Children need a regular intake of energy and other nutrients to keep going and stay healthy. As well as providing fuel for the body, energy is important to help them concentrate in the classroom. Studies show that children perform less well at school in a variety of tasks, when energy levels are low. Snacks can help fill the gap between meals, particularly for children who are physically active or growing rapidly.

Snacks Can Be Part of a Healthy Lifestyle

A balanced diet includes breakfast, lunch and dinner; and a snack between meals can help keep us going, especially when we are hungry. As with all foods, different snacks provide different nutrients so variety is the healthy way.

A Wide Variety of Snacks

There are lots of different types of snacks. These might include, fruit, crisps, crackers with cheese, chocolate, biscuits, yogurt, vegetable sticks, samosa, chapatti, toast, scone, fruit bun, nuts or a sandwich. A good thing to remember is that choosing fruit or veg as a snack, counts towards our '5 a Day' target.

Fruit and Veg Can Be Snacks Too

Many fruits and veg can make handy snacks such as raisins, grapes, dried apricots, satsumas, tomatoes, carrot sticks, slices of red or green pepper, apple pie, bananas, pears and kiwi fruit.