Bringing up a kid is something parents cherish, but it is hardly a cakewalk. Ensuring the kids get to eat healthy foods is somewhat challenging for most mothers. From dealing with a kid who is choosy about foods to getting along with kids with an allergy to specific foods, cooking for kids can often be tedious. Sometimes, mothers are not too sure about picking right foods for kids to cooking in the best way.
However, you can utilize the below-listed tips to ensure you prepare healthy yet yummy foods for your growing toddler.
- Most kids tend to be slow in adapting to newly introduced foods, more so if it is a vegetable. To ensure, you adhere to a healthy diet for kids introduce new foods and vegetables in clever ways. For example, if you want to start giving your kid spinach or carrot, try mixing these in salads and soups. The salads and soups may also have bits of chicken and boiled egg. Once your kid gets accustomed to the new food, you will find it easy to give it to him or her directly.
- It is definitely possible to make foods that taste great without making them harmful for kids. To enhance the taste and flavor, there is no need to add much sauces and condiments to foods. You may resort to using specific herbs and natural extracts to give your kids yummy and healthy foods. Using lemon juice, shredded ginger in soups and salads is an option. You may also use low fat cheese in sandwiches and salads to give to the toddlers. Try using various vegetables in salads with a bit of meat to give the foods plenty of textures.
- To ensure you stick to a balanced diet for kids, you can be a little experimental. Your kids may be weary of eating similar type of fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, try offering them fruits and vegetables that are not cooked much in your house. For example, you can serve them a salad with kiwifruit, olives, and kale.
- Kids need protein for growing up healthy and it is important that you give them the right type of protein sources in meals. You should make dishes with fresh and locally produced poultry meat for this. Giving the kids dishes made with fresh turkey, chicken is advisable. Evade giving them processed meat such as chicken nuggets. Eggs are also good sources of protein. Besides, avoid deep frying and stick to sautéing and boiling to ensure the protein quotient is not destroyed much while cooking.
- While fruits are full of nutrients and taste great, ensure you make juices at home rather than buying OTC fruit juices and beverages. These products contain several artificial flavors and excess sweeteners at times. When you make fruit juices and smoothies at home, use little or no sugar as a lot of fruits contain natural fructose.
- Unless your kid turns out to be lactose intolerant, there is no harm in giving him or her dairy based foods like cheese, milk and cottage cheese. However, introduce dairy foods in small amounts. You can keep it interesting for kids by using dairy foods in numerous ways. Cheese can be used in sandwiches while yogurt can be served with salads. You may also make milkshakes with fruits and ice at home.
- To make sure the kids stay well hydrated, ensure they drink plenty of water. Besides, give them soups, broths and fruit juice made at home. Smoothies and ice creams made at home are also ideal for this need.
What are some tips to ensuring your kids eat healthy foods that you would add?
Love this — shared the love in a tweet. 🙂 I’m on the same page. When my daughter was 8mos, I found out she was allergic to nine different foods, so I got a good lesson in nutrition, variety, health foods, reading labels, you name it. Loads of tips and recipes at Tuned In Parents. Would love to feature your tips, too!