Healthy Kid Snacks From Around the World

American children may be surprised to learn that in many other countries, there's no difference between the snacks kids eat and the snacks adults eat. In Europe it's actually illegal to market to children, so food companies don't have cartoon characters selling kid snacks--food is food. Snacks around the world are very different from snacks in the U.S.

Japanese Snacks - Oyatsu

• In Japan, between-meal snacks are called Oyatsu. Japanese packaged foods are more salty than sweet. Even their chocolates and pastries contain less sugar than American packaged foods. Schools serve noodle snacks with steamed vegetables, with fresh fruit when it's in season.

African Kids Snacks

• In Chad, an African country, kids snack on small portions of rice and or beans. Small meals fend off hunger and there isn't a lot of food available, especially to the residents who are refugees. Sometime, a snack consists of chewing a piece of sugarcane and drinking goat's milk or water, whichever is available. Because of the primitive resources, water sources are often polluted. Rice and beans offer more nutrition than Cheetos, Pop Tarts and many other popular American snacks. They also snack on grubs and beetles, which offer nutrition.

Mexican Kids' Snacks

• Kids in Mexico are lucky to have access to a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Mangoes are popular snacks, as well as papayas. In some areas, kids can pick them right off the trees on their way home from school or while playing outside. Inside, Mom might prepare a quesadilla--cheese melted between two tortillas. Rice and beans are popular in Mexico, too, but are not often eaten on-the-go.