Brain Food

When children come home from school, they usually head straight for the kitchen to grab a snack. If the fridge and pantry are stocked with junk foods, that’s what they will eat. So how do parents get their kids to eat better?

They can start by keeping brain-healthy snacks around the house and by making it easier to choose healthier alternatives. Karen Repassy, a senior instructor at Winter Garden Yoga, is also certified in metabolic effect nutrition.

“Sources say that whole, unprocessed foods are the best bets for kids regarding brain health and overall health,” Repassy says.

In her blog superhealthykids.com, Renee Kohley shares ideas for healthy snacks that children can make themselves.

• One scoop from the “trail mix” container. A quick mix of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and coconut flakes into an airtight container and done. Throw a half-cup scoop in there for them to measure their own.

• Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups. Just plunk a few frozen fruit pieces into the bottom of a cup, whole yogurt over top, pop the lid on, and it thaws in the fridge to make the fruit on the bottom. Of course, the kids can make their own with fresh fruit from the fridge, too.

• Ants on a log. Just celery sticks with natural peanut butter (or sun butter) and raisins up top for the ants.

• Hard-boiled egg from the refrigerator and a piece of fruit. Hard-boiled eggs keep for five days in their shell. 

• Fruit and cheese. There are some pretty great non-sharp cheese cutters that just have a wire across that are safe for even kindergartners. You can teach them how much to cut, and they can pick a piece of fruit to go with it.

• Guacamole and tortilla chips. If you have a taco night every week, make a little extra guac to save for snack time.

• Cheese and crackers. Show them how to cut the cheese (stay away from pre-shredded or pre-sliced cheese — take a peek at the ingredients on those) and how many crackers they can have.

• Choose water over juices or soda. Add fresh fruit to the water or use a fruit-infused water bottle to flavor the water with strawberries, blueberries, etc.

• Eliminate anything that has refined sugar or words ending in “ose” in the ingredients.

• Nuts and seeds are loaded with brain-healthy vitamins. Make a trail mix with nuts and seeds. Add unsweetened dried fruit and chocolate sweetened naturally (such as Stevia or honey).

• Make a “pesto” with nuts or seeds. Blend the nuts or seeds with olive oil and greens and flavors the child likes. Have with cut-up vegetables or whole grain, no-sugar-added pita bread.

• Cut-up apples with unsweetened nut butter make for a fun and healthy snack.

• Hard-boiled egg or deviled eggs are great sources of protein.

• Unsweetened Greek yogurt with no additives. Mix cut up fruit to it.

• Make a dip with the yogurt by blending it with fruit (use honey to sweeten it) and pair it with cut-up fruit.

• Kale chips drizzled with olive oil, salt and baked until crisp.

• Smoothie using unsweetened almond or cashew milk, fresh fruit and a handful of greens (such as kale or spinach). Kids probably won’t even know the greens are in there. If needed, sweeten with a little honey.

• Cut-up vegetables with hummus.

• Roast chickpeas and then drizzle with olive oil/salt and baked until crisp.

• Plain whole fruit and vegetables such as apples, plums and bananas.

• Edamame in the pod sprinkled with salt.

Packing a lunchbox day in and day out can become tedious. Here, Repassy shares two weeks of healthy lunch ideas.

• Whole-grain no-sugar-added wraps, pita pockets or sandwiches with a filling of the child’s choice: peanut butter and unsweetened jelly or sliced banana, hummus and vegetables, seed or nut pesto with vegetables, hormone- and antibiotic-free deli meat and cheese, chopped chicken and condiments of choice, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad.

• Homemade soups such as chicken noodle made with whole-grain noodles, chicken and vegetables.

• Smoothie using unsweetened almond or cashew milk, fresh fruit and a handful of greens (such as kale or spinach); sweeten with a little honey.

• Make a fruit, nut and cheese box.

• Make a taco box with lean ground meat seasoned with Mexican flavors and diced tomato, lettuce, black beans, shredded cheese, unsweetened Greek yogurt and no-sugar-added tortilla chips.

• Scrambled egg with veggies in a whole-grain wrap.

• Mini pizzas with whole-grain muffin, unsweetened pizza sauce, shredded cheese and veggies of choice.

• Baked homemade chicken tenders with one of the snack options on the side.

• Quesadilla with cheese, chopped chicken and favorite veggies (such as chopped broccoli, greens and peppers).