Study: Snacks Pack Too Many Unhealthy Calories for Kids

A new study finds that kids today are snacking about three times per day, which isn’t necessarily a problem — but it’s their snack choices that are packing in the calories — almost 200 calories more than snacks kids chose in the 1970′s. Sugary beverages, cookies, cake, candy, salty snacks and other high-calorie junk food may be key contributors to the rising rates of childhood obesity.

“Today we think we need to be eating all the time, so we have snack foods available for our kids constantly,” Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina, told USA Today. “Kids are not only snacking too often, but essentially the foods they are consuming represent almost completely unhealthy foods. Children today consume few whole fruits and vegetables as snacks, they consume more french fries as snacks than healthy vegetables.”

For snack options that are fun and healthy for kids, check out our Healthy Snacks section.