Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Kids
|
|
Time to read 5 min
Do you have any road trips planned this summer? You need to check out our list of healthy road trip snacks for kids to help keep your whole family fed and happy on your next trip.
Road trip snacks aren't exactly known for being nutritious! While there is room for less nutritious snacks, like chips and candies, having lots of healthier snack options available can keep everyone feeling their best.
We spoke with registered dietitian, and busy mom of two, Cheryl Anderson, to find out what she recommends for keeping kids fed on your next road trip.
What to look for in healthy road trip snacks for kids
Pack snacks full of protein, fiber, and/or healthy fats to keep your kids feeling full for longer stretches and avoid the inevitable sugar crashes. Protein, fiber, and healthy fats (unsaturated fats like omega 3 and 6) can all help slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, which means fewer blood sugar spikes and crashes. As a parent, avoiding a sugar crash in the car is of the utmost importance!
Since meals on the road often mean eating at fast food joints, try to include fruit and vegetable options for car snacks. This will help your little ones avoid becoming constipated, which can happen when our usual schedules and eating habits change.
Provide your kids with snacks that are easy to clean up after the inevitable spills! Avoid sticky, sloppy foods and opt for convenient packaged foods like yogurt tubes or string cheese to minimize mess.
Use a small cooler to keep perishable food items in. You can be sure to keep snacks, such as yogurt tubes, cut fruit, hard-boiled eggs, and Happy Wolf Snack Bars, cool and fresh for hours.
What to avoid in road trip snacks for kids
To help your family reduce overindulging in less nutritious snacks, avoid buying supersized bags of snacks or pre-portion these snacks into smaller bags/containers. We tend to listen to our hunger and satiety cues more easily when we have food portioned into serving sizes rather than eating straight from the box or bag.
If you have younger children, it is important to cut up (or avoid packing) foods that pose a risk for choking, such as grapes, cherry tomatoes, larger whole nuts, or popcorn.
Since there is room in every healthy diet for favorite fun foods, pack less nutritious snacks, like potato chips or gummies, into smaller portions to serve alongside more nutrient-dense snack foods.
Deli meats and meat sticks are easy-to-pack protein sources. However, many are high in sodium and nitrates, which increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. It is best to limit the amount of deli meats and meat jerky our families consume.
Dietitian-approved healthy road trip snacks for kids
This list of road trip snacks for kids has the seal of approval from Anderson! If you are looking for some tasty snack inspiration when packing for your next road trip, you are in the right place.
Trail mix
Trail mix is a classic road trip snack because it tastes great, is customizable to your kid's tastes, and is full of fiber and protein to keep bellies full. Combine nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and/or dark chocolate chips in small containers or resealable bags for easy, filling snacks on the road.
Happy Wolf Snack Bars
Pack a box of Happy Wolf Snack Bars in your cooler for a delicious road trip snack! Each bar is packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, satisfying any cravings for sweet treats without the sugar spikes and crashes! Check out all of our yummy flavors here.
Apples & Oranges
Fruit like apples and oranges are great for road trips because they don't bruise as easily as other fruits. They are also a super nutritious snack because they are full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Since younger kids may find apples harder to eat whole, you can slice them up and squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over them to reduce the browning effect.
Puréed fruit pouches
Puréed fruit pouches are a convenient, low-mess way to serve your kids fruit and veggies in the car. Check the nutrition facts table for at least 2 grams of fiber per serving and little to no added sugars, or make your own with a reusable purée pouch!
Breakfast cookies
Unlike typical cookies, breakfast cookies are often made with whole grains, like oats, and seed or nut butter. These ingredients are full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats that help to reduce sugar spikes and keep your kids feeling full for longer than regular cookies would.
Cut Veggies
Chop up some celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, or carrots for an easy way to get your kids some veggies on the road. In addition to all the essential vitamins and minerals, vegetables are also full of insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber keeps things moving through your kid's digestive system, helping reduce the incidence of constipation.
Individually Packaged Cheese
Pre-portioned and packaged cheese, such as the various cheese string brands or BabyBel, is an easy way to get protein and calcium on the go.
Yogurt tubes
Like cheese strings, yogurt tubes are a quick and easy way to get protein and calcium on the road. Look for brands with less than 10% DV (daily value) of added sugar.
Vegetable chips
Do you have a craving for chips but want something a bit more nutritious? Vegetable chips use root vegetables other than potatoes to make chips that may contain more fiber and less saturated fat than traditional potato chips. Be sure to read the nutrition facts table. You are looking for brands with 2-3 grams of fiber per serving and less than 5-10% DV of sodium.
Blueberries
Most berries, like strawberries and raspberries, can quickly spoil when jostled around. Blueberries are more robust, making them a good choice for adding to the cooler for your road trips. They are bursting with flavor and packed with beneficial fiber and antioxidants, making them the perfect healthy road trip snack.
Hard-boiled eggs
Pack hard-boiled eggs in your cooler for a lean protein snack that contains a ton of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Be sure to pre-peel eggs so they are easier to eat on the go.
Protein-Rich Crackers
If you are looking for a filling, rich in protein cracker to pack for your kids, we like the Ella's Flats seed crackers, which contain 4 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein per serving (3 crackers)!
Smoothie Melts
We love a lightweight, easy to pack, and no mess snack for the road. Amara Organic Smoothie Melts are the perfect choice. No refrigeration is needed, they are mess-free, easy to reseal, healthy and delicious!
Fruit Jerky
Naturally sweet and satisfying, fruit jerky is a great road trip snack. Solely Organic Fruit Jerky comes in multiple flavors (like Mango, Pineapple or Banana), and each one is made with only 1 fruit ingredient. They are perfectly portable and yummy for on-the-go snacking!
Low-sugar Cereals
Dry cereal is a fantastic finger food for your kids. However, many cereals contain a ton of added sugars. We like regular Cheerios, which are low in sugar and sodium but have lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Roasted Legumes
Roasted chickpeas, lentils, and fava beans are a great way to satisfy cravings for a crunchy snack. Legumes contain fiber, protein, and micronutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. When choosing brands, look for flavors below 10% DV (daily value) of sodium, or make your own and use your favorite spices.
We hope this list takes the stress out of packing healthy snacks when your family hits the road this summer!
If you are looking for other great snack ideas, check out:
