Snacks may help children increase fruit, veggie and protein intake

A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that children who eat between meals may be getting fruits and other elements of a healthy diet that they would not otherwise eat.

Researchers examined data on eating habits among 150 families in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., with children aged 5–7. The study team surveyed participants on three separate occasions about what they ate and drank over the previous 24 hours.

When researchers only looked at meals kids ate, children had an average so-called Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score of 55.3 out of a possible 100 points for an optimal diet, the study found. But when researchers also looked at snacks, kids’ average scores rose to 57.1.

“Among the children included in the current study, snacking was found to contribute positively to overall diet quality,” wrote the researchers. “However, snacking was also found to contribute to children’s mean consumption of refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages.”

With only meals counted, children averaged 3.9 servings of refined grains like white bread and 0.4 servings of sugary beverages like sodas and fruit drinks, the study found. Including snacks, kids got 5 daily servings of refined grains and 0.54 daily servings of sugary drinks.

Children in the study got an average of 1,215 calories a day from meals alone, and an average of 1,581 daily calories when researchers looked at both meals and snacks.

Including snacks, children got an average of 1.08 servings of fruit, 1.29 servings of vegetables, 4.26 servings of protein, and 2.15 servings of dairy each day, the study found.

Counting only meals, children averaged barely two-thirds of a serving of fruit daily, 3.88 servings of protein, and 0.59 servings of vegetables, suggesting that snacks can help kids get more of the healthy foods they need, the researchers concluded.

“Future research should seek to better understand influences on children’s food choices at snack times and barriers to serving more healthful foods as snacks that are faced by ethnically or racially diverse families,” the researchers concluded. “Long term, the development of interventions that aim to improve children’s consumption of healthful foods at snack times should be pursued.”

Abstract