Sometimes it can be very difficult to make our children healthy food and prevent them from having unhealthy snacks. It is only normal for our kids to have some unhealthy foods, especially when they are surrounded by other kids. However, eating too much of these foods can cause more harm than good. Here is a list of some of those unhealthy foods and their healthy alternatives:

1. Chips and French fries

Although children love chips and French fries a lot, they are full of saturated and trans fats and salt. These types of fat can cause obesity, heart disease, strokes and type-2 diabetes.

What you can offer them instead: Popcorn is a healthy alternative (with less or no butter and salt). You can also cut sweet potatoes, carrots or kale into thin layers, roast them in the oven for about 7 to 10 min and season them.

2. Candy

Children love candy which is full of sugar and has no health benefits for their growing bodies.

What you can offer them instead: You can cut fruit into small pieces and freeze it. This way children will enjoy eating them more.

3. Juice

Many parents try to prevent their children from consuming sodas by giving them juice. Even though juice has vitamins which are extracted from the fruits themselves, it contains lots of sugar. This sugar can be either added or extracted from the juicing of fruits. Juice can contain more sugar than sodas.

What you can offer them instead: You can start diluting the juice with water little by little until your children stop drinking it all together. You can also make them vegetable smoothie and add some fruits to make the taste more tolerable for children.

4. Colorful and sugary breakfast cereals

Breakfast cereals are full of sugar and have no mention health benefits. When you serve a bowl of cereal, children are actually eating a bowl full of sugar.

What you can offer them instead: Try making oatmeal instead and add fruits and cinnamon to it to add flavor.

5. Instant noodles

Some parents offer their children instant noodles because they can be prepared fast. However, they contain lots of salt. They are also rich in fats and carbohydrates and low in protein and fibers. Moreover, some types we buy in the market may contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) added to it. There are many conflicting opinions about the health hazards of MSG. Some researchers concluded that MSG causes obesity, headache, and nausea and that it has an adverse effect on the nervous system whereas other research proclaims that there is no effect of MSG on the body.

What you can offer them instead: You need to read the ingredients of instant noodles to ensure that they don’t contain MSG. And in that case, you can add vegetables and meat to them, and that way you are creating a complete meal which contains fibers and protein. But remember that noodles contain lots of salt, so don’t serve it regularly.

6. Ketchup and mayonnaise

Your children might like adding ketchup to all or any of the foods they eat; however, ketchup contains high levels of sugar and very low nutritional value. Mayonnaise is also not very healthy as it contains high amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol, and salt.

What you can offer them instead: You can get your children to use mustard or hummus to dip their food in.