The Single Most Useful Snacking Rule I Give My Kid
My main problem with sandwiches is that when I’m bored, I want to eat snacks. My daughter is the same way, but for her it was difficult to calculate accurately (without mentioning the communication) if she was bored or really hungry, especially when she was a little girl. My husband and I, inevitably, would find that, in the window of time before dinner, she came to yell at us, asking for a sandwich. From this arose the most important refreshment rule of our family, and one that I try to make everyone follow
It was difficult to deny my daughter food when I was asking for it, but I also did not want the dinner I was preparing to go without eating and being replaced by stuffed cookies. So, about an hour before dinner is ready, this is our rule: anyone who is hungry can only eat snacks in vegetables.
Why vegetables? We strive to make vegetables a big part of our meals, so I reasoned that if you’re hungry, it’s okay to eat something before dinner. Also, if you are going to fill something, why not the vegetables?
Once we established this rule, I discovered that half the time my daughter would say that she did not want vegetables and that she was not really hungry, and that she would be fine until dinner. The other half of the time, she wanted sandwiches (vegetables!) And since I was already preparing dinner, I had my cutting board, so I could please her and prepare a small dish for her.
What are good snacking veggies?
My family’s favorite snacks are raw vegetables that can also work on salads, so we make sure we always have carrots, pickles and cherry tomatoes on hand. For a fun, more “snack-y” vegetable, we buy frozen edamame, without peel, which only needs to be soaked in hot water for a few minutes. Roasted vegetables or vegetable-based sauces like baba ganoush or hummus would also be excellent choices.
This pre-dinner snack rule makes it easy for us as parents to respond with a consistent and healthy choice, and has helped my daughter begin to discover if she is really hungry or bored. Channeling our energy into a healthy snack is much easier than saying no to a snack altogether, and getting more vegetables in my child is always a victory!
It was difficult to deny my daughter food when I was asking for it, but I also did not want the dinner I was preparing to go without eating and being replaced by stuffed cookies. So, about an hour before dinner is ready, this is our rule: anyone who is hungry can only eat snacks in vegetables.
Why vegetables? We strive to make vegetables a big part of our meals, so I reasoned that if you’re hungry, it’s okay to eat something before dinner. Also, if you are going to fill something, why not the vegetables?
Once we established this rule, I discovered that half the time my daughter would say that she did not want vegetables and that she was not really hungry, and that she would be fine until dinner. The other half of the time, she wanted sandwiches (vegetables!) And since I was already preparing dinner, I had my cutting board, so I could please her and prepare a small dish for her.
What are good snacking veggies?
My family’s favorite snacks are raw vegetables that can also work on salads, so we make sure we always have carrots, pickles and cherry tomatoes on hand. For a fun, more “snack-y” vegetable, we buy frozen edamame, without peel, which only needs to be soaked in hot water for a few minutes. Roasted vegetables or vegetable-based sauces like baba ganoush or hummus would also be excellent choices.
This pre-dinner snack rule makes it easy for us as parents to respond with a consistent and healthy choice, and has helped my daughter begin to discover if she is really hungry or bored. Channeling our energy into a healthy snack is much easier than saying no to a snack altogether, and getting more vegetables in my child is always a victory!
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