Healthy Snacks to Include in Your Kid's Lunch Box

Giving kids healthy snacks does not end at the 4 walls of the home. Since they spend most of their day in a week at school, it is important that the snacks they consume are just as healthy as those that you give them at home.

Snacks are definitely non-negotiable for kids. Make them eat their plate of vegetables over dinner and for sure you need to promise them their favorite snack choice and use it as bait. Even adults have a strong penchant for snacks, but the kids definitely take the top spot.

Below is a list of healthy snacks for kids that you can put in their lunch boxes. These healthy snack options are relatively easy to find in your favorite supermarket.

1. Cheese. No one can ever go wrong with cheese. Kids love it, especially if it is formed into fun shapes. Some kids even get to finish their cup of vegetables provided that melted cheese is spread all over it.

Buy low-salt cheeses from your favorite grocer's rack so your kids get the dose of protein and calcium they need. Cheese is a good alternative for kids who simply do not love drinking milk (unless it is chocolate flavored). Be creative with cheese by cutting it into fun cubed shapes and putting it on a stick alternately with cubed fruits such as apples, bananas, pineapples or grapes. You have instant cheese and fruit kabobs.

2. Sliced fruits. Having a container filled with sliced fruits can stink once your child opens it for recess. Organic fruits are healthy, yes, but it can easily rot especially if contained moisture is high. So, instead of slicing fresh fruits and throwing it all together in one container, why not have a pack of sliced fruits instead?

Today, there are a lot of sliced fruits such as sliced apples, sliced mangoes and sliced kiwis that you can purchase directly from the supermarket. These sliced fruits are usually dried already so it is quite reminiscent of chips. With a pack of sliced fruits for snacks, it can help kids develop a natural affinity for fruits. While there are kids who just love munching on fruits, there are a handful of those who simply do not and a little dose of creativity can go a long way if you want them to love fruits. Buy packs of sliced fruits that they can munch on during the day. You'll never go wrong with it.

3. Vegetables with dips. The best vegetables to eat are those that are raw. They say that steaming vegetables lose its nutrients, hence eating vegetables raw is the best way to get all its vitamins. To make the experience of eating vegetables better, why not include dips in your kid's lunch box? Cut carrots, celery, cucumber and zucchini into sticks. Include dips such as ranch, thousand island, hummus or guacamole on the side. While it is early to introduce low-fat dips and dressing to kids, it wouldn't actually hurt to do so since store bought dips and dressings are high in cholesterol and calories.