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The school bell is ringing again! And parents are looking for nutritious snacks to provide their children with at school. A snack is defined as a small meal between main meals. The most important of these is considered to be the mid-morning snack, which is consumed at school, between breakfast and lunch. Of course, breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day, should not be skipped. In cases where children skip breakfast due to lack of time or fear of gastrointestinal problems, the mid-morning snack should be even more fortified.

But what should we pay attention to when choosing snacks? First of all, what children need to perform either at school or in their activities is energy. Snacks at school will fill them with energy, keep them full and are essential for maintaining a normal weight. They are also important for their performance, enhance their concentration and prevent overeating at lunch.

Carbohydrates are the most direct form of energy, so snacks should contain some bakery product, breakfast cereal and/or fruit. In addition, proteins are also necessary for muscle growth and for creating satiety, so the snack should also include a source of protein such as dairy products, cheese, eggs or nuts. Of course, vitamins, minerals and trace elements are also needed, which can be obtained from fruits, natural juices, vegetables, nuts and nut spreads.

Don't forget that children get bored with the same choices, which is why many times the snacks are returned intact, leaving them hungry until lunchtime. So it's good to have variety for taste and plenty of nutrients. It's good to try to include at least 2 or 3 different food groups in each snack. You should also pay attention to the preservation of snacks until they are consumed, so that they do not undergo any deterioration.

Some indicative snack options could be:

• Thessaloniki bun with a boiled egg or cream cheese and cherry tomatoes

• Whole wheat bread with cheese, lettuce and/or tomato

• Slice of bread with yellow cheese/egg and vegetable sticks (carrot, cucumber)

• Slice of bread with nut spread and fruit (banana, strawberries) or honey

• Homemade cheese pie or vegetable pie with cheese

• Milk with cereal and a fruit

• Yogurt with nuts and a fruit

• Smoothies with fruit and milk or yogurt and nuts

• Rice cakes with cream cheese and homemade jam or honey

There are many snack options and you can choose the ideal one depending on the hours your child stays at school and whether or not they will eat their lunch there. It is best to avoid ready-made snacks that are rich in saturated fat, sugar and salt such as bagged pastries (tsoureki, cakes, frozen pies), salty snacks (chips, shrimp, crackers), sweet snacks (biscuits, croissants) as well as cold cuts (ham, parmesan, bacon).