(NAPSA)—Since at least a quarter of the calories children take in each day comes from snacks, it’s important to ensure those between-meal bites are nutrition rich. To encourage parents to turn snack time into an opportune time for good nutrition and family fun, the Kellogg Companyjoined forces with master-moms Deb Geigis Berry, one of the country’s leading family life experts, and Rachel Brandeis, a registered dietitian and past spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Together, they created an initiative called Snacktivate. “Snacks are essential to provide the vitamins and nutrients kids need to support healthy growth and help them recharge throughout the day,” said Brandeis. “However, snacks shouldn’t be viewed as treats or ‘extras.’ It’s important to be aware of what children are eating between meals and factor it into their daily intake of fat and calories.” The Snacking Opportunity Bringing kids into the kitchen to Snacktivate is primarily about making fun, nutritious snacks and enjoying time together as a family. Snacktivate’s focus on smart snacking also helps lay the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy eating. The following is one of the 12 ways to Snacktivate: Making the day a little Getting kids into the kitchen to create fun and nutritious snack activities helps promote healthy eating for a lifetime. nutritious snacking to their kids in four easy steps: e Plan It. Designate specific snack times so that snacking is a conscious activity built into the family routine. Pick It. Successful snacking starts with the food that ends up in the grocery cart. Stocking up on nutritious snacks gives kids a variety of readily available options that moms can feel good about serving. e Make It. Be creative with snack choices and bring kids into brighter with Sassy Sunpops. the kitchen as schedules allow to pique their interest in new and nutritious foods. use a Snacktivate recipe to make key to healthy living. Make a goal to keep the family active so that Momsand kids can combine Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal and other baking ingredients and crunchy peanut butter cookies. By pressing flax seeds and raw almonds into the cookie dough, they can makethe cookie look like a sunflower. Just insert the cookie sticks, bake and enjoy a sunny snack-time centerpiece. Each finished Sassy Sunpop provides a sweet snack with about 130 calories and 6 gramsof sugar. Parents can help promote e Move It. Energy balance is the energy (calories) being con- sumed equals the calories being burned (through physical activity). Learn More For more information on how to Snacktivate, including nutritious recipes, advice from the experts and tips on how to include kids in the kitchen, www.kelloggs.com. visit
