According to many health and nutrition experts, healthy after-school snack food choices are just as important for children as what they eat during mealtimes.

"Kids have smaller stomachs and they get hungry faster," Kansas State Research and Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Extension Agent Ann Ludlum said. "They need to keep food in their stomachs, so it's important for them not to skip meals and to eat healthy snacks, which can also count toward total nutrition, so they're just as important as meals."

Proper snack foods can provide fuel for a child's body and mind, so it's important for parents to make sure that healthy snack food options, and not candy bars or other junk food, are always available in the home, especially right after they get home from school, Ludlum said.

"Instead of buying cookies, buy some fresh fruit or vegetables, or whole grain cereal for them to eat," she said. "Keep all junk food out of the house."

Ludlum said there are ways that parents can make the idea of eating healthy foods easier and more interesting for young children. Allowing younger children to watch or participate in the food preparation is one such method, she said.

"Let kids be involved in the preparation of the food, and they're more likely to eat it," she said. "Keep a bowl of fresh fruits and veggies in the fridge ready to eat after school. Kids also like something they can dip into, like a low-fat salad dressing to dip the veggies in."

Examples of ideal healthy snack foods that will keep kids energized and satisfied until dinner include string cheese, peanut butter with whole grain crackers, or a half-sandwich made with whole grain bread or pita. Fruit smoothies, which are made by blending fruit and yogurt together, are also a tasty and healthy option that have been very popular lately, Ludlum said.

"Whole grains, crackers, cereals -- these are all good," Ludlum advised. "Look for the whole grain label on the product."

Ludlum said to ensure that children are enjoying the benefits of a healthy diet, parents should limit the amount of junk food available in the home and the amount of junk food that their children consume, and also control the size of food portions their children are eating during meals.

"Portion control is a big thing," she said. "We all tend to eat bigger portions than generations in the past did."

A balanced, healthy diet enables chemical messengers in the brain -- called neurotransmitters -- to function more efficiently, producing better concentration and memory.

Healthy food choices can also help children avoid or be better prepared to handle certain disorders and diseases, such as diabetes, Ludlum said.

"A wide variety (of healthy foods) is important for all areas of good health, as well as disease prevention," she said. "There are a lot of children with Type 2 Diabetes now. We didn't used to see that. It all goes back to healthy food choices."