Nourish Me

In our house, we are in full children’s party mode, with a 5-year old birthday party to attend nearly every weekend. The kids love a party but far too often party food is plates of various forms of sugar, which emotionally & physically leads to a massive crash for many children. Party food should be fun and it’s only one day but there are ways you can avoid the post party sugar meltdown by offering a variety of foods to help balance out the sugar rush.

The first thing is you don’t need to provide too much food. Kids at parties are much more interested in playing with their friends than sitting down to a huge plate of food, so just offer a few well balanced snacks to keep them going.

Timing is also key, avoiding lunchtime means you have even more reason to provide snacks rather than a full-on meal.

Keep it simple, don’t let the food be an extra stress, you’ve got enough to organise as it is.

Try to offer more savoury than sweet foods. And then let the cake be the star of the show.

Try to make as much as possible from scratch. Kids party food often contains colours and additives which can make kids hyper.

Avoid putting food in the party bags. The children have probably eaten their fill at the party, so adding sweets or chocolate is just not necessary. If you want to put food in there, then consider sending the children home with a slice of cake rather than eating it at the party.

Here are my top ideas for simple party food that won’t send your little ones on a sugar high:
🥕 Veggie sticks and tomatoes served with humus
🧀 Homemade cheese straws – really easy to make, taste great and a source of protein from the cheese
🍿 Homemade popcorn – so easy to make and more nutritious than crisps. You could even serve it in little stripy bags for full authenticity
🥖Bread sticks or seeded oatcakes
🍎 Fruit – try making fruit kebabs or put out bowls of oranges and grapes
🍓Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. Its surprising how many kids will eat dark chocolate, my 2 love it
🍈 Bowls of olives
🍰 Make your own birthday cake. You can adapt the recipe to contain less sugar

So that’s all great if you are the one putting on the party. But what can you do if you are attending other people’s children parties where you have little control over the food your children will consume?

Don’t despair, there are still plenty of things you can do to minimise the sugar meltdown. Here are my top hacks:

🍳 Make sure they have a meal full of protein and good fats before attending the party so they are not starving when they arrive
🍩 Don't deny them the food on offer. Denying them food at a party can often lead to meltdowns & make them feel like they are missing out, which then makes those type of sugary foods even more desirable
💧 Take plenty of water with you, as often at parties its juice or squash on offer. You can even water down your child's drinks
🍽 Encourage your children to pick a few things first & eat them before going back for more, rather than letting them overload their plates with loads of food
🙂 Try to remain relaxed yourself about what they are eating, so the children get the message that this food is no big deal, which often makes it seem less desirable
😮 Encourage your children to stop eating when they feel full and don’t just consume party food for the sake of it
💦 Give them plenty of water to drink after the party
😜 Don’t make plans after parties to allow for any post sugar meltdowns which may occur

Ultimately, letting them enjoy the food on offer, whilst knowing this is not how they eat every day is a good way to manage any anxieties we may have as parents.

Eat Well and Feel Well