Top 8 Healthy Snacks for Teenagers
Healthy snacks for your growing teenagers!
Teens can be a tough group of people to please, especially if they’re your own! One thing is for sure, if you have a growing teenager, plan to have your grocery bill skyrocket. They can eat a lot of food. On the opposite extreme, you may have a small-ish teen who doesn’t eat much at all. Whether they have hit a growth spurt, or their appetites is diminished, they can both eat the same healthy snacks!
We’ve always seen snacking as a way to meet nutrient gaps from the day. If the day is half gone and no protein has been consumed, I always suggest a snack higher in protein. If no fruits or veggies have been eaten, then I suggest one of those!
The perfect snack to me, is one that has a little protein paired with some complex carbs. These can not only fill nutritional gaps in a teens diet, but they are also filling and satiating! These are some of our favorite healthy snacks for teenagers:
- Hard Boiled Eggs plus an apple. Whether your teen is looking to gain muscle or lose weight, this perfectly packaged protein can be the answer. Add the apple for energy and fiber.
- String cheese plus a handful of almonds. Calcium is vital for this age group as they are still in the bone growth phase of their life.  The almonds are a filling compliment to add some good fat, magnesium and fiber.
- Soft pretzels and hummus. The recipe I posted the other day was perfect for my 13 year old. He came home from school, ate the snack and literally didn’t come back to the kitchen until dinner.
- Peanut butter and an apple. The ultimate snack with perfect portions of fat, carbs, and protein! Change up the peanut butter by grinding up other nuts like almonds or cashews. We love apples and nut butters!
- Low fat yogurt with berries and cottage cheese. Another calcium power house! Exchange the low fat yogurt for some Greek yogurt and the protein literally doubles. Adding the berries gives a great flavor while also getting in some vital antioxidants.
- Popcorn mixed with nuts and dried fruit. This filling snack may be light on protein, but the good fat and energy it will bring makes it a great pre-exercise snack.
- Whole wheat English muffin with pizza sauce, veggies, and mozzarella cheese. While these taste best baked and toasty, my teenager just puts it in the microwave to warm it up. Whatever makes him happy.
- Baked corn chips with bean dip. We also love the bean dip that has black eyed peas, avocado, and tomatoes! While my kids will literally eat it by the spoonful, adding some pita crisps or chips makes it a little more filling.
What’s your teenagers go-to afternoon snack?
For more healthy snack ideas:
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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This is a great post for me right now. My 13 year old son comes home from school and eats a sandwich. He swims for over an hour everyday (swim team) and I have needed some new ideas on what to feed him. I am going to boil some eggs and put cheese sticks on my grocery list. Do you put anything on the popcorn/nut/fruit mixture to help it stick together?
Popcorn mixes like that are usually like trail mix, no stickiness or clumps, just dump and eat 🙂
I just found your site when i googled healthy snacks for kid blogs. this is great i help with my daughters schools healthy snack program…and i am in there almost every day helping with this ..picking up food at the grocery store and preparing it..and i am always trying to find somthing new and exciting for the kids to try….thank you soo much for all the new ideas…Eggplant dip…is the next thing i am going to prepare.
A peanut butter sandwich on WW bread and an apple.
The fruit and yogurt dip seems so amazingly good. I will replace our old popcorn with these.
wow! All these are regulars on our snack/ mini meal list! except the pretzels/hummus. Ill add this! These will all work for breakfast too! I get a large bag of frozen strawberries, grab a handful and deffrost for a minute, cut up with scissors, add greek yogurt or cottage cheese & splenda. YUM kids love it.
Most days, my daughter will cut wraps into strips, spray with some olive oil, sprinkle some herbs and cheese, then bake them in the toaster ovenuntil it turns crispy. Then dip into roasted broccoli-and-cauliflower hummus. (I make a tub of it weekly.) She says she’s “allergic” to vegetables, but she ploughs through the hummus like there’s no tomorrow!
PLease tell me nmore about this roasted broccoli and cauliflower hummus..
I love it!! Thanks for sharing! I think I’ll make these today and post about it, if that’s OK!!??
Would love to get the recipe for the roasted broccoli and cauliflower hummus if possible!
Amy… sure, of course!! Mums like us can always use a little help 🙂 You yourself has helped so many mothers!!
[…] Control the junk food. You can’t stop it all, but you can make sure snacks at home are nutritious and tooth-healthy. Need some ideas for some tasty snacks? Check out these GREAT suggestions by clicking HERE. […]
[…] Control the junk food. You can’t stop it all, but you can make sure snacks at home are nutritious and tooth-healthy. Need some ideas for some tasty snacks? Check out these GREAT suggestions by clicking HERE. […]
Wow I need these great ideas for my 13 and 19 year old. 13 year old is dancing 5-7 days a week. It is a challenge to find good food she will eat!
I am 17 years old and this has helped a lot
its very helpful
right
I am 13 years old and this really helped, I am skinny but I want to start eating healthy… My afternoon go-to snack is leftovers from the night before but I’m gonna start eating like this!
this really helps! I’m 13 and am interested in slimming down a bit, when I was younger I had a bit of a junk food phase and am regretting it now. I’m changing the past and am eating healthier and working out daily so these snacks are great, thank you!
I would love to get the recipe for the roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower hummus!
Popcorn is among my sons favourite snacks, but sometimes I think he’s really overdoing it. I was looking for some alternatives, thanks for the article. cheers.
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Usually I do not learn post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to take a look at and do it!
Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, quite great article.
wow, im a 14 yr old girl and even i find these recipes good! Thankyou so much
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I can’t find died fruit without a bunch of added sugar? We live several hours from a whole foods, target, trader Joe’s, etc. Any suggestions? My little ones would love some fruit added to their popcorn
Kara- of course- the best way is to just dry your own. Then you don’t have to worry about sugar at all. We have a drying cateogry here: https://www.superhealthykids.com/category/drying-fruits-and-veggies/
I really like thik blog bery helpfull
Great post! Make sure you floss after eating the popcorn though!
My teen has braces so the popcorn alone is no fun. Add dried fruit and nuts and wham, a call to the orthodontist. Or, a very long time spent cleaning the braces.
Hi Jeanne, My kids have yet to go through this but here is a post from Amy specific to braces. https://www.superhealthykids.com/getting-braces-meal-plan-for-the-first-week/
My 13 year old eats lunch at school at 11:20 so when he gets home at 4, he is STARVING. If left to eat as he pleases, it’s cereal and any non-nutritional thing he can find. I have been making him “mini meals”, chicken sandwich, yogurt parfaits, hamburgers, left-overs from the night before, tacos, protein powder pancakes (Kodiac), eggs, etc. If he has sports, he will want to eat at 7:30 so I have to have dinner left overs or he goes for the cereal again. It is challenging if we eat early (5:30), as he may not be that hungry then.
Nice sharing
What should healthy kids eat for breakfast and dinner I try to sometimes ask my mom to get me something sometimes but idk I get to ask her for ?
Hi Neveah! Any meal with a balance of whole grains, fruits/veggies, and protein is healthy for your kids.
Here’s where you can find healthy dinner recipes for kids: https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/dinner/
And here’s where you can find healthy breakfasts: https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/breakfast/
I hope this helps. Raising healthy kids can be a challenge, but keep up the good work!
Those are really awesome and a few of those are really super healthy as a snack. But I will pick Popcorn mixed with nuts and dried fruit from this list. Thanks for sharing it.
I love it!! Thanks for sharing! I think I’ll make these today and post about it, if that’s OK!!??
Great Job As Always!
Wow!! All are amazing options.
It is very helpful and interesting . Thank you for sharing a great information .
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My son is 13 and a wrestler and always HUNGRY!! Holiday season is wrestling season and hardest time of the year to maintain weight. Always looking for healthy great ideas. Different and not boring for him.
I hope some of these ideas will help you!
I am 12 years old and am looking for new foods any ideas?
That’s fantastic! We have so many recipes on our site that are perfect for younger chefs. 🙂
I made the cheesy broccoli bits they were great.
I love these Ideas! My son is on a medication and one of the side affects is loss of appetite. A scary emergency room visit (dehydration and ketosis) has me searching for snacks he can consume throughout the school day. Something inconspicuous so it doesnt draw attention to him. If anyone has some suggestions, I would be very greatful.
(by the way I am (12) years old) LOVE THESE IDEAS!
looks like very healthy popcorn recipe, i’m sure kids and adults will like it. thanks for the recipe. will surely try it