Children may suffer soaring blood sugar if they eat the wrong snacks! Nutritionist's picture of "red, yellow, green and yellow lights", don't step on the landmine by mistake

During the Spring Festival, staying at home watching TV and eating snacks has become a happy entertainment. Adults eat melon seeds and pistachios, while children love to eat snacks such as "rice crackers" and "senbei", one mouthful after another. However, nutritionists remind children to pay attention to the "red, yellow, and green lights" when eating snacks, so as to avoid weight loss after the New Year. It may also cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar and even cause mood swings.

How can parents help their children choose good snacks during the Chinese New Year so that they can eat safely and healthily? Nutritionist Su Yanchen specially shares the "red, yellow, and green lights" for children's snacks during the Chinese New Year, sharing it with all parents who love their children. They are advised to choose snacks carefully, increase their dietary choices, and pay attention to portion size so as not to overeat and avoid stepping on health landmines.

Four major indicators for evaluating children's snacks

The evaluation indicators for children's New Year snacks include the following four items:

1. Total calories

2. Refined sugar

3. Sodium Content

4. Fiber/Fats

The red, yellow, and green lights for choosing snacks for children during Chinese New Year (Photo courtesy of nutritionist Su Yanchen)

Children's New Year snacks red, yellow, green and yellow lights

Nutritionist Su Yanchen said that in addition to paying attention to the above four indicators, we also need to understand the "snack assessment indicator red-yellow-green light". The following are four categories of whole grains and roots, beans, fish, meat and eggs, other snacks, and beverages. Let's take a look at the "children's snack red-yellow-green light" recommended foods to be consumed:

Green light (eat in moderation)

Whole grains and root vegetables: original corn chips, air-fried pumpkin, steamed/baked sweet potatoes, steamed and baked corn.

Beans, fish, meat and eggs: boiled eggs, various types of dried tofu/shredded tofu, ginseng, octopus, squid, edamame, and beef tendon.

Other snacks: boiled soft peanuts, air-fried burdock, various fruits, raisins, dried black dates, various additive-free dried fruits/slices (such as dried mango/slices).

Beverages: sugar-free/low-sugar soy milk, milk/original long-lasting milk, sugar-free barley tea, sugar-free herbal tea (such as chamomile/Rooibos tea).

Reminder: Add "original corn flakes" because the unit calorie content is less than 400 kcal (generally biscuits have about 400-500 kcal per 100 grams), plus it is fortified with nutrients, which is actually a good snack option.

Raisins are recommended for children over one and a half years old. Boiled soft peanuts that are as soft as peanut kernel soup and can be crushed with fingers can be eaten by children over two years old. Whole hard nuts should be eaten by children over five years old.

As for the various slightly fragrant, sugar-free, caffeine-free herbal teas, they are also very suitable drinks for children.

Yellow light (choose to eat)

Whole grains and root vegetables: various biscuits, air-fried carrot cakes, air-fried French fries, various cookies, egg cakes, shrimp cakes (high sodium), rice crackers (high sodium), pancakes, roasted fruits, thin cakes, milk cakes, nutritious rations, and small steamed buns.

Beans, fish, meat, eggs: air-fried meat (such as chicken wings), grilled meat (roast chicken, roast duck).

Other snacks: seaweed (high sodium), air-fried burdock.

Beverages: various flavored milks, instant Milo/Ovaltine, full-sugar soy milk, soy milk/milk tofu pudding, almond tea/milk, cereal drinks (including three-in-one cereal), and Tremella dew.

remind:

"Shrimp crackers", "rice crackers" and "senbei" may seem like healthy options, but they contain a lot of sodium, with more than 600 mg of sodium per 100 grams of food. They are high-sodium foods and must be eaten with caution.

The sodium content of commercially available seaweed, whether flavored or not, is extremely high, so children should only eat a small amount.

Although some people think that fruit juice can supplement vitamin C, from the perspective of refined sugar, it is much more practical to eat fruit directly than to supplement that little bit of vitamin C and end up pushing the refined sugar level to the limit.

Red Light (Avoid eating)

Whole grains and root vegetables: fried rice cakes, potato chips, French fries, fried glutinous rice balls, rice cakes, fried rice, and glutinous rice products.

Beans, fish, meat, eggs: various dried meats, fried meats (such as fried chicken/croquettes), bacon, sausages, ham, and bacon.

Other snacks: shortbread (such as pineapple cakes), sesame seeds, peanut candy, various candies, candied fruits, and various dried meats.

Beverages: black tea, green tea, various fruit juices (including flavored juices/100% reconstituted juices), lactic acid drinks, chicken essence, carbonated drinks, canned Ovaltine.

remind:

The focus of black tea and green tea is no longer the amount of sugar they contain, but the amount of caffeine they contain. Therefore, children can consume a lot of caffeine in just one paper cup, so be careful. As for other beverages, they are all high-sugar drinks, so try to avoid letting children drink them.

In addition to foods that are difficult to digest, such as fried rice and rice cakes, the next foods are fried ingredients, such as fried rice cakes and fried dumplings. If the cooking method is frying, as long as the cooking method allows, it is highly recommended to use an "air fryer" instead. Instead, just spray a small amount of oil on the outside of the ingredients, which greatly reduces the amount of oil used and makes it much healthier to eat.