Children's Nutrition

Good Nutrition for Kids

Simple, delicious strategies for getting your kids the healthy, wholesome foods they need—recipes included
by Marissa Lippert, R.D.

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One of the most important things parents can do for their children is lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating. Exposing kids to good, wholesome food at a young age just makes good sense: Not only does it provide them with the nourishment their growing bodies need, it also helps them develop smart eating habits that will continue into adulthood. While busy schedules and an overload of sugary, heavily processed, and fast-food options can pose significant day-to-day challenges for parents, making healthy food choices for your family is a lot easier—and can be way more fun—than you think.


The federal government's recent launch of the MyPlate campaign lays out nutritional guidelines with straightforward suggestions and clear visuals, all based around a single plate. Robert Post, deputy director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, says the MyPlate icon was designed to be "a simple, yet powerful visual cue for consumers to choose healthier foods among the food groups at mealtimes to build healthy plates." The plate's divided quadrants and emphasis on fruits and vegetables automatically ensure that kids are getting smart, healthy portions.

Here's a breakdown of the campaign's goals, along with some of our quick tips on how to make the right choices for your family.

Make half the plate fruits and vegetables. Vegetables should get slight preference over fruit given that their sugar content is generally lower, but the main point is to emphasize produce overall. Naturally low-fat and low-calorie, fruits and vegetables are rich with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making them natural disease fighters and filling, energizing components of any meal or snack. Fresh, local vegetables and fruits are best, but out of season, frozen produce works, too—because it's often picked and processed at its seasonal peak, it can be just as nutritious as fresh fruit and veg, and sometimes even more so.

Grains should make up about one quarter of the food on your child's plate. Ensure that at least half of kids' grain servings come from whole grains like brown rice, whole-grain cereals, and whole-wheat pasta. Their high fiber content helps keep energy levels strong and blood sugar steady—which means kids will be satisfied for a longer period of time than if they eat white rice and bread. Get creative with nontraditional whole grains such as bulgur, barley, wheat berries, farro, and of course the ubiquitous supercharged pseudo-grain quinoa.

For protein, which should fill about a quarter of the plate, focus on lean-protein sources like chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, beans, and lean meats. Try to steam, grill, broil, or bake proteins, and avoid frying as much as possible. Look for fish that are lower in mercury; avoid too much tuna and other higher-mercury fish such as mackerel, Chilean sea bass, swordfish, and grouper. Aim to buy sustainable wild fish, particularly salmon, to get a boost of lean protein and healthy fat without excess antibiotics, added coloring, or potential pesticides.

Choose low-fat dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and 1% milk to ramp up your child's calcium intake, which help keeps bones and teeth strong in growing kids. (Keep in mind that it's best to give toddlers 2% or whole-fat dairy products.)

When using prepackaged or canned foods, make sure that they contain less than 500 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Reach for water first and keep sugary, sweet drinks to a bare minimum.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/family/good-nutrition-for-kids#ixzz2LOz2h300