Wanting to learn how to raise lower-carb kids? Where to start? How to start? And how to find easy healthy sugar-free snacks?
Below is everything you need to get started, along with plenty of easy healthy sugar-free snacks. This is number 5 in my series of low-carb kids articles and guides.
- Take a look at my Top 10 Low-Carb Snacks
- Take a look at my Low-Carb Snacks recipe archives
- Top 35 Low-Carb Snacks
- Low-Carb Kids 1 - beginners guide, tips and tricks
- Low-Carb Kids 2 - ultimate 'school lunch planner' with free printable PDF
- Low-Carb Kids 3 - 2 weeks of my children's school lunches
- Low-Carb Kids 4 - how to make a low carb school lunch box and more ideas
- Low-Carb Kids 6 - an entire month of school lunch ideas
- Low-Carb Kids 7 - My guest post on Diet Dr, "How To Raise Children On Real Low Carb Food".
- Low-Carb Kids 8 - How to help your child eat real food - with an action plan
- Top 10 Myths Of Low-Carb Kids
Low-Carb Kids - Healthy Snacks For After School
One of the trickiest things parents find when they go sugar-free or low carb is what to give children for after school snacks. It's hard to change our mindset from giving our children sweet treats such as muesli bars, cereal/granola, toast and sugary spreads, cakes or baking, to giving them savoury snacks.
Top tip: Try to cut down on how much and how often they snack too. It is so much easier to encourage children to eat their dinner when they're hungry.
Healthy sugar-free snacks need to be portable while driving to sports and activities. We are so used to having food on hand that has a long shelf life and comes in a packet.
We are the first generation to grow up consuming so many preservatives and so many packaged snacks. Americans now spend more on snacks than meals.
If those preservatives are stopping the bacteria from growing in our food, what is it doing to the beneficial bacteria in our bodies? Our gut health is incredibly important with 75% of our serotonin (the happy hormone) and our immunity is made in our gut.
Sometimes there is no other option, I'm realistic, but let's see if we can do the best we can as often as we can, then there is less pressure on the occasions when we can't.
Read more: Top 50 low-carb and keto kids sugar-free snacks ... even if you have picky eaters.
Have healthy sugar free snacks in the car such as nuts, eggs, cheese cubes, cold meat etc. They make just as much mess as a packet of crackers or crisps (probably less). Or pack each child a little lunch box for the car to contain any mess. At home, afternoon tea doesn't have to be a big deal.
Leftovers are under-utilised. They're easy and nutritious. Cook extra sausages or extra drumsticks for lunch or snacks. When I have the oven on, I always cook an extra batch of sausages or chicken purely for the next few days lunch or snacks. It's about thinking differently, cooking extra, and making it as easy as you can for yourself.
Very rarely do I have time to make pancakes after school, but if I do, I make a double or triple batch and keep them for their lunch boxes.
Healthy Sugar-Free Snacks List - what a superb idea! Definitely one to print off for the fridge.Click here for a FREE printable list of Healthy Sugar-Free Snacks for After School.
The Ultimate LOW-CARB Lunchbox Book: This isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing things DIFFERENTLY!! - CLICK HERE
Healthy Sugar-Free Snacks
This is a great infographic showing how certain foods leave you crashing soon after eating them. So we may think bread, toast and cereal fill our children up, but they will soon be hungry again. These foods feed them energy but no nourishment or nutrients.
The best foods are those based on good quality protein and good healthy fats. Sure children can have unprocessed carbs such as sweet potatoes and fruit but in limited amounts. It is the whole food approach that is important.
My favourite 'Healthy Sugar-Free Snacks' for after school -
- Low-carb snack tray - yummy easy healthy ideas
- Chaffles - 4 ways - seriously an absolute lifesaver after school!! There's even a FREE cookbook with 23 flavours your kiddos will LOVE.
- Ham and egg cups - great high protein snack or sugar-free lunch box filler
- Keto vanilla berry mug cake - now who doesn't have 1 minute to make these?
- Keto green smoothie - now no kid will drink a green smoothie so .... my simple trick is to add peppermint, and call it a mint milkshake. GENIUS!
- Grain-free and sugar-free granola - simply add unsweetened yoghurt, cream, coconut cream and some berries.
- Fathead nachos - if you haven't heard of Fat Head mozzarella dough, you are in for a treat.
- Paleo pancakes - especially handy to feed dairy-free kiddos after school.
- Salmon patties - with a lime dressing. Surprisingly, kiddos love these healthy snacks in their lunchbox too.
Easier Sugar-Free Snack Ideas
- 35 best low-carb snacks
- Eggs any which way. Boiled (boil 10 or so at a time to always have them on hand for snacks and lunches), fried, scrambled, poached. devilled eggs, paleo scotch eggs
- Cheese, cheese, cheese. Sticks, cubes, grated. Any old how but this is s great way to fill up children for longer
- Flavoured waters instead of juice or fizzy drinks
- Leftover dinners are KING!
- Beef jerky/biltong/pork crackling
- Pepperoni pizza bites
- Crustless quiches
- Chia is not just for breakfast. Make it anyway you like
- Berries and cream
- Avocado and salt
- Apple slices with peanut butter/tahini/almond butter etc
- Chopped up apple or pear with cinnamon sprinkled on top
- Canned/tinned tuna
For all the following recipes, head over to my recipe finder and subscribe fro FREE recipes when I post them.
LOW-CARB LUNCHBOX IDEAS: If you are wanting more ideas for sugar-free snacks and sugar-free lunchboxes, come and join me on my Facebook page Low-Carb Lunch Club and in my closed group - Low-Carb Lunch Box hacks. Come and join in the fun. I'll see you there.
The Ultimate LOW-CARB Lunchbox Book: This isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing things DIFFERENTLY!! - CLICK HERE
Dew
I have put my self on an special eating plan. No sugar, gluten free, no peanuts, no shadow veg,
I have an autoimmune disease and need to get back to the basics. But I'm trying not to stress because this is part of my problem. But watching one video after another lives the mind with what should I eat. I dont eat processed foods. I eat salads, saur kraut, chicken ect so something I guess I cant eat.