A Healthier Spin on Back-to-School Sweets

Back-to-School is filled with after school goodies that can tempt kids – and kids at heart. Grab-and-go popsicles come in a kaleidoscope of cool colors and sweet flavors, yet they can fall short on nutrition. Even the seemingly healthier fruit and juice bars contain 16 grams of sugar per serving. A refreshing soda may quench our thirst, but the added sugars and artificial food colorings should be avoided.

To inspire you to think beyond those options for after school treats, we’ve curated a list of seven swaps that may be perfect for even the warmest Fall days.

1. Homemade Pops: With two key ingredients and a few essentials – e.g. popsicle sticks – re-route the ice-cream truck and pass out these homemade yogurt pops to the neighborhood crew.

2. Fruity Cone: Skip the scoop of ice cream and fill a cone with cubed melon, grapes, berries and other fruits. They are easy to make and help give you another serving of fruit for the day.

3. Go Bananas: Another ice cream substitution idea is blended frozen bananas. This treat is so similar to ice cream that you can find recipes by searching “banana ice cream” online. Discover the magic that may happen when you peel and chop several bananas, freeze them for a few hours and then pop them in the blender. Add some flavorings, such as cinnamon, a dash of vanilla, peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut spread, to liven things up.

4. Snowed In: Flavored or shaved ice cups are a childhood staple. Cut the sugar and artificial colors with this three-ingredient swap, which calls for your favorite fruit, agave nectar and ice.

5. Smooth Sippin’: Whip up a refreshing cool sipper with a small amount of fruit juice, frozen berries and low-fat yogurt. When it comes to blended smoothies, there are tons of customized combinations based on dietary preferences, preferred flavors or what’s in the fridge.

6. Layers of Nutrition: With just a few steps, create a layered parfait that really stacks up when it comes to healthful ingredients. This fresh blackberry trifle is one example.

7. Chillin’: It can be tough to cut back on juice when you need to quench your thirst. Instead, flip the idea by freezing juice cubes and adding them to your water. It’ll help reduce your juice intake and give your water an added kick.

Sandra Crews is a Health Strategy Consultant for UnitedHealthcare