Getting your kids to eat healthier with Kellogg’s Snacktivate

Kellogg’s latest health initiative, Snacktivate, helps moms incorporate kids into meal planning and preparation by providing healthy recipes and snack options that are as much fun to make as they are to eat.

You know how hard it is to lose weight if everyone around you is snacking on chips and eating ice cream for dinner. That’s why getting healthy should be a family effort – starting at the breakfast table. According to the Mini-Wheats website, “* Based upon independent clinical research, kids who ate Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal for breakfast had up to 18% better attentiveness three hours after breakfast than kids who ate no breakfast.”

That stat cracks me up, because you could probably say the same thing about eating shrimp cocktail and crackers for breakfast, too. Anyway you look at it breakfast is important! (Click here to download a brochure with tips on making breakfast easier.)

Frosted Mini-Wheats: healthy but addictive

I like Frosted Mini-Wheats, because the cereal is tasty and full of fiber and whole grains – 1 serving has 200 calories, 1g fat, 6g fiber, but 12g sugar. Eeek! Definitely not a part of my weight loss plan.

However, the kids love it. If it wasn’t for the sugar, I doubt they would eat them. I’m not so sure I would either, to tell you the truth. I do like my cereal sweet. You should see what I do to make puffed Kashi edible – I smother it in yogurt and add a dollop of jam. (By the way, Kashi is owned by Kellogg’s as is Morningstar Farms. And you thought Kellogg’s only made sugary cereals. Not!)

To promote their campaign, Kellogg’s was nice enough to send me a couple of boxes of their Frosted Mini-Wheats, a cool reusable cereal-on-the-go cup (great for back-to-school!), and a recipe for Sassy Sunpops. I love the idea of turning Frosted Mini-Wheats into a healthy snack. Unfortunately for us, the recipe contains peanut butter, eggs and almonds – three things my daughter is allergic to. Still there are more Snacktivate recipes that she can indulge in. Well, we would if the kids hadn’t eaten most of the box of cereal already. (And decorated the house with it, too. Nothing like finding mini-wheats under the couch and between the cushions. Did I mention I was having one of those summers?)

The Snacktivate website: a source of good information

There’s a ton of information for educators and healthcare professionals as well as moms on the Snacktivate website. However, it’s a little on the propaganda-ish side (See Kellogg’s page on sugar, for example, which cracked me up.) So, view it with a cynical eye and a sense of humor.

Kellogg’s Snacktivate site lists registered dietitian Rachel Brandeis as one of their experts. She believes that, “Planning and preparing nutritious snacks teaches kids the importance of vitamins and minerals, proper portion sizes and how to establish a balanced diet.” It’s all about modeling good behavior, eating together as a family, and replacing junk with healthier alternatives. If Snacktivate can help you do that, go for it!