One of our biggest passions at Lifeway is childhood nutrition and education. We believe that the keys to good health include what you eat as much as how you eat. We believe that giving children access to quality, nutrient-dense foods (that actually taste good) is crucial to developing healthy habits, which lead to healthy lives.
We’ve already written about our commitment to providing good tasting snacks that are good for you, along with information about our commitment to sustainability (you need a healthy environment to make healthy food, after all), but as September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, we want to dig deeper into the topic over the next few weeks.
Happy Bellies, Healthy Kids
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Children who are overweight or obese are at risk for a variety of health conditions – both immediate and long term – including: diabetes, heart disease, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, stroke and certain types of cancers.
Those are some scary conditions, but the good news is that many of them are preventable by taking steps that include regular exercise and consuming a healthy, diverse diet. But what is a healthy diet? We know that high-quality food can be hard to find, that parents are short on time, and that, perhaps most of all, kids can be picky eaters. Our advice here is to take it one step at a time and start out with what you can do. And to start with ProBugs Kefir for Kids, of course!
Kids Love Kefir Snacks
Our ProBugs pouches and blasts are a deliciously easy ways to add more good nutrition to your child’s diet. They’re made with USDA-certified organic whole milk, which provided the beneficial fats and vitamins children need for proper cognitive and physical development.
But there’s more! We spend a lot of time in the Lifeway Kitchen cooking up #KefirCreations, and most of our recipes are kid-friendly and kid-approved. Even more, the CDC recommends eating healthy meals as a family as a way to prevent or reverse childhood obesity. We’ll get to family friendly meals next week, but for now enjoy our favorite kid-friendly kefir-ized snacks!
We start with our ProBugs Pouches and Blasts because they’re delicious, convenient, portable, and loved by kids and parents alike.
Serve this family favorite with sliced apples, celery and pears, or other veggies, if your child will go for it. Substitute our whole milk kefir for low fat kefir for added nutrition benefits!
Another dip (kids love eating with their hands, right?), this white bean version is full of protein, carbohydrates, fiber and healthy fats. Add whatever spices or seasonings you and your children enjoy with pita bread or sliced veggies.
Cranberry Vanilla Quick Bread with Kefir
While on the slightly indulgent side, a warm slice of soft bread is a treat everyone enjoys. Use whole grain flour and add nuts or seeds for more variety, crunch and staying power.
Smoothies are excellent ways to sneak fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet that they would otherwise avoid. Serve in a fun cup with a straw.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
No snack suggestion list is complete without including fresh fruits and vegetables. Carrot sticks, apples, bananas, celery, grapes – fruit and vegetables are portable, additive-free and an essential part of any diet. Cutting them into fun shapes is a great way to bring a bit more fun to snack time as well!