Feeding RD Kids
Need some kid friendly meal ideas? Check out this post to see what Registered Dietitians feed their kids for healthy meals and snacks!
Hi Friends!
I’m so glad all of you enjoyed Part 1 of What Registered Dietitians Feed Their Kids! Today we’re back with part 2, as promised. So somehow I unintentionally split up the responses so that part 1 was mostly older kids and part 2 is mostly about the little ones! So for those of you with toddler-aged kiddos, this one’s for you!
Like I mentioned last time:
This post is in no way saying that only RDs know how to feed their children a healthy diet. I know there are tons of moms out there who do a great job! I just thought it would be a fun way to inspire you guys and share some new ideas and tactics from these wonderful ladies who are not only moms, but RDs, entrepreneurs, and busy professionals!
Here we go:
Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN
Founder of Nutritioulicious
Children: 2 1/2 year old twin girls
1) What do they typically eat for breakfast?
During the week, they rotate between these three breakfasts. Daisy Brand Lowfat Cottage Cheese with bananas or berries OR lowfat plain yogurt with bananas or berries OR Quaker 1 minute oats made with 1% milk & bananas or berries. On the weekends, we’ll go for brunch and they’ll have an omelette with mushrooms, onions, and cheddar or an egg sandwich with tomato and avocado.
2) What do they typically eat for lunch? If they’re school aged- packed lunch or buy at school? Why?
- Leftovers from our dinner the night before
- Frittata with veggies and cut up cucumbers and tomatoes on side
- tuna sandwich on occasion, always with side of cut up veggies
- Homemade flatbread veggie pizza
- during the winter they’ll have soup or veggie chilli
- and fruit after their main lunch
3) What happens if they don’t like what you’re making for dinner?
Luckily this hasn’t really happened yet!!
4) What are their favorite snacks?
All fruit with raw unsalted almonds, apple with peanut butter, roasted chickpeas, part-skim string cheese, Annie’s honey graham bunnies, cucumbers and hummus, baby carrots and hummus
5) Are any foods off limits?
Nothing is off limits, but fun foods like cookies, cake, ice cream, etc are a rare occasion during the week and in the house. Usually they get to enjoy those fun foods when we have company over for a meal and/or if we’re out at a restaurant (usually once a weekend)
6) Any tips for picky eaters?
- Be a role model and show your kids that you eat the same foods you want them to.
- Expose them to all types of foods early on and continue to introduce them as time goes on, even if your child thinks he/she doesn’t like it
- Don’t give in and let them eat whatever they want if they’re not eating what you made for dinner
- don’t be a short order cook.
7) What’s one mistake you think parents make when it comes to feeding their kids?
A lot of parents give in to kids menus rather than ordering for their children from the main menu. Personally, I don’t see a reason for kids menus. Also, many parents don’t continue to introduce foods once children don’t eat it once or twice. But most children need to be reintroduced to foods over a dozen times.
Jenna Braddock, RD
Blog: Fresh Food Perspectives
Children: Jackson age 3 and Ben age 1
1) What do they typically eat for breakfast?
(Almost) every morning we start with a fruit and veggie smoothie (here’s my base recipe). One day, when Jackson was about 13 months, he wanted to try my smoothie. I gave him some and he drank it all. Ever since, we both have a smoothie almost every day. Ben will join us as soon as he gets a little better at drinking from a straw.
In addition, Jackson loves an “egg manwich” which consists of a fried egg with cheese on a whole grain english muffin, bagel or toast. He may also eat a banana. He’s a pretty hungry guy. Other options we may have instead are a frozen whole grain waffle (we are into Van’s right now), a homemade blueberry muffin, or oatmeal.
Ben is just getting into the big people food game but these days he is eating a scrambled egg, banana and some other veggie at breakfast.
2) What do they typically eat for lunch? If they’re school aged- packed lunch or buy at school? Why?
Lunch for us is a variety of things depending if we were out all morning or home. We often eat leftovers from dinner. Other options are:
- PB & J
- turkey, cheese, and avocado roll ups
- Meat and cheese sandwiches
- Black bean bowls with quinoa
To the above, we always have at least one veggie (like carrots, peppers, tomatoes or broccoli) and if available, a fruit. My son loves to dip so hummus is usually involved.
3) What happens if they don’t like what you’re making for dinner?
If Jackson doesn’t like what we are having, we encourage him to at least take a taste. We also remind him that his dinner is his only option for food; there’s nothing else. If he is truly not hungry or doesn’t want to eat, that is his choice. Usually he asks for food later while getting ready for bed and we remind him that he had the option to eat his dinner earlier.
Jackson is not a picky eater at this time so he usually doesn’t show displeasure with food. However, he does have days that he is just not as hungry or doesn’t really love what I make. Our kids also go to bed shortly after dinner so there’s not a lot more time to think about food.
As a disclaimer, I also feel it’s my job to expose my kiddos to all kids of cuisine and flavors. Therefore, they are bond to not like something I make from time to time. That’s ok though. I try not to take it personally. There’s things I don’t like as much as others.
4) What are their favorite snacks?
Both my boys love fruit so we have it at at least one snack time, usually with Greek yogurt. I often get asked if eating too much fruit is a problem. It can be but I’d rather my kids be eating too much fruit than too much “fluffy” snacks.
We also eat bars – my Hidden Honey Bars, Kashi, or Nature Valley Protein Bar, nuts and dried fruit, and veggies and hummus.
5) Are any foods off limits?
I chose to withhold sweets from my kids until they turned 1 just because I wanted to give them the opportunity to develop a taste for vegetables. I don’t consider anything truly off limits. If something sneaks into my kids diet every once in a while, it’s not going to cause serious damage. There are some things that I try to limit in our every day choices. I limit foods with artificial colors. I just don’t trust them. I also limit fluffy snacks – things like goldfish or fruit snacks. They have their place but they really don’t have any nutritional value to offer. My boys mostly drink water. They have milk occasionally. Soda is off limits and I’ll try to keep it that way as long as possible.
When it comes to sweets and treats, we try to talk about how they are fun but we don’t have them all the time.
6) What’s one mistake you think parents make when it comes to feeding their kids?
Letting the kids dictate what the family eats. Kids aren’t developmentally capable of making well balance, nutritionally sound decisions all the time. It’s the parents job to teach the kids about balanced eating and more importantly demonstrate it. It’s hard work to feed kids healthy. It takes more time, more patience, more clean up and you don’t always feel like doing it. But you have to do it. It’s too important. It may not be perfect every day, but that’s ok.
Name: Holley Grainger, MS, RD
Website: www.holleygrainger.com
Kids: Ellie-3 years old and Frances-6 months old
1) What do they typically eat for breakfast?
Ellie (my 3 year old) isn’t a big breakfast eater but I make sure she at least drinks a cup of milk and has something to eat each morning. It ranges from blueberries to a graham cracker to dry cereal to yogurt. Lately, I’ve been making her smoothies (aka “milkshakes”) with milk, fruit, and yogurt and that seems to keep her happy and full.
After Frances’ formula bottle, she usually eats oatmeal or baby food. I’m a mom ambassador for Beech-Nut and I love the new line so I usually feed her mashed banana or something from the line like carrots, sugar snap peas, or get favorite, pineapple, pear and avocado. I’ve started keeping up with Frances’ eating adventures on my facebook page using #FeedingFrances.
2) What do they typically eat for lunch? If they’re school aged- packed lunch or buy at school? Why?
I’ve put quite a bit of effort into making balanced, well-rounded school lunches this year since Ellie usually eats the best and the most at school. However, since time is of the essence I try to keep lunch prep to a 5-minute maximum. I follow this formula: lean protein, vegetable, fruit, dairy and whole grain. I don’t always hit all of the food groups at each lunch so I take that into account at later meals.
For example:
- lean meat (chicken, turkey, or ham)
- vegetable (green beans, red bell pepper strips, or carrots)
- dairy (yogurt or cheese)
- fruit (pineapple, apple slices, banana, mandarin orange segments, or berries
- whole grain (popcorn or whole wheat pretzels)
3) What happens if they don’t like what you’re making for dinner?
I pour another glass of wine! Seriously though, I try hard to serve Ellie what Brent and I are eating for dinner but sometimes she just doesn’t want anything to do with it. I usually try to make sure that there are foods on her plate that I know she likes so she will have something to eat. Other times, if she is pitching a fit for chicken nuggets then I relent because it isn’t worth the argument and I don’t feel terrible about them (whole grain breading, chicken breast, organic, etc).
4) What are their favorite snacks?
Blueberries, yogurt, graham crackers, popcorn, Fig Newtons.
5) Are any foods off limits?
No, but we limit foods with a low nutrient value and try to balance with more nutritious choices.
6) Any tips for picky eaters?
Let your children help you prepare their meals. We went through a chicken nugget jag but when I asked Ellie to help me rinse some black beans, she stood on her step stool at the sink and ate them straight out of the colander. The more involved she feels, the more likely she is to try something.
7) What’s one mistake you think parents make when it comes to feeding their kids?
I think they give up to fast when their child rejects a food. It’s important to keep introducing the food but if you feel like you’re stuck, try different methods of preparation. For example, try raw, roasted, and steamed broccoli before ruling it out.
Melissa Joy Dobbins, MS, RD, CDE
Blog: Sound Bites
Kids: Daughter- 14, Son- 6
1) What do they typically eat for breakfast?
Breakfast really varies at our house, especially with the different ages of my kids. But dairy and fiber are the two main “goals”. My son usually has what we call a “breakfast cookie” which is actually a high fiber granola bar and a glass of milk or what we call “frozen yogurt” which is a yogurt tube that has been frozen. My daughter has either a high fiber cereal with milk, or a “breakfast cookie” and a carnation instant breakfast shake. Over the past couple of years, my daughter has gone through phases where she wanted to skip breakfast (not enough time, not hungry, etc.) but I make it a point to “enforce” breakfast so she has the fuel to do well in school. I let her choose what and how much she eats, but she has to eat something.
2) What do they typically eat for lunch? If they’re school aged- packed lunch or buy at school? Why?
We are big fans of school lunch – our school district has done a great job of improving the menu over the past few years. During the summer, however, we pack lunches for camp. My goal is to make sure that there is one serving from each food group and also something fun. My daughter makes her own lunches and, frankly, I just check to make sure she actually has food in there! My son loves to discover a special treat of a small piece of candy or a pudding cup.
3) What happens if they don’t like what you’re making for dinner?
We don’t really have this problem – I guess we just love food! Sometimes my son says he doesn’t like what we’re having, but usually that’s when it’s something he has never had before. So, we remind him of our rule: you have to try it (taste it) and then if you don’t want to eat it you don’t have to. Despite his protests, he often likes the food enough to try a little more.
4) What are their favorite snacks?
They’ll snack on anything when they’re hungry so I take the opportunity to offer fruits or vegetables, plus whatever they are in the mood for such as crackers, cheese sticks or a smoothie (my son loves to create different smoothie recipes).
5) Are any foods off limits?
There are no foods off limits in our house, but we do practice “out of sight – out of mind” and I find it works very well for my kids! As a former supermarket dietitian, I really utilize smart shopping habits to set up our home environment to support healthy food choices. We want to eat more veggies so I make sure to bring a variety into the home. We want to eat less candy, so I try not to have it around the house. Halloween and other holiday candy gets put into ziplock bags with each kid’s name on them and stored in a cupboard – and usually the kids forget that it’s even there! I wish I could forget it’s there, too!
6) Any tips for picky eaters?
I am blessed that my kids are not “picky” eaters. However, my son is very much like I was when I was little – what I would describe as a “plain” eater. I didn’t like a lot of sauces, seasonings, etc. Sometimes I wonder if this is genetic, or if it’s because even though I did a great job of exposing him to a variety of nutrient-rich foods at a young age (when he was 2-3 years old he used to ask for black beans and tomatoes for breakfast) I wasn’t as focused on encouraging him to try different flavors and spices. However, since we have our rule of “try it but you don’t have to eat it” I am confident that he will find a variety of flavors that he likes as he grows up.
7) What’s one mistake you think parents make when it comes to feeding their kids?
I think it’s hard for parents to trust that their kids will eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. I know I struggle with this, even as a dietitian. But when I honor their ability to listen to their hunger and fullness cues I know I am helping them develop a healthy relationship with food. Having said that, if they are still hungry after a meal, I make sure their “seconds” are nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, protein foods, dairy or whole grains. Likewise, if it’s mealtime and they are not hungry, I ask that they at least eat a “snack” but let them choose what it is and how much to eat.
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So there you go! Hopefully you picked up some new ideas and tips.
Now it’s up to you guys. Would you like to see this series continue? Perhaps with a more general focus on “what busy moms feed their kids”? Let me know in the comments and i’ll make it happen!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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