Trina Robertson, MS, Registered Dietitian
Trina Robertson
About me:
Trina Robertson is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in sports nutrition. As a Project Manager with the Dairy Council of California, Trina develops, evaluates and promotes nutrition education programs for students and adults.
Her most rewarding accomplishment is that her 10- and 12 year-old sons are proud mom is a dietitian and have a diverse palette; they enjoy eating everything from Korean to Italian to Great-Grandma’s classic dishes.
She has previously served as a nutritionist for the Women, Infant Children federal program and Head Start. Currently, she also works with her local PTA to promote good nutrition to students and families and with the Orange County Health Care Agencies Rethink Your Drink campaign.
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Snacks are important for kids, yet they require a bit of a balancing act. A recent study found children snack on average three times a day, accounting for almost 1/3 of their daily calories. Snacks are more often salty products like crackers or chips and candy rather than fruits or milk products. The study also found that 2- to 6-year-olds “snack” on an extra 200 calories today compared to 20 years ago.
Younger children need snacks more frequently, although in smaller portions. I know it’s easy to get in the cereal rut – it’s transportable, doesn’t spoil and is rarely refused. But don’t forget to expand your offerings to other ideas such as edamame (soybeans in their pods make them easy to carry), bananas and yogurt. I’ve even brought canned sliced pineapple on the road with toothpicks. (There is something about toothpicks that make foods more fun to eat!)
Now that my children are in elementary school they don’t require snacks as frequently. Recently, my son and his friend were at the table as I put together a snack. I prepared a yogurt smoothie and our guest’s response was, “Wow, your mom always makes really good snacks.”
I approach snacks as mini-meals, trying to include at foods from two or three food groups. What are your healthy snack ideas? Do you have any snack problems you’d like us to address?
Trina Robertson, MS, RD