Kid Foods - Make Them More Nutritious
Posted on Dec 14th 2008 8:00AM by Jacki DonaldsonFiled Under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements
Forget about nixing the nuggets and pitching the pizza from your kids' diets. Just modify these favorites for better health. Family Circle magazine dishes out a few tricks for transforming the treats your kids love.
- Juice. Dilute it with water or add a few ice cubes (each cube generally holds an ounce) into flavored seltzer for a low-sugar treat. If you must serve juice, make it OJ -- at least you'll be boosting your little ones' folate, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and E. And serve no more than four to six ounces of juice per day. Too much sugar and calories, so don't go overboard. There isn't anything your kiddos need in juice that they can't get from whole fruit.
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Pizza. Order pizza "easy on the cheese" and pick thin crust instead of thick (it will slash about 80 calories). Top slices with veggies, chicken or ham (better than pepperoni or sausage) and pass on extras, like stuffed crusts and breadsticks.
- Mac and Cheese. For boxed brands, use skim milk and reduce the margarine from four tablespoons to one (this will save 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per cup). When making your own, whip up a sauce of skim milk, margarine and flour and melt in shredded cheese. Boil whole wheat noodles for six grams of fiber per cup. Stir in broccoli bits and diced carrots.
For the skinny on bettering ice cream, cookies, chicken nuggets and French fries, take a stroll over here.
