Kids need a lot of energy to make it through days filled with school, friends, sports, music and playtime. In addition to their energy needs, they need sound nutrition as building blocks for their bones, muscles, organs and brains. As a parent, you need to balance the nutrient-poor foods that your kids are exposed to at school and elsewhere with nutrition-rich choices at home. You can do all this, and make a delicious healthy meal plan for your kids.
Breakfast
Breakfast must fuel your kids through their mornings at school. Some kids have a hearty appetite in the mornings and some kids would prefer to skip breakfast, so you should offer foods that appeal to your kids. Serve whole-grain cereal with milk for calcium. Add sliced banana and strawberries. If your kids don't like milk, serve calcium-fortified juice with eggs and toast.
Lunch
You can control the quality of nutrition that your child gets at school by packing his lunch. Choose whole-grain bread or a wholegrain tortilla as a base for lunch. Build a healthy turkey roll-up by adding shredded carrots and spinach. If your child prefers nut butter sandwiches, try almond butter for its omega-3 fatty acids. Round out your child's lunch with a serving of milk, a bag of cut-up fruit and whole-grain crackers with sliced low-fat cheese.
Dinner
Dinner's importance is not limited to the food on the plate. Use dinner as a time to reconnect as a family and teach your child how to plan and prepare meals. Allow your child to plan at least one dinner a week. Challenge your family to try a new vegetable each week, or make an old favorite a new way. Include vegetables in your main course. Add chopped spinach to spaghetti sauce and serve it over spaghetti squash. Smash steamed cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes. Ask your child to sprinkle chopped walnuts and blueberries into a bowl of mixed greens for a salad with extra nutrition.
Snacks
Use snacks to boost your child's nutrients for the day. Keep a bowl of fruit washed and ready to eat. String cheese and yogurts are portable and full of calcium. Cut up broccoli trees and cucumber wheels for your child to dip in yogurt mixed with ranch dressing. Invite your child to help you make homemade granola with dried cranberries and apricots.
Member Comments