Kids love eating snacks. They can be a great way to boost the nutrition that your child gets every day, however, if left up to them, kids often don’t make the healthiest choices. When we’re in a hurry we often turn to prepackaged snacks because they are easy and almost every child, including picky eaters, loves them. Yet, many of these snacks are filled with sugar and empty calories rather than being nutritious. Here are some of the most popular snacks for children to avoid:

1. Juice boxes
This is one of the most unhealthy kids snacks to avoid. While they are easy and convenient there are high amounts of hidden sugars in most juice boxes. Many pediatricians recommend that children under the age of one never be given juice. This is because of the high amounts of sugar they contain. Rather than packing a juice box in your children’s lunch or in the car, try switching to water or a more healthy alternative, like sparkling water with natural flavor.

2. Pre-packaged lunch packs
Every parent knows that it is much easier to grab a pre-packaged lunch for their child than it is to wake up early and make a full sandwich, snacks, and drinks. While these are one of the most popular foods because they come pre packed with deli meats, crackers, nuts, and sometimes dried fruits, they are often loaded with preservatives, sugars, and fats. They are designed to sit on a shelf for a long period of time and because of this, they are filled with ingredients that most of us cannot even pronounce.

3. Granola bars
While some granola bars can be very healthy, most children prefer unhealthy ones. You know the ones covered in chocolate or caramel topping. Other bars marketed towards kids also tend to have chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and other empty sugars added to them. If your child does love granola bars and you need an easy snack, try finding ones with fruit, seeds, and nuts that contain natural sugar, like honey or maple syrup.

4. Fruit snacks
Fruit snacks are found in almost every home because they are perfect for children who have a sweet tooth. When your child is craving something sweet you should offer them a real piece of fruit. It is just as easy to give your child a banana as it is to hand them a package of fruit snacks. Fruit snacks are loaded with sugar and one package can exceed the daily value of sugars for the day. They often cause a sugar rush followed by a sugar crash later in the day.

5. Veggie straws
This is one of the most popular snacks because parents assume they are healthy. I mean they have the term “veggie” in them, right? However, veggie straws are often made the same way (fried) and with similar ingredients to potato chips (i.e., sodium, trans fats, sugars, and empty carbs). Just because the name says “veggie” does not make it healthy, rather it is one of the most popular kids snacks to avoid.