Healthy food for kids at the beach and pool

For many children, the arrival of summer vacations implies a radical change from day to day. The fact of not having school, either spending the days at relatives or even on vacation with the parents, by not having a routine, the environment becomes more permissive and the diet is not saved from these changes: eating late and Without too much supervision, it allows a greater consumption of unhealthy foods, such as popsicles, soft drinks, snacks ... which ends up altering, and a lot, the usual diet.

It is not about following a strict diet, but maintaining a routine in the main meals that are made at home based on homemade foods and taking advantage of taking healthy food at leisure, such as meals that are made on the beach or the pool, guarantees that a good part of the day they continue to eat healthy food.

What should we take into account when preparing healthy food?

The temptations that we find in the "chiringuito" or the pool bar are many: ice creams, pastries, snacks such as French fries ... they are presented almost as the only options for the little ones, so the best option will be to take healthy food prepared from home.

• Must be light foods and that they can be consumed cold, and that they are just as appetizing as if they were consumed hot.
• The refrigerators They are the best option to transport food, it will always be fresh and maintaining its properties. They can be preserved with cooling "plates" that even better maintain low temperatures.
• It is advisable to protect it from direct sun until it is time to consume it.
• The salads They are the best option to take to the pool and / or beach, as they are based on cereal such as rice or pasta, vegetables such as lettuce, tomato, carrot ... and a good quality protein such as chicken, hard-boiled egg, cooked prawns, tuna… they will be eating a complete, light, refreshing and very appetizing dish. You can also add nuts, seeds, fruit ... to the taste of each family and child.
• They are not to be very heavy meals to digest, as children will not rest too long before running off.
• Refreshing: they will be better accepted if the food is fresh.
• Take the dressing aside, at least the oil to avoid that there is no "pocho" at the time of eating.

What can we eat on the beach or in the pool?

• Chicken salad and colored spirals: tomato, endive type lettuce, red lettuce, cherry tomatoes, colored spirals, chopped chicken breast, pineapple, green olives, raisins and walnuts.
• Russian salad (without mayonnaise): potato, peas, cooked carrot, tuna, anchovies and olives. We will avoid mayonnaise because of its heaviness and possible intoxication if it is homemade mayonnaise.
• Lentil, couscous and red pepper salad: lentils and cooked couscous, red pepper, tomato and tuna.
• Rice salad: cooked brown rice, tomato, chopped lettuce, corn, hard-boiled egg, anchovies and black olives.

And between meals, what snacks can we choose?

We are interested in preparing an energetic snack, because as every parent knows, children do not stand still for a minute on the towels. Some healthy options can be the combination of several of these:

• Fruit: The fruit is not always well accepted, but if we carry it chopped in a bowl, and very fresh it is usually a snack that they give up, always choose one that your little ones like, such as: peach, watermelon, melon, cherries ...
• Light snack: We will flee from those sandwiches that are heavy or that melt easily. We can opt for a sandwich of fresh cheese, lettuce and tomato, of tuna with olives and roasted red pepper, of potato omelette ... always well refrigerated to avoid opportunistic contamination due to excess heat.
• Yogurts: Yogurt drunk very cool is an excellent option, as it is usually very appetizing.
• Nuts or seeds: walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin ... always natural or toasted are an excellent option that will give you a lot of energy.
• Seed breadsticks: the ideal is that they are not fried, but toasted, if so, that they are fried with olive oil. They can be with sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, sesame ...
• Diced cheese with cherry tomatoes: a bowl of diced tomatoes with cheese cubes are refreshing and appetizing.
• Olives: They can be a very healthy snack to take with other food.

We must not forget hydration

The water that is not lacking! It is important to take into account the time that will be spent enjoying the sun, because we must bring enough water, very cool for the little ones. If the water bores them, do not make the mistake of bringing them soft drinks or packaged juices, as they provide a tremendous excess of sugar, you can squeeze an orange, a lime or a lemon to give it a touch of flavor. It should be noted the importance of the water not being excessively cold, since the contrast between cold and heat could cause a digestion cut.

It is a good option to prepare with them the bag of what they will take to the beach or pool, including a towel, flip flops and their favorite water toys, but also choosing the salad that they like the most and the fruit, and preparing it with them, will make eat it much more at ease.

• To spend the day at the beach or pool, they should be light foods that can be consumed cold, and that are just as appetizing as if they were consumed hot.
• The temptations that we find in the "chiringuito" or the pool bar are many: ice creams, pastries, snacks such as French fries ... they are presented almost as the only options for the little ones, so the best option will be to take the prepared food From home.
• We are interested in preparing an energetic snack, because as every parent knows, children do not stand still for a minute on the towels.

Monica Carreira Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Master in Pediatric Nutrition