How Do You Feed Your Kids Healthy Foods?

Hi K.-

Some of these ideas may not apply for your little one yet, but it will help in the future when he's ready for these foods. For us, fruits are easy. We just always have them washed and ready to go. Right now as I look around my kitchen we have bananas, mandarin oranges, apples, cantaloupe (already cut up), grapes, strawberries, blueberries and grapefruit available. My kids will usually have a fruit with breakfast and lunch and one for a snack at some point in the day. Veggies are a little more work, but we get them in. The only veggies my kids will eat raw are celery and carrots which I always have cleaned, cut up and ready to go. I buy the frozen vegetables in the steamer bags for cooked veggies. My kids will eat broccoli, peas, corn, and grean beans this way. Usually I steam enough veggies for dinner one night that there are leftovers for the kids to have with lunch the next day. That way they are having a veggie for lunch and dinner each day.

Do keep in mind if you are aiming for the recommended daily allowance, that some times what is considered a serving is actually smaller than what you might give to your children so in one meal they might actually get 2 servings of the vegetable you are having.

Good Luck!
K.

The best way to pass on good eating habits is to model them. If you don't like vegetables, it could be how they've been prepared. My husband REFUSED to eat vegetables until I started doing things like making marinated carrots, roasted asparagus w/ olive oil, beans slow simmered with butter and tarragon, etc. He had been raised with bland, canned things, so really fresh veggies that weren't just boiled or steamed were a revelation.

For our children, it's pretty simple at 18 months. We buy a lot of frozen, organic vegetables at Costco. Pop them in the microwave, add a dash of salt and a pat of butter, and they are happy campers. We also simply add vegetables to a lot of meals. We'll shred spinach or argula and add it to spaghetti or add mixed vegetables to mashed potatoes. We don't push veggies or make a big deal, they're just always there. Fruit is easy - we have lots of apple sauce, bananas, canned chunk pineapple, frozen peaches, fresh apples, kiwi - you name it - around the house at any given time. They go through phases where they don't like the texture of something, so we just move on to another fruit. We use fruit mainly for breakfast and/or snacks.

Hope this helps.

Hi K.,

Well first of all you need some recipes hehe. If you have an idea of what goes together it does help. If your kids are not use to eating a lot of fruit and vegetables its good to work little pieces here and there in meals that way your getting it into their diet and you slowly work up adding more and even yourself. You don't always have to go straight into plain old fruit and vegetables it gets dull and well you get tired of the same ole taste. Its just boring lol..I have learned over the years that sometimes a little is better than a lot and you just find recipes that you can do that with. If you like I have a ton of recipes and my husband is a chef if you like you can email me things you like and dislike and we can put together a menu of recipes for you to try, that are simple and taste great. But its easier to know whether or not what you don't like and if you have any food allergies. My husband and our kids we eat healthy but we eat food that taste good and you don't feel like your starving. The most important thing you can do is enjoy what you eat and have the nutrition you need in it. So if you like I would be more than happy to help you out at least give you a start. It takes a few good recipes and some likes and dislikes from your pallet to put you in the right direction so you can enjoy what you eat and know your getting the right stuff.

For my kids, it is often about convenience and ease of mind. I pre-wash fruit and veggies and leave them on the counter in a bowl. Also, I never spend time on trying to figure out what to serve and will it be balanced. Instead, I focus on getting the kids to eat differ color combinations of fruits and veggies. Different colors have different vitamins and minerals. Colors make it easier for the kids to figure out also. I will try to slice red peppers, carrots, cucumbers and/or celery with lunches and dinner. Also, I try to keep yogurt in the fridge and easy to grab. It can be difficult so good luck

I hate to say it but your kids learn from watching your behaviors not what you say. if he gets a different dinner than you its gonna be bad! Start eating healthy and teaching your son too. Deceptively Delichous ( sp ) by Jessica Seignfeild is a great way to sneak healthy foods into things you already love, brownies with spinach, pancakes with squash. Its a good way to be healthier. Good luck.

I agree - it's hard to plan out and make sure your little ones get their 'five a day'! To keep it simple I serve fruit with breakfast, fruit with lunch, and veggies with dinner - Here's how I do it for my 1, 3 and 5 year olds:

I serve fruit in the morning with breakfast or for a morning snack - often times this is a banana. Did you know that one serving of fruit juice (4ounces) can count as one fruit - but you can only count one serving of juice a day.

I serve fruit with lunch: some ideas- cut up apple, mandarin orange slices, sliced melon, sliced grapes, or sliced strawberries - these are some of our favorites.

For dinner I serve a veggie or two to finish off the five a day - 3 Tablespoons of veggie is one serving, so it really is easier than you think. Some of our favorites: steamed carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, greenbeans or corn. Another favorite for my little guy: avacodo and banana mashed together to make a pudding - it's heavenly!

Dried fruit also counts - and is easy to keep in your car or diaper bag for a snack.

It's really easier than you think and I am sure you will find out how yummy fruits and veggies can be yourself -

If you're not eating well, neither will your kids - period. They will see veggies as some lame "kid food" and not want to eat it. They almost always want what you're eating. You have to lead by example.

Hi Kristi
Wow, a Mortgage consultant- great- I have about 30 years in the Mortgage industry- and you workfrom home- would really like to know who you are with and see if there is any possibility I could do the same and earn from home.
Getting your little ones to eat healthy is a real trick- I am not much on fruit and veggies either but this is what my daughter in law does- and she is a health nut-
she keeps fresh fruit in the house at all times- plums, grapes, banannas, peaches , apples,blue berries- what ever is in season- she cuts the fruit into small pieces and places a little piece of fruit on each plate at meal time- and they have to eat it before leaving the table- on the veggies- she makes sure she has one of the colors at each meal- corn, green beans, potatoes etc--- she only places a small amount on the plate so they don;t seem over come by the portian size and if they only take a bite or two, that is ok- for smacks she makes sure they have something that is not sugar-perhaps another little piece of fruit-or fruit filled cookies- like fig newtons..........all kids are not alike so I hope this helps with yours.
good luck and
Blessings

Hi! This is a big challenge that can seem overwhelming, especially if you have picky eaters (or even if you don't!) I just started a series on my blog called Eating the Alphabet and am focusing on incorporating fruits & veggies into our diets and making it fun for my 4 & 8 year old by relating it to the alphabet. We have had fun coming up with ideas and trying new things. You can check it out (among other meal planning ideas) at my blog www.mealplanningmagic.blogspot.com. HTH!

I'm like you. However, am trying to change my habits... So I have started to each fruits and veggies more, YUK, I know, but they are your kids. Another thing I tried was the book The Sneaky Chef. I was able to include all sorts of fruits and veggies in foods they normally eat, and they don't even know it. The good thing is I don't have to eat it!

K. you have to have fun with cooking meals to your kids. Even if you work theres is no excuse about not cooking at least dinner for them. don't be one of those moms that takes them to eat out every day for every meal because you will see consequences. Diabetic kids or anemic kids or overweight kids. Buy the cheap fruits , apples , bananas, oranges, make a fruit salads leave it in a bowl, add chili poweder, caramel, syrup. so they will start eating it. add fresh fruit to jello, add fruit on top of pancakes, make fruit pops, milk and banana and freeze, make shakes or smoothies, As far as vegetebles, you have to learn to hide them when you cook. Specially if your kids are pick eater, make meat loaf, and stick carrtos potatoes in the loaf, I make meat balls with potatoes, carrtos, spinach, and mushroom and my daughter doesnt evenknow and loves these. ADD dressing to brocoli, or make shapes out of vegetables, add cheese, carrtos with peanut butter are good, mash potatoes with butter, cook out once ina while and make corn outside. See, there are tons of ways to do it and don't expect your kids to eat right away, introduce them little at a time and theywill get used to it and you also have to eat them or else they won't believe they are good, If you have time to watch tv you have time to prepare a healthy meal.-that's my advice good luck,
MY daughter is 18 months and eats tons of veggies and fruits already and she loves them with her meats on the side and rice,only becuase I introduced them at 5 months and since then.....
G. RN,