Having reached the milestone of five “and three quarters” Chloe started big school in September. Full of chatter and non-stop questions, words have always been her thing. At the tender age of two, she asked her nursery teacher for an otoscope. I didn’t even know what it was, I had to ask Google. But sure enough, not content with the stethoscope in the play box, she was asking for the ear-light-thing they have at the doctor’s. Of course, that big vocabulary could be dangerous too. I still remember the day she pointed out the “great big clock” to the cashier in Lindo’s, when she couldn’t quite pronounce her “L’s”. These days Chloe is writing down everything she can think of and the hilarity continues. I found a piece of paper in the kitchen that read “special piss”. After a small interrogation, involving a lot of eye rolling on her part, I discovered that it actually read “special princess”. Of course it did. Silly me!

Needless to say, I am learning that I have to watch what I write and say more than ever. So far, it hasn’t been too bad, but it’s hard not to let out a string of expletives when you step on Lego or stub your toe. Recently my girls overheard me let out some choice words over crappy (whoops) candy in the grocery store, but you all know how I feel about those additives.

The problem is, the more I look, the more frustrated I get. I have just finished teaching the first Natural Kids class (my new nutrition course for parents and caregivers) and although I wanted to keep the information as simple as possible, we did have to dig deep into the detail at times. The fact is that nutrition has got pretty complicated. The advent of “functional foods” (or foods that do “jobs”) has meant we have seen some amazing new products on the market, but it has also opened up a whole new line of trickery from food manufacturers.

Let’s take fruit snacks. They’re called “fruit snacks” because manufacturers want you to feel as if you are getting fruit into your child. In reality, they’re glorified candy — and dentists hate them because they are sticky too, so they hang around on dental enamel for ages. Welch’s fruit snacks are especially bad as they wow you with phrases like “real fruit”, “100 percent vitamin C” and “no preservatives” on the front. They also say “gluten free” — possibly trying to appeal to people with Celiac Disease, but more than likely just jumping on the gluten free bandwagon in another attempt to convince you that they are healthy. But if you look at the ingredient label, Welch’s fruit snacks also contain corn syrup, sugar, artificial flavours and food dyes: red 40, yellow 5 and blue 1. Surprised?

The problem is, label manipulation is widespread. There are blueberry breakfast tarts and bars on the market that don’t contain a single blueberry. Sure they contain “real fruit” (so the label is legally correct) but the fruit is often something cheaper, like apple, dyed purple with artificial food dye. It’s even done to the tiny green onion bits on stackable sour cream chips — they’re not onions, they’re tiny bits of corn syrup solids dyed green. Tasty? Not so much.

Of course, we all need snacks on the go. But if you do buy processed snacks, check the label so you can make an informed decision about what you’re buying. If fruit snacks are a must for your family, then try a box of raisins or upgrade to the organic Annie’s bunny fruit snacks if budget permits. Alternatively, try out some of these suggestions for healthy kids snacks below. For even more ideas, join me for Natural Kids in the New Year!

Healthy snack ideas for kids

Trail mix

Try making your own rather than buying it. It’s a food activity that your kids might like to do that’s fairly low on mess and no cooking required! You can buy nuts, seeds and dried fruit in bulk from Down to Earth or the ABC Adventist store. Nothing wrong with sneaking some chocolate chips in occasionally too!

Flapjack

I love flapjack because it’s so easy to hide extra protein and good fats — mainly using ground nuts or seeds. If you don’t know what flapjack is, it’s like a soft granola bar. Check out the notes section on my Facebook page for a really versatile banana and pecan flapjack recipe. It’s so versatile you can make it without bananas … or pecans. Replace the banana with apple sauce and the pecans with any other nut or seed of your choice. Coconut works well too!

Hummus and veggie sticks

Hummus is surprisingly kid-friendly and children do love to dip. Include a few chips if need be, but make sure there are plenty of veggie sticks as well.

Home popped popcorn

It’s super easy to pop your own popcorn at home. I buy organic kernels (non GMO) from Supermart and then pop them in refined coconut oil (which can be used at a higher heat than unrefined coconut oil.) Organic popcorn kernels are reasonably priced, especially when you compare how much you would pay for the popped equivalent in a shop.

Small smoothie

If you have a blender at home then you can easily whizz up a smoothie for a snack. Just keep the serving size small and add some nut butter, hemp seed or avocado to give the energy from the fruit more staying power.

Frozen grapes, raspberries or peas!

My kids LOVE frozen grapes. They are juicy and slushy and they can’t get enough of them. However if you have small kids, do supervise them as frozen grapes can be a choking hazard. Frozen peas and raspberries are also helpful — it may sound odd but lots of kids I know love to eat peas frozen, despite not liking them cooked. Give it a try!

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the Managing Director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a Registered Dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda