What are you really feeding your kids?

It’s easy when packing lunchboxes and fixing after-school snacks for children to reach for the most convenient pre-packed option — especially as they tend to be cheap, available in bulk, and undeniably fast, requiring little or no preparation time. But do you really know what’s really in the ‘child-friendly’ foodstuffs available on the market today?

Often these snacks are high in fat, sugar, salt and additives, and low in health-giving vitamins, minerals and fibre — and so a diet based around these foods could negatively affect your child’s health.

To find out what you’re really feeding your children and to find out what great, healthy alternatives are available, check out realbuzz.com’s following table of five common snacks for kids, in which we tell you what’s actually in the foods, and offer you some healthy (and quick!) alternatives.

Snack 1:	Cheese strings
The problem:	Contain nearly a quarter fat, most of which is saturated. Also contain additives, butter and salt.
The alternative:	Try ‘real’ cheese! A little mature cheddar on some wholewheat crackers with some fresh tomato and basil will provide calcium, fibre, and the antioxidant lycopene.

Snack 2:	Crisps
The problem:	These can be as much as one-third fat, and tend to be very high in salt. They may also contain trans-fatty acids — altered oils often used in processed goods, which are potentially damaging to health.
The alternative:	Try baked crisps, or make some of your own by brushing potatoes or sweet potatoes with olive oil and popping them in the oven. Unsalted unsweetened popcorn, unsalted nuts, carrot sticks or rice crackers also make good crunchy snacks, and contain health-giving substances such as monounsaturated fat (which is good for the heart) and beta-carotene (good for the eyes, skin and gut).

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