Alternate sweet delicacies for your children: Nutritionist shares tips

Deciding the right delicacies for children can be tricky. The little ones will always be craving for their usual go-to snacks – chocolates, ice creams and shades. But when it comes to balancing the delicacies and snacks with the right kind of nutrition, we often get confused. Speaking to HT Lifestyle, Shweta Shah, Nutritionist said, “When your child fills up on sugar-sweetened foods, they may have little room left for the nutritious options that growing bodies need, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. As with anything, too much sugar during childhood may lead to unhealthy cravings as kids grow older.” She further added that unhealthy snacking can also lead to obesity and diabetes in the later stage.

But how do we strike the right balance between making snacking fun and also nutritious? Shweta Shah suggested that we need to twist the snack and their ingredients in order to ensure that the children also get their dose of nutrition while enjoying their food. Here are a few alternate sweet delicacies suggested by the nutritionist; take a look:

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Coconut milk thandai: Loaded with the goodness of coconut, jaggery and the healthy fatty acids, this thandai is a twist from the regular sugar milk thandai.

Chia pudding: Instead of settling for the regular white sugar, opt for chia seeds and ripe banana for pudding.

Satvic kheer: Regular kheer is basic. Why not twist it with the goodness of quinoa and jaggery – this is even healthier than regular rice kheer.

Kulfi: Summer and kulfis are best friends. But it is advised to avoid the milk and replace it with coconut milk and dates.

Sweet potato brownie: This snack will have all the ingredients listed in a child’s favourite food book – sweet potato, jaggery, dates to cacao powder.

“Just minor tweaks like replacing milk with coconut milk and sugar with jaggery can immensely change the nutrition effect of sweet delicacies,” the nutritionist added.