How do you "refuel after school"?

Kids get hungry. Kids get home from school. Kids get real hungry.

They don't want to wait until dinner to eat and you haven't even started dinner yet. In comes Tyson's new Any'tizers Chicken Fries.

• It's made by Tyson, a reputable company
• It's chicken, must be good, right
• It's quick - you can heat it up in minutes in the microwave
  It has a great slogan "Refuel after School"

Okay, so let's check it out...

Even the name sounds appealing to kids - chicken fries! Are they chicken nuggets? Or fries? Who knows...

Serving size 3 pieces, yes, that is 3 pieces, just how many do you think your child would eat? Probably more than 3...

230 calories
13g fat
14g carbohydrate
14g protein
560mg sodium

Okay, so let's say your child has 6 "fries":
460 calories
1120mg sodium

Let's go off the deep end and say your child has 9 "fries":
690 calories
1680mg sodium

Breathe [that's for me]. How easy do you think it would be for a child to eat 9 "fries"? Pretty easy, huh? Mine would, esp. a growing 13 year old boy. This is NOT a healthy product for an after-school snack.

• Yes, it is easy. 
• Yes, it appears to be healthy. 
• No, it is not.

A better snack would be pita and hummus, veggies and dip, a granola bar or an apple. Less fun? Yes probably. But think about your child's health. It may not affect them right now, you might even say they don't have a weight problem, but if they continue to eat foods like this, they eventually will. But it's not all about the weight. Look at the high sodium content. Average for a child daily is 1500mg. For a day. Eating high sodium products on a consistent basis will eventually cause physical problems for your child. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and weight issues.

You can refuel your child after school. Just be smart and do it the right way - with healthy and natural foods!