KIDS SNACKS: HOW TO MANAGE HUNGER & BOOST NUTRITION WITH DELICIOUS HEALTHY TREATS

September 16, 2017

As a parent, one of my hardest challenges is what snacks am I going to give my kids today? How creative can I be and how do I get them to buy into healthy eating?

So I thought I’d consult the great Google. This is what I got:  juice, cereals, popcorn, crackers, fruit, bagels, cream cheese, muffin, banana sandwich, processed meat.  And right there and then Google lost me. Seriously!?  That’s what you got???

I’m good with fruit in moderate quantities (fructose levels even in whole fruit need to be watched).

But the rest of Google’s suggestions, which are generally filled with refined flour, hydrogenated corn syrup, hormone & antibiotic filled meat & cheese, and popcorn are now healthy options?  Mon Dieu !

Another masquerader is fruit juice.  The whole fruit is nutritious, but without the fruit fiber you’re getting mostly fructose which is as dangerous as glucose.  Furthermore, often juices are loaded with added sugar, food coloring and mystery syrups, but even pure fruit juice is mostly sugar.

These are all processed foods that have a dramatic harmful affect on your child’s mind and body.  From obesity and early onset diabetes, to ADD, inability to focus in school, lowering of IQ and a slew of diseases that will be expressed later in life because of early bad eating habits, the effects of this junk is scary.  It is our responsibility as parents to safeguard our kids, the treasures in our safekeeping.

What they need is fiber, antioxidants, good clean protein, lignans, omegas 3, 6 and 9 (not just one of them!).

NOURISH is the way I see it and what I had in mind when I started to think about Hnina’s new healthy snacks line.

Use this amazing product as a grab and go snack.  They are chip size to just pick out of the bag, but can be broken apart to put in your salad, on yogurt, etc.  Keep one in your purse, in the car, everywhere you go for a quick healthful snack for the kids and you.  And did you know that the clear cello bags we use are compostable?  That’s not plastic but wood cellulose.

The certified organic ingredients of Hnina’s sprouted seeds snack crackers are just incredible and so simple.

• Sprouted, raw, unpasteurized, unradiated pumpkin, flax, sunflower and sesame seeds.

Just a touch of unprocessed pure intense dark maple syrup from Vermont.

Sprouting is NEXT LEVEL eating!  Once activated, the seeds come alive, flowing with nutrients, gaining in size, taste in texture. Even more importantly, phytic acid, an enzyme inhibitor “anti-nutrient” found in seeds, nuts and grains which binds to proteins, minerals and other nutrients and prevents them from being digested, POOF, disappears.  The result is that all these wonderful nutrients become BIO-AVAILABLE. Strange to think that all this time we’ve been eating unsprouted seeds, nuts & grains and have been cheated out of all these nutrients.

Ready for more in-depth detail? 

Okay, let’s break it down:

Flax seed: This amazing seed has been consumed for thousands of years. It is such a wonder food. Flax contains minerals, vitamins, lignans (75 to 800 times more than other plant foods), fiber, protein and omegas (good fats great for heart health).  Flax is thought to fight heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even cancer along with many other healing properties.  I started giving flax oil to my babies when only a few month old for brain development and constipation.

Sesame seed: Sesame seeds are full of calcium and other key minerals such as magnesium, selenium. They contain vitamins B, A, D, E, K. Did you know that you can absorb vitamin D much better if it is combined with vitamin K? This was the discovery of M. Weston Price at the beginning of the 20th century.  Sesame seeds are associated with cholesterol lowering, protection of the liver, relief of arthritis, improved bone, vascular and respiratory health, prevention of colon cancer, osteoporosis, migraine & PMS.

Pumpkin seed: An alkaline forming super food. Contains manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron and tons of protein.
A healing food believed to be effective against depression, osteoporosis, kidney stone and inflammation, promotes sleep, lowers LDL cholesterol, and more.

Sunflower seed: They are rich in nearly 90% of group B vitamins, vitamin E, phytochemicals, protein, minerals (manganese, selenium), antioxidants and polyunsaturated fats which help protect against free radicals.  Considered good for your cardiovascular system, stable healthy body weight and reduced body-wide inflammation, cancer prevention, less headaches and muscle cramps, improved detoxification, healthy skin and more.

Pure maple syrup: One of the few anti-inflammatory sweeteners that is extraordinarily nourishing to boot.  Health benefits come from minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus sodium, potassium, and zinc. Vitamins include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B6. It is loaded with antioxidants such as gallic acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, and various polyphenols and flavanols such as catechin, epicatechin, quercetin and rutin.  The glycemic index for maple syrup is a moderate 54 impacting blood sugar levels less drastically than refined sugar.  Fructose levels are low.  Maple syrup is not raw because it is extracted with heat but the good news is that you can heat maple syrup without losing its health benefits.

So there you go, a delicious, nourishing snack for your kids.  They will love the crunch and the sweetness.  So hopefully your school doesn’t bar nuts and seeds, while turning a blind eye to refined sugar, refined flour, food coloring and other toxins (DRIVES ME NUTS! – no pun intended).  But even if you don’t pack it into their lunch box, use that (and any HNINA product – all kid loving)  WHEN THEY ARE CRAVING A BIT OF SWEETNESS.
Bon appétit,

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