Healthy (and Enjoyable!) Meals for Kids

by Joanne Eglash

It’s not dinner you’re concerned about when it comes to your kids’ eating habits—it’s all the other meals (and snacks) throughout the day. See what pediatricians and nutritionists recommend for keeping your children healthy and happy with full tummies.

Bite Into Breakfast

According to pediatrician Dr. Christine Williamson, your child is missing out on a valuable meal if breakfast is routinely skipped. Dr. Williamson, who has expertise in child nutrition, health education, and preventative medicine, says, “Eating a healthy breakfast provides key nutrients that, if missed, are often hard to make up during the day.”

That morning meal can even help your child’s grades. “Studies show that eating breakfast boosts a child’s performance at school,” says Dr. Williamson.

Today’s parents face several challenges when it comes to their kids’ morning eating routines:

• Not having enough time to prepare breakfast and eat before dashing off to school.
• Kids who claim they aren’t hungry, or are dieting.
• Kids who demand foods they’ve seen on TV, such as sugar-coated cereals, toaster pastries, and donuts.

Dr. Williamson recommends managing these issues with a simple breakfast of cereal, milk, and fruit. Full of nutrients, this combo is easy to fix and eat. She suggests alternating a cereal breakfast with eggs one day on the weekend and perhaps waffles or pancakes on the other weekend morning.

When you select a family cereal, look for one with some fiber. Don’t stress too much about sugared cereals: According to Dr. Williamson, consumption of presweetened sugar typically provides only about five percent of the total sugar that children eat. (Main culprits include soft drinks, candy, desserts, and milk products.)

In addition, Dr. Williamson offers these tips:

• Make breakfast a habit for the entire family, and keep it enjoyable. Don’t force your children to eat every bite on their plates.
• Each night, set the breakfast table and plan the meal. You’ll save time and avoid stress on manic mornings.
• Avoid too many options. For example, an established menu of yogurt, fruit, and a mini-muffin can do the trick. When you have a lot to choose from, it can be easy to eat around the healthier items, and it can also leave you with food that goes bad.

Lunches to Love

When the lunchtime bell resounds through the school halls and the kids head outside or to the cafeteria, be wary of a few pitfalls:

• Cookies and candy bars sold at school: Will your child be tempted to spend his or her allowance on sugary treats?
• Lunch-trading, which might end with your child eating cupcakes and potato chips.
• The “this lunch looks boring” blues, which could result in your child discarding that meal—and stopping at the fast food counter on the way home from school.

“A sandwich is usually the easiest option, but you can mix it up so it doesn't get monotonous,” advises Molly Kimball, a registered dietitian who offers her expertise as the sports and lifestyle nutritionist at Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. She offers a few tips:

• Bread may be the staff of life, but there are other options. Consider substituting an occasional whole wheat tortilla or pita bread rather than the usual sliced bread.
• Try cream cheese or mozzarella as an alternative to American cheese.
• Ranch salad dressing may serve as a child-pleasing alternative to mayonaise.
• For protein variations, make sandwiches with turkey, chicken, ham, or roast beef.
• To add more nutrient density, see if your child will enjoy unusual sandwich additions such as sliced apples or spinach leaves.

Above all, encourage your child to let you know what tastes good and what doesn’t. Kimball says, “Make it clear that it's OK if they don't like what you've packed—it’s better for them to be honest than to think they can't say anything, and continue swapping for their friends' treats.”

If your child loves sweets or chips, give in occasionally. Allow one treat in each lunch bag, such as a snack-size bag of chips, cookies, or candy. Make it clear, however, that they get to choose just one per lunch.

Yippee, Skippy, It’s Snack Time!

The front door opens and shuts with a slam, the family dog barks, and your children’s chorus resounds: “I’m hungry!”

Snack time in many households equals junk food time: cookies, cupcakes, candy bars, and ice cream. Dr. Williamson recommends whole wheat crackers topped with a thin layer of peanut butter or low-fat cheese. This simple snack combines protein with fiber, easing the complaints of a child who is constantly hungry. In cooler weather, try offering a cup of soup. Opt for varieties containing vegetables and protein, such as chicken vegetable.

Molly Kimball’s tips include easy-to-make smoothies. Try either of the following recipes:

Vanilla and strawberry smoothie
1 cup low fat milk
4 ounces low fat vanilla yogurt
5 or 6 frozen strawberries
Whir all ingredients in a blender and serve.

Peanut butter smoothie
1 cup low fat milk
1 banana
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter (natural style peanut butter tends to be more liquid, making it easier to blend)
Ice cubes as desired (based on how thick or thin a smoothie your child prefers)
Whir all ingredients in a blender and serve.

When you open lines of communication about food with your children and give them several healthy options to choose from, school day meals and snacks can be nutritious and easy.