The Snack Box
“What can I eat?” is the dreaded question, usually followed
by: “There’s nothing good to eat!” If you have a child, you have probably heard
both of these questions more times than you care to count. Wouldn’t it be great, if your child could
just go to the cabinet or pantry and pick a satisfying and nutritious snack
without all the bargaining for processed junk foods?
You can put your child in control with the
snack box, and here’s how it works:
- Get a large plastic bin. You’d best get one for each child so there is no conflict over food.
- Take a large sheet of paper and make two columns: Green (for healthy snacks) and Yellow (for less healthy snacks, which should be eaten less often)
- Discuss together which snacks should be placed in the green column, and which snacks should be placed in the yellow column.
- Permit your child to choose, for example, 14 snacks for the week with eleven of the snacks from the green column and 3 from the yellow column.
- She can go to the store with you and help you purchase her choices and place them in the box when you arrive home. Fruits, vegetables, hummus and other refrigerated items could be represented in the box by a card or picture.
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Your child is now in control. She has picked the snacks and knows where to
find them. She can enjoy some favorite
junk foods, but in moderation. When the
less healthy snacks run out, they are gone until next week.
