#10: All things snacks and kids with Suzi Hinck, The Parenting Dietitian
If you are a parent that struggles with what to feed your child at snacks, then you need to listen to this podcast. Whether you are a food allergy family or not, snacks play an important role in how we feed our families.
Today I’m talking with Suzi Hinck, dietitian and owner of The Parenting Dietitian. Suzi shares advice on all things snacks, as well as strategies for helping children nurture a healthy relationship with all foods.
In this interview, we chat about:
Looking for a list of simple snack ideas? Download this allergy-friendly snack handout, created by Suzi and myself.
Need help with meal planning in general? Check out my FREE Meal planning class.
More About Suzi Hinck
Suzi is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a private practice serving young families with children called The Parenting Dietitian. Mealtimes can be stressful, and Suzi helps parents feel good about feeding their kids! Suzi offers customized services for general child nutrition, picky eating, developmental milestones, meal planning, and more.
Connect with Suzi:
Blog: My 12 Favorite Snacks for After School - The Parenting Dietitian
Website: https://theparentingdietitian.com
Instagram:@the.parenting.dietitian
Facebook: The Parenting Dietitian
Food Allergy Resources mentioned in this episode:
Episode Highlights
Please note that this podcast interview transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Lisa Woodruff: Within your area of expertise, how have you observed individuals or families with food allergies - how are we similar?
Suzi Hinck: I think the most basic, common ground is that everyone eats. We all - as parents - have similar struggles when it comes to feeding kids. We are all planning around busy schedules and family or personal food preferences. I think we’re all kind of figuring out food and meals and that comes down to planning, logistics, knowing what we have available and when.
I think families that are dealing with food allergies have to do that to another level. There’s more planning, more diligence, more vigilance of ingredients, more awareness of surroundings, etc. that families who are not thinking about food allergies don’t have to plan around.
Lisa: Right! You did such a good job of laying that out. Thank you. And maybe we should touch on the fact that while we are both dietitians, your specialty is the world of parenting and family nutrition whereas my specialty is food allergy nutrition.
And I think this is an important distinction to make since unfortunately there is a perception in some parts of the food allergy community that dietitians can be a waste of time or that Google can help more than a dietitian could. So to start, could you share some general information and background about the education and training process for becoming a dietitian?
Suzi: Sure. So dietetics falls within the healthcare, professional field. In order to become a dietitian, you need to have the appropriate prerequisites and then become admitted to a program. You have to complete the education, do a Dietetic Internship, pass a national board exam, and become licensed. We all have the same general requirements; nutrition across the lifespan as well as different disease states. Once you start practicing, there are different categories of how you can specialize.
If you think about it really broadly, if you had a broken ankle and you went to see your OB, they could tell you that your ankle is broken but they don’t treat or manage that condition. So they would refer you to orthopedics or urgent care.
A food allergy family would want to work with a dietitian that knows the ins and outs of the allergy world. But not every dietitian is going to. For example, I know what the top food allergies are, I know what symptoms of a food allergy are, and I know the difference between food allergy and intolerance. But beyond that, I don’t really know much about treating or living with food allergies; that’s a different specialty.
I can see how there is a perception that in general, dietitians don’t know about allergies. But if you look at the broad spectrum of all dietitians, we don’t all specialize in food allergy. If a family wants to understand their food allergies, I would definitely refer to you! Or someone in their area. Because I don’t do that.
Lisa: Right! I just want to highlight for anyone listening that FARE - or Food Allergy Research and Education - does offer a pediatric food allergy nutrition course. And they have a directory on their website of FARE Trained Registered Dietitians so you can find a food allergy dietitian that practices in your state.
What also comes to my mind is that clinical practice is just one area of dietetics. That includes inpatient, outpatient, and private practice. Not all dietitians necessarily work with clients.
Suzi: I feel like even in the last ten years, our field has really expanded. There’s dietitians that work in research, marketing, sports nutrition, and wellness. There’s literally a dietitian for anything. There’s even dietitians that work with chiefs.
Lisa: I want to jump back to the beginning - to building that bridge between the food allergy world. Let’s talk about snacks, which is an area where both our specialties overlap. Because snacks are something that all kids need and all families use, whether or not they have a food allergy. You have a great blog post about snacks: My 12 Favorite Snacks for After School.
What do we need to know about kids and snacks?
Lisa: Could you talk about the basics when it comes to all things snacks and kids?
Suzi: Sure, so if anyone is a parent, they know that kids eat pretty frequently. They’re growing and rapidly developing, which requires energy. So it’s normal for kids to want to eat three meals a day with snacks in between.
Every kid is different and their needs are going to vary. Even with my own kids, they eat and snack differently. I have one who seems to do fine in longer periods of time and the other one who feels like she needs to eat like every hour. And they’ve been like that since birth.
And then, I think there is a fine point on how important it is to keep a regular schedule. I help parents understand what a schedule can look like. It doesn’t have to be extremely regimented, but it should have some flow throughout the day.
I focus on the main food groups. It can come back to the basics of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins. And I try to make sure that parents understand that creating snacks may be a little easier than they think. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something that is packaged up and called a snack.
A snack can be anything that is food between a meal. It could be fruits and vegetables. It could be leftovers from a meal thrown together on a plate. Maybe yogurt and granola. Or is the snack happening at school or in between activities? I try to work with families individually to ask what they need for their meals and snacks, and then figure it out from there.
When you think about your day and your week, then it's easier to figure out how you need to get the snacks in, and when, and where. From that point, we look at the major food groups; maybe they need to be incorporated into snacks because they’re not getting in at mealtimes. Or they could be offered at mealtime but not being eaten, so how can you recover from that and offer it as a snack.
Lisa: I love that. I think when a lot of us think of “snacks,” what immediately comes to mind are those foods that you keep in a snack closet. But with food allergies, you’re looking at allergy-friendly products that are two to three times more expensive. But when you look at something like an apple, it costs the same. So I think that’s a great way to change our perspective on what we consider snacks. Because then we’re opening it up to all sorts of different kinds of foods.
Suzi: I think so too. When I work with families, I often just give the advice to think first of fruits and vegetables. And then one of the ways that I can help conceptualize this is to include another food group.So if you start with a fruit or vegetable, then combine that with a healthy fat or protein. For example:
Vegetables with hummus
Fruit or vegetable with cheese
Smoothie with fruit and fat or protein
If there is a nut allergy, you can use whatever nut-free or safe nut butter that you choose. So the snack itself isn’t different, but the option within that snack varies from person to person.
Lisa: So what comes to mind is peanut butter and apple slices. That was a common snack when I was growing up. So if you can’t do peanut butter, what can you do instead? There are other cashew or almond butters that are made in facilities that don’t process peanuts. Or you can look at sun butter or soy butter.
There are so many alternatives for those that can’t do peanut butter. The question is just how can we tweak the snack idea so that it fits within your family’s needs.
Suzi: Yes, exactly. And I think that can go for almost anything. Same with vegetables and hummus. If there is a tree nut allergy you could make a bean-based hummus at home. It’s the same type of snack with just different ingredients.
Lisa: Right. And I love your idea of trying to do at least two food groups when it comes to a snack.
Should kids get choices at snack time?
Suzi: Yes. And what I love even more is getting kids involved by giving them choices. This could look like asking “which fruit would you like: apple or orange?” And “what do you want to combine it with? Nut butter or cheese?” When kids have the power to choose, they get more excited about it and things become easier.
Lisa: I struggle with this because with three kids I don’t want a snack to be a big free-for-all. I need a little more structure to avoid chaos. So the choice for us might be here’s a granola bar, you can each pick out a fruit from the fruit drawer.
Suzi: Choices within reason. The way that I look at it, I’m fine with any of these choices that I’m laying out for the child. So whatever they want to choose is fine. I feel like kids also need a little bit of control; so much of their day is not in their control. So if I can lay out the options that I’m okay with, then they can choose whatever from that.
Lisa: And that is different from saying “help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”
Suzi: Yes, exactly. Here are the options, within these options take your pick.
Lisa: I like that.
What is the difference between meals and snacks?
Lisa: So then, how do we differentiate between snacks and meals? What advice do you give families on that?
Suzi: Parents ask about that, especially when it’s getting close to meal time. Maybe it’s been busy and the kids are a little hungry; they want to eat a snack but you want them to wait until the next meal. You don’t want them to eat a lot of snacks right them because then they may be too full to eat the meal.
Obviously every kid is different, but know your kid and know the time of day. My best advice is to have some structure in the day so you know they will be hungry for a snack. And communication is important. They should know when the next meal is scheduled.
Now in that in-between time, sometimes the situation is that kids just want more snack or they’re super hungry and the meal is just not ready yet. So I always suggest setting out a fruit or vegetable plate while you are preparing the meal.
Have you ever been so hungry yourself when you’re cooking that you’re nibbling on whatever you’re making? It’s normal to feel hungry as you anticipate a meal.
When my kids are really hungry, I’ll set out a little plate of vegetables. Because I don’t care if they eat them. If they do, they’ll eat more vegetables! And if they don’t, their meal is coming soon and I know they’ll eat at the meal.
Again, this is hard to answer one way directly, but my advice is to try and have structure with meals and snacks so they don’t run into each other. Because then you run the risk of overeating on the snack and then not eating the meal, or being so hungry at the meal that they don’t eat. This can play true with really little kids. And then you have a problem.
Lisa: I do the same thing with vegetables. If it’s one of those nights where dinner is late or the kids are constantly distracting me from cooking, I offer vegetables to get them started.
Suzi: Sometimes I get it all set out and then give them jobs. And then they’ll come to the counter to take a plate or two and nibble as they bring it to the table. And that is fine too.
What are some misconceptions about snacks?
Lisa: So how can you help families navigate nutrition misinformation about snacks? What are some common misconceptions that you encounter about snacking?
Suzi: That’s a good one! First, I have no problem with people choosing packaged foods. I think there is a time and a place; I do it, often. There are so many snacks available now. But I think many people aren’t reading the label. And I think parents often forget about how much sugar and sodium are in processed foods.
So I do a little bit of education on label reading, just so parents know what they are choosing. Even within the realm of a granola bar, that is a big category of snack food. There are some that are almost dessert-type food with a lot of sugar. And then there are some that are the complete opposite. And your kid may like either or neither. So it just comes into play what makes the most sense for your family.
In terms of misinformation, I try to let people know that kids are growing and snacks are normal. We all need to make sure we get enough food throughout the day. Sometimes meals can be a big conglomeration of a bunch of different foods together and it’s like a snacking lunch. So the whole term of “snack” can be hard to conceptualize if you haven’t thought about the structure of the day with meals and snacks.
So I try to emphasize structuring meals throughout the day. And then put snacks in there. Parents just need to go with their gut on how their kid is eating throughout the day and understand what is normal for them and their growing body over time.
Lisa: Can you give an example of an age group and what could be an option for structure for their daily meal and snack routine?
Suzi: Sure, of course. Let’s think of a toddler. They will need snacks and meals more frequently than an older child. And they’ll probably eat smaller sized meals and snacks throughout the day. I would say children often need to have about five to size meals and snacks each day. So I would say schedule breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then in between those meals are very specific snack times, maybe two or three for a young child like that.
Older elementary aged children also need three scheduled meals. They may need a morning or afternoon snack or both. They may need an afternoon snack if they are tired and hungry from the busy school day. As kids grow, they are better at managing more time between meals so that snacks don’t become as necessary or important, as long as they are getting the nutrition they need at those major meal times.
How can parents normalize fruits and vegetables?
Lisa: So we are both dietitians and parents. I’m just curious, how do you normalize fruits and vegetables, whether it be at snacks or meals, in your own house?
Suzi: That’s a great question! I just have them out. It’s part of our normal meal. I try to provide fruits and vegetables at every meal that I can. Some meals are going to be super healthy. And other meals are not. But I’ll still try to include a fruit and vegetable.
In terms of normalizing fruits and vegetables, I offer them at meals and snacks regularly. And then kids get used to that, so they know what the options are. And they’re more likely to eat them.
It’s pretty common with kids that whatever they are offered regularly, they tend to think of it as “normal.” So I normalized fruits and vegetables by offering them frequently and regularly. And I offer them choices on what they might feel like for that day or meal.
Lisa: I like that. One of the things that we try to do is to not make a big deal of having to eat the fruits or vegetables at a meal. We try to role model eating them as opposed to telling them what to do, in order to make it a neutral exposure.
Suzi: Exactly! And I think that brings up a really good point that pressuring kids to eat fruits and vegetables usually will backfire. And so it’s not really a recommendation anymore to make a child eat all the food on their plate or eat their vegetables in order to have dessert.
Like you said, it’s all about modeling good eating and putting the food out there. As a parent, it is your job to provide the meal or snack. You can’t really force your kid to eat. It’s their job to sit down and eat. And so, I think the best you can do is just talk about the food, like “today we’re having…” But there is no reason to force a child to eat something.
I think every now and then a parent really wants their child to try a new food, right? It could be exciting, it could be really good, etc. So it could be really enticing to ask them to “oh, just give it a bite.” But any pressure usually will backfire.
Lisa: Yeah. Sometimes you may win and get them to eat that “try bite” or food, but you may have turned them off to that food for the rest of their life. You have to think of the big picture.
Suzi: Feeding kids is hard. And it’s really tricky. Sometimes kids can have the perception that they don’t like a certain food because maybe they’ve tried it once and they didn’t like how it was prepared.
Or maybe they tried a certain type of fruit or vegetable, but those can be so different from day to day. Something as simple as a banana could be really great one day and then horrible two days later. We all know this. So it’s natural for kids to be a little hesitant when there is something new or something they didn’t like before. We’re all subject to the differences in food tastes and textures. So it’s understandable that our kids are still learning that when they are younger.
Lisa: This leads into a good question. What are some talking points that we can use with our kids about why it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables?
Suzi: I think it depends on the age of the child and what they can understand, developmentally. With kids that are a little older, we can go into fruits are great because they help our body stay healthy and if we get sick they help our body get rid of our sickness. Not that fruits and vegetables are the cure for sickness. But my point is, if you give your body the nutrients it needs, it’s going to be able to function properly.
If you want to talk about specific body function, you can say we know that carrots have Vitamin A and Vitamin A has health benefits for your eyes and skin. But eating one carrot is not going to automatically improve your vision. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to say to kids.
It’s more about learning about those health benefits from the perspective of you as an adult and for your child. Fruits and vegetables are healthy for us because they have vitamins, minerals, and fiber that help our body grow and function how it needs to over time. And there’s also really excellent foods out there that taste delicious and we love to eat those too. It doesn’t have to only be about fruits and vegetables.
I try to keep the mealtime as “we love all foods.” All foods can fit; we also love fruits and veggies because they’re really good for our growing bodies.
Lisa: And they taste good too! I like to use that message. Fruits and vegetables add texture, flavor, and make meals more interesting. I’ve noticed that with my kids, when i try to emphasize the healthy it usually backfires.
Suzi: I know! It is really interesting because they’re perceptive about this. If you try to get them to eat something they’re less likely too. So when it comes to mealtime with my kids at home, we just sit down at the table. If they have a question about a new food, I tell them what it is and we just talk about it. But I try to release all the pressure that they have to eat it.
Lisa: That’s great advice. And it gets me thinking. I just want to emphasize that most dietitians are not the food police. I eat all kinds of foods, my kids eat all kinds of food… Unless I’m specifically working with a client, I have too much going on to worry about or take notice of what other people are feeding their kids.
I feel like a lot of people start to get all weird or awkward when they find out I’m a dietitian. But unless the food is going to impact me or my children, I just don’t care.
Suzi: Yes! It’s so true. That happens to me all the time. Especially when I’m out at a mealtime or gathering. People find out I’m a dietitian and then they turn their plate away. I’m not judging.
Lisa: And when I look at a specific meal, I don’t get too hung up on the details. I try to be intentional about what is being served over the course of a day or the week. But if we’re having cookies and milk in the afternoon, I’m not getting hung up on that specific snack not including a fruit or vegetable. I’ll figure out a different time to serve them to my kids.
I feel like there is just all this pressure that we place on ourselves as parents to be perfect with our food choices at every time we eat. And it doesn’t have to be like that.
Suzi: I agree with that so much. Especially when it comes down to spending time with other people. Those social gatherings are meant to be fun and a time to come together with other people. And there is often food there. At special events, there should be special food and it should be enjoyed. Like a birthday party.
If there is a treat available, I almost always make a point to accept it. Because I want my kids to see me enjoying food because I don’t want them to think that it’s bad. Like they shouldn’t be having it or something. And it’s an interesting dynamic when you think of parents eating sweets and treats with their kids. We can show them that food is delicious and that we should enjoy it.
Lisa: Right, and as a food allergy family I know we have enough to worry about. Like whether or not a treat is safe for our child. If the food is safe, then that should be enough. Just let them enjoy the moment or celebration.
Suzi: Yes - exactly.
What are parents' responsibilities at meals and snacks?
Lisa: I was hoping you could talk about the different jobs that parents and kids have when it comes to eating in general?
Suzi: Yes, as part of my specialty training in maternal and child nutrition, one of the big areas that I cover is the DIvision of Responsibility in feeding. This is a coined term by Ellyn Satter, who is a well known dietitian. All of her research comes down to a couple key points.
First, as the parent, it is your job to provide the food at meal and snack times. You create the structure of the day. It’s your job to decide what, when, and where you are going to feed them. And beyond that, you kind of have to release control.
The child’s responsibility is to actually do the eating. And how much they eat. This allows them to develop and understand their hunger cutes and their fullness cues. It’s really important for kids to learn this so they can develop a healthy relationship with food and mealtimes.
And there is a lot more detail about keeping a schedule for meals and snacks as well as communicating with your kids. The more that you do and practice that, the more natural it feels. Even though it’s not always easy if your child isn’t eating anything. The best advice is to release that pressure and let them have control over their eating.
Lisa: That’s a good point. With food allergies, a big conversation that we have is that it’s our goal as parents to prepare our child to eventually manage their own allergies. We want them to carry their own epinephrine and read labels for allergies.
But when you step back and look at food from a bigger picture, we want our kids to learn how to become responsible with their own eating. I think in general, our ultimate goal with food should be to help them have a healthy relationship with food so they can do the eating as well as the planning and scheduling when they get older.
Suzi: For sure. I think all kids need to learn the things you mentioned. I think kids and families with food allergies have to take it much further. But I think it’s very healthy to think of kids being independent with their eating.
Lisa: And what we were talking about earlier, with giving them choices. Help them practice making choices so they know what to do when they get to the point of making choices at the grocery store.
Suzi: Yes.
Disclaimer: This conversation, and podcast in general, is provided for general information purposes only; it is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. As always, individuals with food allergies should consult with their healthcare team to create an individualized Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan.
Special thanks for assistance with this podcast:
Music: Collin Braley
Cover art: Olive Phan @yazziewonphon
Photography: Chris Woodruff @chr1spwood
Copyright (C) 2023 Lisa Woodruff Nutrition
