Snack Preview: How To Know If You're Choosing The Right Snacks For Your Family

Save to notebook Email article Print article More articles

By Mia Bolaris-Forget

As your child grows, he/she not only develops a taste for solid foods and interesting flavors, but a soft spot for snacks.

Snacking however is actually healthy for your child; it’s simply a matter of what he/she is snacking on. And making the right choice often extends beyond reading the label.

In today’s health conscious climate, there are lots of foods and snacks that claim certain health benefits (from all natural, to low sugar, low carb etc) but that doesn’t mean they are actually healthy for your infant or your family.

Among the most common “mistakes” parents make is spending “un-necessarily” on certain “baby only” items. Fruit juice for the most part is fruit juice. Nutrition experts inform parents to know what they are looking for and what they are buying. They emphasize that the ingredients in some popular apple juice brands (apples, water and ascorbic acid/vitamin C) are exactly the same (ingredients) as in adult brands. The only difference is in the packaging and price.

The second most common mistake consumers (especially parents make) is assuming that all natural also means healthy and good for you. What most of us don’t know is that many of these products contain “hidden” ingredients, including sugars, starches, and preservatives, justified by the fact that they are naturally found in nature.

So, remember to caveat emptor the next time you go shopping. Knowing what your reading and what your are looking for, may save you time and money on your purchases

Long Island Family Life & Parenting Articles > Snack Preview: How To Know If You're Choosing The Right Snacks For Your Family