Do you have questions about healthy snacking? Ask PHE’s expert for a chance to win a £150 voucher NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Making healthy choices when it comes to your children’s snacks (especially if you’re under the demands of pester power) can be difficult.

Change4Life is supporting you in making healthier snack choices, and they have Orla Hugueniot, Senior Nutritionist on board to help answer your questions on healthy snacking.

Here’s what Change4Life has to say: ‘The new Change4Life campaign aims to help families choose healthier snacks and cut back on sugar. The campaign reveals the surprising fact that children are getting half their sugar from snacks and sugary drinks between meals. To help parents take action Change4Life are introducing a simple new tip – ‘Look for 100 calorie snacks, two a day max’ - to help parents purchase healthier snacks and provide a suggestion for how to keep snacking in check each day. For lots of ideas for healthier snacking for kids and money-off vouchers, search Change4Life.’

Here’s some more information about Orla Hugueniot:
“Orla Hugueniot is the campaign nutritionist team lead at Public Health England (PHE). Since joining PHE in 2014, she has led the provision of expert nutrition advice for PHE Change4Life campaigns including Sugar Swaps (Jan 2015), Sugar Smart (2016) and Be Food Smart (Jan 2017) and Snack Smart (Jan 2018). Orla is a PHE spokesperson and has extensive experience with the media (both UK and Australian) including radio interviews and several TV appearances. She was previously a spokesperson for the FSA. She has worked with journalists in mainstream print media as well as the more specialised health press. Her previous experience includes working at the UK’s Food Standards Agency as a Senior Nutrition Scientific Officer, and as an independent nutritionist for public health nutrition campaigns in Australia. Her qualifications include an Hons BSc degree in Human Nutrition from King’s College London and a Diploma in Science Communication from Birkbeck University (University of London). Orla is a member of the UK and Australian Nutrition Societies.”

Ask Orla your questions about healthy snacking by 22nd January and we’ll select 10-15 questions for them to answer and post their responses as soon as possible. All who post a question below (whether it’s answered or not!) will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £150 voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Do children actually need snacks? Does their blood sugar vary more than adults for example or is or cultural expectations?

It's cultural expectations to think that snacks are bad.

Cave people did not fret, "Oh no, you can't eat that now, you'll spoil your tea!" Our natural state is to eat whatever is available if we can find any appetite for it, the moment it's available.

"eat 3 meals a day with nothing inbetween" is completely artificial and culturally set.

Why the big emphasis on calories? Surely it's more important to give children healthy foods than worry about the number of calories.

What savoury snacks would you recommend? Any alternatives to crisps we could try out?

I try not to snack on sugary things e.g. cake/ sweets and instead have sultanas, apricots and other dried fruit. Is this really a healthy alternative or does the sugar in this amount to as much as say, a mini pack of Haribo?!
Help!
Thanks
E

Which snacks would be good for secondary school, to fit in a blazer pocket, not a bar of chocolate, and, not embarrass a teen?

I want to ask about teeth. Every dentist I know hates their child being given snacks at school etc. A different perspective to weight related problems, but still a concern.
Do healthy snacks still cause tooth decay, and should we encourage brushing after the two snacks per day recommendation?

Which fruit is higher in sugar and bad for kids teeth?

How many snacks a day should a 4 year old be having?

Also I too believe you should be promoting natural yogurt and givinf suggestions of what to add as i know many parents that have no clue about the sugar content in them. Atleast if you add something to natural yogurt you can see how much sugar goes in

I was in agreement with someone stating about the sugar content in petis filous (sorry my message made no sense 😂).

Make it simple - what are the best snacks I can give my children that are reasonably healthy, will fill them up but make them feel like they've had a treat?

At what age do children need to stop 'snacking'? When should they be able to go between meals without needing top ups??