Include low-fat or nonfat milk with any healthy snack like a low-fat granola bar.

Nutrition expert Susan Krumm says an afternoon snack is just as important as a good breakfast for children. Three to six whole-grain crackers (depending on size) and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter makes a good, properly sized snack.

With as much emphasis as some parents put on having their children eat a healthy breakfast, Susan Krumm thinks afternoon snacks might be just as important.

“Some of them are eating (lunch) so early in the school day,” says Krumm, an extension agent in family and consumer sciences with the Douglas County Extension Office. “They’re really needing that afternoon snack because they’ve used up all their energy from that lunch. We want to encourage after-school snacks just as much as we encourage breakfast, so they won’t be so famished for dinner.”

But that doesn’t mean relying on traditional – and unhealthy – snacks such as cookies, chips or snack cakes.

“The first thing I think is great is to really focus on non-fried fruits and vegetables,” Krumm says. “It’s best if they’re fresh, but even the canned form or frozen is better than going to some of the other options.”

Sometimes, sprucing up vegetables with a little flavor is enough to get children to eat them. Spray-on dressings offer a lot of flavor with few extra calories for a bowl of carrots, Krumm says, and even ranch dressing – especially the low-fat or fat-free varieties – is OK to serve.

She suggests having a number of healthy after-school snack options to offer students.

“You can have two healthy choices for them to consider,” Krumm says, “instead of one that’s not healthy and one that is.”

Lots of choices

If that still doesn’t pique your children’s interests or appetites, don’t worry. Krumm says there are plenty of unusual-yet-simple options for satisfying after-school hunger.

She says something as simple as a cheese quesadilla – especially with whole-grain tortillas and low-fat cheese – makes for a good option. So do breadsticks.

“You eat them before pizza, why not have that as a snack when they get home?” Krumm says. “Kids love spaghetti sauce.”

Making roll-ups with low-fat turkey is another healthy choice, Krumm says.

Sometimes, foods that are usually looked upon as unhealthy can be OK. For instance, buying baked tortilla chips – instead of the fried ones – and serving them with salsa isn’t a bad choice.

In general, Krumm suggests incorporating at least two food groups into an after-school snack.

Other considerations

Here are some other ground rules for selecting after-school snacks:

¢ Look for whole-grain foods, such as whole-wheat breads, crackers, pastas or corn tortillas with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Whole-grain foods are both more nutritious and more filling than refined grains.

¢ Try mapping out a child’s food consumption with a wall chart and stickers, aiming for more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Snacks can be part of that process.

“Kids love to be part of the process, decision-making, preparation, taste-testing, and of course, enjoying eating,” says Christina Economos at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition.

¢ Teach your children about proper portion control.

¢ Keep in mind that beverages count – a lot.

Limit 100 percent real juice to 1/2 cup a day. For the rest of the day, offer water (seltzer water can make it more interesting) or milk.

Sports beverages can be as bad as soda. Only highly active children need these.

¢ Model good behavior. Don’t expect your child to nosh celery if you’re chomping on cookies and chips.

Krumm says in many cases, adults assume children want fatty or sugary foods.

“It depends on what our attitudes are on what is a treat,” she says. “Parents might be thinking (children) will want cookies or French fries. A lot of times, given the choice, kids might really want fruits or vegetables.”