Ten great foods to feed your children

Posted on Mar 7th 2007 10:00AM by Bethany Sanders

Filed Under: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements

One of my favorite personal bloggers just asked the question of her readers: "So what do you feed your kids?" I'm always curious to hear the answer to that question, because I'm always looking for more nutritious meal and snack ideas to feed my own children.

Here's an article that claims to list the ten best foods for kids, and if you're looking to improve your children's nutrition it's a good place to start. There are some excellent sources of protein listed, including peanut butter (for non-allergic kids, of course) and eggs, and top notch produce like cantaloupe and broccoli. Dr. Bob Sears recommends putting out a "nibbling tray" of cut up fruits and veggies for young kids to graze on throughout the day, kind of like a fruit bowl for older children. You might be surprised to see orange juice on the list, since juice has gotten such a bad rap in recent years. Orange juice is loaded with vitamins and even counts as a serving of fruit, so go ahead and serve it up (as long as it doesn't replace milk and water).

What did they leave out? Let's hear it! What nutritious foods are your kids eating?

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Tags: best foods for kids, BestFoodsForKids, broccoli and kids, BroccoliAndKids, Dr. Bob Sears, Dr.BobSears, orange juice, OrangeJuice, peanut butter, PeanutButter

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

liz 3-13-2007 @ 9:06AM

I always have a house filled up with neighborhood kids on the weekends, and I make sure I have a big tray of assorted fresh fruit all cut up in bite size pieces, along with chunks of cheese and a few crackers for the kids to munch on all day. By the end of the day, it's usually all gone, and they're not looking for junk. And that's a great thing!

twstr 3-13-2007 @ 9:22AM

Greetings:
I found a GREAT way to avoid eating girl scout cookies. Leave them in the church pew! I did this last Sunday when I bought a box from the girl scouts who had a stand set up in back of the church. Upon leaving, I grabbed my car keys and my purse. But, alas...the 'Cookie God' decided to bless someone else that day.

Mary M.
twstr

DJackson 3-13-2007 @ 9:30AM

I'm suprised Avacados and Olives aren't mentioned. Those are excellent foods for your kids as they have the fats nessasary for brain growth.

Jillana 3-13-2007 @ 10:42AM

My kids love salad - especially tomatoes and cucumbers. In the summer, they eat the tomatoes right off the vine in our garden. Also, my kids only eat whole wheat bread, they don't even know what white bread is really. One really healthy meal is lentils and macaroni - they love this and think it's a treat, they don't know it's good for them. A lazy way to make it is to use Progresso Lentil soup (low sodium version) heat it up, make elbow pasta the usual way and then combine the two. Of course, you can use whole wheat pasta to make it healthier. And my kids eat lots of fruit also. I always keep a big bowl of fruit on the table so it is in plain view. Their favorites are strawberries, plums, peaches, and apples.

Tammy (SAHM of 3) 3-13-2007 @ 10:58AM

This is an excellent list of healthy foods that are also kid-friendly. Sweet potatoes are an easy thing that all of my kids love to eat, from the 10 year old to the 15 month old. I prepare them just like mashed white potatoes (which my family loves, but I try to avoid), using fat free milk, cinnamon and a bit of brown sugar. Since sweet potatoes to not mash up as fluffy as their white, I make serving-sized mounds on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. This makes the sweet potatoes firmer, with a custard-like texture. My family will eat this for dessert (seriously!), breakfast or a snack.
Regarding whole grains, making the switch is much easier than you might expect. I gradually moved from white to Honey Wheat, then Whole Wheat, then Whole Grain. My kids now eat the same multi-grain bread that my husband and I prefer. Pasta is a great way to add nutrients. The best brand I've found for whole grain pasta is Barilla's PLUS line...lots of fiber, protein and added Omega-3s. While there is a difference in texture, my kids still haven't noticed! Granola Bars are a fantastic snack or breakfast on a rushed morning. Kashi has a new line of granola bars (not to mention their great crackers, including cheddar) that taste great and have loads of fiber and protein. Compare the labels and you'll see what a difference a small change can make.

NIm 3-13-2007 @ 11:29AM

Ok is there really such a thing as healthy food anymore. meat you get Mad cow, pork you get Hoof and Mouth, chicken you get bird flew, Fish watch out for the iron, and veggies E colie, pesticides, etc. Only one question is it safe to drink the water? Guess not lol. Poor kids don't have a chance to adulthood. Only joking, well kind of lol. Na my kids love carrots, Gala Apples, Orange and Cranberry juice, and spring water. We don't do the Soda thing they don't need the extra sugar they are sweet enough

NIm 3-13-2007 @ 2:05PM

PS I will only start to worry when they start to glow lol

Amanda023 3-13-2007 @ 11:46AM

I have a 4 year old. And he must be the pickiest eater ever. Hardly ever does he eat anything that's good for him. The last time I took him to the doctor, I brought up the issue about him not eating any fruits or vegetables. She said as long as he drinks juice, he's getting his fruit intake. Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how can I get him to eat healthier?

Mom in Ohio 3-13-2007 @ 12:07PM

Two favorites in this house are bananas and avocado. I have two very young children, ages 19 months and 7 months, and these things are super-foods that both little ones can enjoy every day. Avocado has been a lifesaver for me with my toddler because he can be picky, and its hard to get good fats in his diet because he isn't fond of meat. But he'll have a whole avocado for lunch with no complaints!

Alicia 3-13-2007 @ 1:20PM

Do what we do down south, the best meals are collards, black eye peas, green beans, turnip greens, etc. Fried chicken is good, too. Peaches off the local trees, strawberries and blueberries from the yard. Fresh ice cream is good for dairy (in limited quantity.) Our kids eat almost everything made from scratch, so we know what's in it, and they're very healthy and thin, too. :) (ps- we're not "organic" nuts or anything either)

Mom of 3 in CA 3-13-2007 @ 1:46PM

Some people really crack me up. It just isn't that hard to feed your family properly. It's quite easy, actually - DON'T BUY THE JUNK! While grocery shopping, skip the bags of chips and candy and head to the produce aisle. Even when produce prices are on the rise it's still cheaper than junk food. I'm so sick of hearing people complain, "I'm so poor, I can't afford to feed my kids!" While these same kids are pigging out on chips while playing their PlayStations.

Jan Wolterman 3-13-2007 @ 1:59PM

I've found children who are encouraged to garden and grow their own food are almost always enthusiastic about eating most any fruit or vegetable. Hopefully more schools will be adding eco-literacy to their curriculum to educate our children about agriculture and nutrition as well as empowering kids to make healthy food choices.

Kathleen W. 3-13-2007 @ 3:02PM

Unfortunately, some myths just won’t die, and the ‘milk does a body good’ delusion is no exception, thanks in large part to advertising and American’s discomfort with change.
Cow’s milk is for cows, human milk is for humans. (Whether in yogurt, cheese, or other source.) Milk is an unhealthy substance from diseased animals that contains any number of disease-causing and toxic substances, which have a cumulative negative effect on the body. Most cows’ milk (regular and organic) has 59 active hormones and large quantities of allergens, cholesterol, fat, herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times the safe levels), up to 52 powerful antibiotics, blood, feces, bacteria and viruses. Not only is it not a significant source of calcium (due in large part to its poor magnesium content), but it has also been proven to actually contribute to osteoporosis by drawing calcium out of the body in an effort to process the milk. The effects of milk on the body also have direct correlation to many diseases, including cancer. There are countless other sources of vegetables, fruits, nuts and many other foods which are wonderful, healthy sources of calcium. All it takes it doing a bit of research and tuning out industry-driven advertising that feeds on our pre-existing beliefs of what comfort food really is. I was glad to see that peanut butter, another unfortunate American staple for children, was not exalted on this list. Unless it is organic (and from certain regions), brand-name peanut butter is essentially sugar, preservatives and chemicals. The amount of pesticides/herbicides used on peanuts is second to none, which is why I wasn’t surprised to have one farmer tell me that peanut butter is the most dangerous food she would never feed her children. I see otherwise educated, seemingly well-informed friends of mine indiscriminately feed their kids a ‘lunch’ of peanut butter and jelly, with a big glass of milk, and am not surprised by the epidemic of childhood illnesses in this country. The information is out there…it doesn’t take much to look past your TV and the industry driven ‘news’ and find out what’s really in the food you’re eating. We’re all learning, including me, and this one is a no-brainer.