I’m not great about making super creative food displays, BUT I can make food look fun. Use different plates or containers to change things up. Try cutting food into different shapes or preparing it in different ways. 

Don’t give up on a food after one try. Kids are not going to like every food the first time around. That doesn’t mean that they will never eat it, just that they need time to get used to it. Try preparing foods different ways, serving them with dips, cutting them into fun shakes, or serving it along side some of your child’s favorite foods to help encourage your child to keep trying it. Your kids may not end up liking every food you serve, but odds are good they’ll at least end up with a few more that they enjoy. 

Some of our favorite low sugar snacks for kids

The best trick for getting kids to eat low sugar snacks is to make sure to serve some good ones. When I serve a great variety of healthy snacks, I’ve never had a kid complain about not having a sugary option. 

One of our favorites is Stonyfield® Organic YoKids® yogurts. All Stonyfield products are organic, which means they are always made without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, antibiotics and GMOs. As a mom, I LOVE this. I want to know that I’m feeding my kids only foods with great ingredients so they are getting everything they need, and none of the stuff they don’t. 

They are such an easy snack to grab and go and I love that they have no high fructose corn syrup and 25-40%  less  sugar than the leading  kids yogurt. My kids especially love the YoKids® Organic Smoothies. It’s a quick and easy way to start the day or a great snack whenever they need something quick. 

Some other lower sugar snacks for kids that we love are:

• Stonyfield® Organic YoKids® yogurts (As I mentioned, this is always a favorite)
• Cut veggies (with hummus)
• Celery with peanut butter
• Nuts
• Dried fruit (make sure the fruit you choose doesn’t have any added sugar)
• Rolled deli meat
• String Cheese
• Fresh fruit
• Banana chips
• Chips and salsa
• Apples and sunflower butter
• Roasted veggies

Experiment with new snack options, and don’t get discouraged if your kids don’t love the first thing you try. As you slowly cut the sugary snacks out of your kids’ diets, they will develop an appetite for lower-sugar options and find more healthy snack options that they love. 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Stonyfield® Organic YoKids®.