The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids - M.s.j., Dana Villamagna [72]
So let’s get snacking! The ideas and recipes in this chapter are nutrition-packed and simple to keep close at hand. Whether at home or on the go, your kids need easy access to snack foods that won’t melt in pockets or backpacks, don’t require refrigeration (thanks to no dairy and eggs), and call out to be devoured.
Why Vegan Kids Need to Snack
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children whose diets are primarily made up of fruits, vegetables, and cereals can develop energy deficits. The high-fiber bulk of these healthful, nutrient-packed foods may cause many children to feel full on fewer calories than they need. Long term, that’s usually fine—smaller adults tend to be healthier adults. Healthy kids hanging out on the low end of the growth curve may be fine, but falling off the growth curve is not. For active, growing vegan kids, the more healthful food, the better.
Snacking throughout the day boosts kids’ caloric intake. Include in their lunch boxes or in the kitchen snack jar naturally fat-rich snack foods like nuts, nut butters, seeds, and certain fruits and veggies like avocadoes and olives. Also, the AAP recommends that parents choose some refined grains rather than all whole grains. Peel some of the fruits and vegetables your child eats. This will cut bulk and promote feelings of hunger, which will make your child likely to eat more.
Vegan Vocab
A calorie—or a kilocalorie, as it’s more scientifically called—is a measure of the energy value of particular foods.
You don’t need to obsessively count every calorie your child eats, but by being aware of the energy value of particular foods, you can choose healthful, calorie-dense snacks for your active child, especially if she isn’t gaining weight at an appropriate rate for her age.
Snacks for Toddlers
Not all snacks are created equal, and you need to be age-appropriate with what you serve. With that in mind, here are some easy-to-eat vegan snacks for toddlers:
◆ Bananas, diced to bite size
◆ Small peeled apple slices, diced to bite size
◆ Cheerios
◆ Whole-grain toast with vegan butter
◆ Vegan graham crackers, including chocolate and cinnamon Teddy Grahams
◆ Breast milk or soy milk (for toddlers over age 1)
Snacks for Children and Tweens
The keywords here are self-service. Most parents wisely want to avoid power struggles over food with their older kids and teens, so set up the environment for healthful snacking success by enticing with color, flavor, and convenience. Present some options, and leave your kids to their own snack choices.
Here are some at-home snack ideas for younger kids:
◆ Seasonal fruit in an attractive bowl stationed in the middle of the kitchen table
◆ A well-appointed snack tray in the fridge filled with vegan choices like cut veggies next to Vegan Dill Dip (recipe later in this chapter), Hummus (recipe later in this chapter), or nut butter
◆ Individual cartons of vegan yogurt with some vegan chocolate chips and blueberries nearby for sprinkling on top
◆ A baggie with salted baked tofu cubes
◆ After-School Smoothie Snack (recipe later in this chapter)
A well-stocked pantry and refrigerator will keep most older kids and teens satisfied with snack options. Here are some ideas:
◆ Tortilla chips and salsa
◆ Ready-to-eat olives or garbanzo beans
◆ Homemade Vegan Pretzels (recipe later in this chapter) dipped in hummus or mustard
◆ Snack bags of snow peas, baby carrots, honey crisp apples, clementines, and “cucumber ice-cream cones” (whole cucumbers peeled ¾ of the way down with a small bit of peel left at the bottom for easy holding)
Vegan Vocab
Clementines are small citrus fruits. Kids often prefer them to oranges, tangerines, or grapefruit because of their small slices, lack