The end of summer is here and school is right around the corner. And while summer break is just about done, summer temperatures are here to stay for at least another month or two. With kids preparing to come home from long school days looking for a snack to eat, it’s a good idea for the adults they live with to have healthy options available for them to munch on.
Data shows that about 40% of the calories teenagers eat are what we call “empty calories”. Empty calories come from foods and drinks that don’t have many nutrients, like soda, candy, cookies & cakes, chips and doughnuts; basically junk food. If you have ever hung out with a teenager, you know they eat…A LOT! That’s because their bodies are growing rapidly and require greater nutrition during this time. Teens won’t typically choose vegetables and fruit over junk food, so it’s our responsibility as adults to provide them with healthy options while they are at home.
One of the best ways to get youth to eat healthy foods is to make easy healthy options readily available to them. One snack example is one we can borrow from Mexico. In Mexico, street vendors often sell fresh fruits and vegetables in the side of the road in the summertime. They slice popular summer vegetables like cucumber and carrots and cut summer fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew into cubes. They will put the veggies and fruit together in a large plastic cup and sprinkle some seasoning salt, a little bit of chili powder or hot sauce and squeeze some lime on top of it. It is a very delicious, satisfying and healthy snack that cools you down in the summer heat. It tastes so good that you don’t feel like you are eating a “healthy” snack. You just feel like you are eating something GOOD!
Both youth and adults can enjoy this tasty snack at home. The fruit and veggies can be cut up ahead of time and kept in separate containers in the fridge. When you are ready for a snack simply go to the fridge, assemble your fruits and vegetables in a cup or a bowl, add your toppings and enjoy!
Don’t be afraid to look to other cultures for new examples of snack ideas. You might stumble upon a healthy, tasty treat you absolutely love!
Mexican Fruit Cups
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 mangos, peeled
1 cantaloupe. peeled
1 small seedless watermelon. peeled
1 pineapple, peeled
2 cucumbers
4 carrots
4 limes, divided
Chili powder for sprinkling
Seasoning salt (like Tajin or Tony Cachere’s)
8 cups
Directions
1.Cut mango, cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple, cucumber and carrots into thick strips.
2. Arrange an even mixture of various fruit and vegetable strips into each cup.
3. Cut the limes into quarters and squeeze 1 lime wedge over each of the fruit cups. Use the remaining 8 lime wedges for garnish.
4. Sprinkle chili powder, and just a pinch of seasoning salt over each cup.
Enjoy!
For more nutrition information or recipes, contact Richland Parish LSU AgCenter SNAP-Ed Nutrition Agent Saundra Raines at 435-7551.