Healthy Eating for Kids - Meals

I went to a diner this weekend whose kids menu included a sandwich, cheetos and a soda.  Why do restaurants all seem to have the same concept of kids food: peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, (fried) chicken fingers with french fries, macaroni and cheese and juice or soda?

At what point did we give up on kids eating nutritious food?  As I asked in a previous post, why do we swap pureed good-for-them baby foods for salty, not good-for-them, kid foods?

Photo by Rupert Ganzer; downloaded without amendments from Flickr

Yes, I am aware that kids go through a picky phase.  But you can minimize the impact of this phase.  You can continue to offer nutritious foods after your kids are finished with baby food and until you are no longer feeding them.  If they never know foods like mac and cheese and french fries, or if they are largely unfamiliar with them and know them only as treats, then they won't fight you (or they'll fight you less) on the roasted chicken with green beans and potatoes.  

Of course, kids, like adults, have their likes and dislikes, and some kids just don't like green beans.  For those kids I say, don't offer green beans (provided of course you've offered them 10 times in a nonchalant, no-pressure way as I mentioned in a previous post.)  And for the kids whose list of dislikes is more extensive, here are some suggestions: 

Photo by Luis Tamayo; downloaded from Flickr without amendments

Tips for Picky Eaters

1. Persistence:  Continue to offer the foods they don't currently like on an occasional basis in a nonchalant, no-pressure way.
2. Creativity:  Expand your own food horizons by offering them vegetables and other healthy foods that you are not in the habit of cooking, and that are not on their list of dislikes.  Use variety in spices and cooking methods.  Some kids just want variety (as do most adults). 
3. Emotion-free eating:  Remember everything I mentioned in "Growing Healthy Eaters." Release your emotional attachment to their eating.  Keep providing varied healthy food, in a non-attached, nonemotional way. One day, they will surprise you. 
4. Rules:  Don't be a short order cook.  Set the expectation that the whole family eats the same meal.
5. Reliability:  Make sure the family meal includes some foods they do like and will reliably eat.

Also, yes, I have met the child who can go for days surviving on one bite of peanut butter toast and an orange.  I've heard them called air-etarians, or air-ivores.  It can be very stressful for parents to feel that their child is not eating enough.  But trust me, kids will eat when they need to.  Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and if you have a child who has any sort of special circumstance or need, or if your gut tells you something is wrong, then please, make an appointment with your child's provider for an evaluation.  Otherwise, here are some suggestions for the child who just doesn't eat:

Photo by Patrick Feller; downloaded from Flickr without amendments

Tips for Food Avoiders

1. Persistence:  Continue to host meals at the table, at routine times, away from the TV.  Have as many family members as possible at the table for meals.  The more the family all eats together, the better.  I don't believe a child should feel tortured by having to sit at the table, so make it engaging for them.  Talk about how everyone's days went, and include her in the conversation.  Talk about the food you're eating and where it came from.  Talk about gardening, farming, ranching, and the culture and history of the food you're eating.  (Note: for older children, doing a little research before dinner into these subjects can trigger interest and more fruitful conversations).  You'll have to find the balance that works for your family as far as how long your child should sit if she's not hungry, and how far to go to make it engaging for her.  I do not advise bringing books or toys to the table.  Keep it about food and family.
   
   Photo by US Dept of Agriculture; downloaded from Flickr without amendment
2. Nutritious Snacking:  Snacks are an important part of a growing child's life, but they can blossom out of control.  Make snacks part of the daily routine.  Once or twice a day, sit down with your child at the table (or at the picnic table if you're at the park), and have a nutritious snack.  Do not let your child wander around or play while snacking.  Minimize snacks eaten in the car or otherwise on the go.  Do not fill her with empty calories.
3. Swapping Meals For Snacks:  In regards to #1 and #2, if your child is consistently jumping up from the table at meal time claiming she's not hungry, only to come back 45 minutes later for a snack, then some trouble-shooting needs to occur.  She needs to eat that meal rather than that snack, so start by altering the schedule.
4. Reliability:  At meals and snacks, offer foods you know she likes (as well as some she doesn't, as mentioned in the previous set of suggestions).  Be creative to maximize variety.  New spices, new foods, and new cooking methods can be very helpful.
5. Involvement:  Continue to involve her in food shopping, food preparation, and food culture (see below).

Photo by Jaro Larnos; downloaded from Flickr without amendments

Ways To Involve Your Child In Food

1.  Food shopping:

• Set yourself up for success:  go at a time of day when you both are at your best, not tired, and not in a rush
• Make shopping fun: go to a farmer's market, a produce stand, or a store you don't always go to
• Ask your child what he wants to buy (while you're in the produce section, not the candy section!)
• Give your child a choice: e.g. "We need a vegetable for tonight, would you like to pick it out?"

2.  Food preparation:

• Have your child sit down with you on Sunday and plan the week's meals together; then make the grocery list together
• Place your child in charge of clipping coupons, or looking online (supervised of course!) for good deals of the week
• While cooking, have your child stir, dump foods from a bowl into the pan, tear lettuce, cut soft foods with a plastic knife, operate the salad spinner, etc.
• Garden with your child (even if it's just growing basil in a pot in the window) 
• Make it fun: make your own pizza night, pasta bar, etc - prep everything together in the kitchen, and bring it all out for everyone to assemble as they like (don't forget to include veggies!)
  
  Photo by Coqui the Chef; downloaded from Flickr without amendments

3.  Food culture:

• Go to food events like the Bite of Seattle or the Herb and Food Fair at Bastyr University
• Go to Farmer's Markets, the Pike Place Market, You-Pick Farms, Pea Patches or other community gardens (sometimes they have fun events at the gardens) 
• Discuss and celebrate the culture of origin of your dinner (afternoon project: research the culture and find a fun fact)
• Wear sombreros at taco night, wear saris for Indian night 

Sneaking Nutrients In
Sometimes you may want to experiment with stealthily boosting your child's nutrition. Most kids will reliably eat marinara or pizza sauce, so puree some vegetables and add them in.  Find other sauces you know they will eat and do the same.  Make zucchini bread instead of banana bread.  Add raw greens to a smoothie (as long as they will tolerate a green smoothie!)  There's a book called Deceptively Delicious that you might want to sneak a peek at.  

Most importantly, breathe.  Take my suggestions, but make changes slowly; don't stress yourself or your family out.  There's enough stress in life; I do not want to add to yours.  But I would be so happy to see restaurants change their kids menus to include healthy choices because consumers start demanding it!

I have no affiliations or financial interests to disclose.