Nutritionist-approved healthy snacking options for your kids’ lunchboxes

As per the latest analysis, the size of the Global Healthy Snack Market is projected to reach USD 108.11 billion by 2027 courtesy the rising consumer focus on nutritional values of snacks such as high vitamins and proteins and low calories. Driven by this healthy trend, we decided to get a nutritionist on board to approve some healthy snacking options for your kids’ lunchboxes.

As the schools are reopening, parents are quite concerned about what their kids would be eating in school during lunch breaks or after school. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Sowmya Bharani, Lead Nutrition Expert at Lil’ Goodness, listed some delicious and healthy snacking options for kids’ lunchboxes which are the best way to prevent them from consuming junk food.

1. Milkshake with nuts – An easy milkshake with some nuts can do the job just right. Choose seasonal fruits to pair with a handful of nuts in a glass of milk. Easy to prepare, it’s ideal for your kids’ snack break.

2. Beetroot cutlet with curd – Kids love colourful foods. But sometimes it can be challenging to make vegetables acceptable to them and that’s where your beetroot cutlet and curd will help. Beetroot is rich in minerals and vitamins such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin E. If your child is anaemic due to lack of iron, this is the perfect cure. You can mix cooked beetroot with potato carrot and peas and prepare small patties out of it. Curd can be the best replacement for sugar and preservatives loaded sauces.

3. Vegetable crackers – If you are looking for a crunchy snack for kids that gives them instant energy, try vegetable crackers. These are baked and not fried which saves all the goodness of vegetables intact in the crunchy crackers. They are a perfect snack option to feed your little ones about 30% of daily zinc requirements with zero preservatives.

4. Dhokla – After a tiring day at school, kids always look up to their mothers for a quick snack after school. Making dhokla for kids is a great way to add variety in their diet. Being energy dense, it will also help in keeping them ready for their activities for the rest of the day. Similarly, keeping in mind the rest of the activities, light snacks like Dhokla would pair well with some mint coriander chutney. Your child’s digestion and the bowel movement will get more regulated with this.

5. Idli fry – What’s about some hot steamy Idli with a savoury twist to it? Everything is so cute in miniature form, even for foods; right? Cutting up some pieces or idly and sautéing them with some spices does not take a lot of time. You can still use the leftover Idli from breakfast and yet it will be a store of healthy gut bacteria with fibre protein and a delicious taste.