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My Teen Is A Snackaholic!

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Just because our teens want their independence and the ability to control what they eat doesn't mean we can't have some say. By offering healthy, great tasting backpack snacks we can ensure even if our teens are skipping meals they are still getting food that is good for them.

As a parent to a teenager, we know how busy their lives are. They are constantly on the go and in a constant state of seeking their own independence. This means that getting them to eat healthy can be next to impossible, but getting them to eat healthy snacks is even harder. They are at an age where they can easily go to the local shop and pick up whatever junk they want, with the money they make themselves from part time jobs or household chores. This is why it is important to establish healthy eating patterns earlier in life. That doesn't mean though that you can't ensure they eat healthy too.

Involvement in your supermarket visits

One way to ensure they eat healthy snacks is to bring them along on shopping trips. They are more than old enough to help make decisions in meal times and by including them in the decisions we are empowering them and will be more able to ensure they make the right choices.

Good snacks for teens are backpack snacks. This simply means a snack they can throw in their bag or purse to munch on later. By providing a variety of these snacks we will further establish healthy eating habits in them and allow the independence of choosing what they want to take with them.

What are some good examples of backpack snacks?

Veggie sticks. Most grocery stores now carry cut up packs of these that we can keep on hand for them to munch on. Or we can even make our own packs using Tupperware containers to keep them fresh.

A lot of teens these days are very health conscious and things like protein bars and granola bars and other such health foods appeal to this side of them. You can get everything from oatmeal bars, to banana bread and everything in between. Plus they come in individual packages which make them easy to throw and go.

One thing to remember is that dairy products and other refrigerated items need to be keeps in a cooler bag to keep them fresh.

For the teen that is more a chip muncher or other junk food junkie we can also try offering organic dried fruit chips or other dried food snacks that will still appeal to their tastes and won't having them turning up their noses.

For the teens that tend to skip lunch at school because of the busy schedule we can also offer things like tuna snacks, cheese and crackers and all sorts of other varieties that can be a great assistance to even the busiest of parents. The snack industry has really begun to make great advancements in offering healthy snacks, in a form that makes it easy for parents to dish out.

Keeping our teens snack happy and healthy doesn't have to be hard. Taking them with us on the next shopping trip can be an enlightening experience as to their likes and dislikes and they kinds of health foods we can provide them that they will enjoy.

Article by Rachel Goodchild