I was brought up in a world where snacking was the enemy. I remember we were allowed one morning snack and one afternoon snack and it was supposed to be no eating or snacking before dinner. I confess that I have been much more lenient with my own children’s eating habits and since I keep plenty of healthy snacking possibilities around the house, I don’t really worry about snacking—even right before dinner.
Probably the junkiest thing we have in our house is microwave popcorn (and I cannot help but trust Paul Newman–even with microwave popcorn.) Add that to the pretzels and all juice popsicles and that is the extent of the dangerous snacking in our house. I tend to look at what my children are eating overall in the course of the day and since I have read articles that stated small “meals” throughout the day are healthier than 3 big meals, I decided years ago to relax on the “snacking is bad” philosophy.
Do I really care if my kids get full on apples and a sandwich before dinner? After all, they are eating healthy food choices and they are feeding themselves when they are feeling hungry. These just don’t seem like bad things to me. Additionally, if dinner time gets pushed back for whatever reason and kids eat earlier—we will just have something “snacky” for supper and not have to prepare a big meal.
As long as kids are not filling up on ice cream and candy and other unhealthy choices, I think that healthy snacking can just be part of a child’s daily nutrition. By keeping in mind what a child needs and eats during the course of the day, snacks can be incorporated into the overall nutritional needs and then we parents don’t have to get so uptight about what our child is eating “between meals.”
Also: Downsize Unhealthy Eating Habits