Having a stash of healthier crackers in the pantry can be a lifesaver for many a parent, be it for easy lunches, snacks on the go, or simply the HANGRY that hits just before dinner. However, crackers can vary greatly in their nutritional profile. Read on for our 3 tips to help you make the healthiest choice for your little one, every time.

Go for lower salt.

Young children generally get quite a lot more salt than they need and most of it comes from processed foods, including crackers. Why is this a problem? Well, because if they are regularly getting a lot more salt than they need it puts extra strain on their body and can increase their risk of developing high blood pressure as they get older. Of course, getting the high salt option every now and then is fine. Practicality over perfection all the way! But knowing which options are lower in salt and aiming to choose these most of the time is a good idea.

Here is the generally accepted scale for low/med/high salt content:

a.      <120mg/100g sodium = low

b.      120 – 400mg/100g sodium = medium

c.      >400mg/100g sodium = high

Opt for higher fibre.

Fibre helps to keep little ones’ gut healthy, and their digestion in good working order. And unless you have a great little veggie eater, many children tend to get a significant amount of their daily fibre from grainy (cereal) foods like bread, cereals and crackers. Choosing a higher fibre cracker can help give them a good boost on their way to meeting their daily fibre needs.

• Young children (1 – 3 years) need about 14g fibre per day
• High fibre options such as Ryvita’s can offer 3-4g of fibre in a serve (typically 2-3 crackers/crispbreads)

Look for real food ingredients.

This might sound obvious, but it’s always a good idea to take a look at the ingredients list when you’re buying packaged/processed foods. Options that read like a science experiment are probably best avoided, while ones that contain mostly recognisable, whole foods are likely a better, less-processed choice.

Looking for more information on how to read food labels? Have a read of our ‘Using food labels to make healthy food choices’ blog.