Teaching Nutrition to My Kids

How about something with magnets on the fridge? Fruits, veggies and grains she can move from one "box" to another. I think I may try that here lol.

We have chickens and my three year old eats eggs probably 3 times a week or so for breakfast.

I think eggs got a bad rap a long time ago, and it's turned out not to be justified. Eggs contain cholesterol, but that's not what translates into blood cholesterol - it's unhealthy fats that elevate blood cholesterol. Eggs are a great source of protein and I don't see any reason to limit them as part of a balanced diet. Most of the health info you read now supports that.

Remember that the food groups and the food pyramid have been revised to stress whole grains vs. white flour, and to distinguish healthy fats from animal fats.

If you lead by example and have healthy choices in the house, they will naturally choose sensible options. Using whole grains and healthy fats will sustain them longer and keep them from getting that quick boost of energy followed by the crash of hunger - that's what kicks off the overeating. Stay away from simple carbs and go to complex carbs - whole grain pasta, whole grain bread & crackers, oatmeal cookies, etc. Add veggies where you can, even if you sneak them into the food - I've heard of butternut squash added to macaroni and cheese (same color!), spinach added to spaghetti sauce, and so on. Works like a charm.

I give my son whole grain pancakes and French toast, with soy milk and extra protein powder instead of cow's milk. To the pancakes, I add oatmeal, wheat germ, ground flax seed, etc. - he's getting nutrition all the time, and he's not hungry an hour later. When we have hamburgers, we use whole grain buns and either use lean ground beef, a mix of beef and turkey, or bison and turkey. Bison (buffalo) has more protein and less fat. The lean meat can get dry, so I grind up onions and defrosted frozen spinach and flax seed, and throw that in to keep it moist and boost the nutritional value. I make a huge batch, then freeze extra patties between layers of waxed paper, and take them out as needed. If you eat hot dogs, switch to low fat and all beef, and use whole grain rolls.

If you make lasagna or stuffed shells, you can use half tofu and half ricotta cheese, or half cottage cheese and half ricotta, or all three, to make the cheesy part. Use whole grain lasagna noodles. Add veggies to the sauce - zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms - just grind it up in the food processor if they will balk at the chunks! My son never knew the difference.

And so on!

If you offer healthy choices all the time, it can include treats and you don't have to feel guilty or start making the kids feel like they are being deprived - that's what leads to the sneaking and the resentment that you are keeping them from what all the other kids are eating.

i am not sure if you are near any hannaford supermarkets but they have a star system on their food now with more stars indicating healthier choices. They offer tours to kids age 3 and up, you need 4 kids to book the tour but my kids loved it. You go through every dept. and learn about the star system and how to make healthy choices. They got samples in every dept. Now when we food shop they are looking at the stars and remember that things with one star are only for once in a while.

Seriously, 1 egg a week? My 22 mo old eats eggs all the time, way more than that. I introduced slowly when she was little, but once I knew there was no allergy that was that. I limit to 1 egg per day generally but that doesn't include when I bake things with eggs. Eggs are an excellent source of protein and have gotten a bad rap about the cholesterol. Eggs offer good fat that is great for developing brains. Fresh eggs are the best too, way yummier than supermarket eggs.

The food groups seem to change every couple of years, now we have the pyramid that they keep adjusting. But I believe the fda (maybe?) has a website that talks all about it and has resources for teaching kids about it.

Definitely check out Amazon for a cookbook for cooking with kids. I don't know one off the top of my head but have bought them for my friends' kids in the past. Kids will be more interested in eating healthy when they can participate. And the whole learning process will be much more interesting when presented in such a concrete way. Also, around here you can often find classes for cooking with kids. Not sure if that is the case where you are.

I bake bread and do most baked goods myself and DD loves to be part of that at almost 2, you can get all the kids involved in the process in their own way. This gives you the opportunity to talk about ingredients and really get them interested in what they are eating. Much better than having a lot of packaged food where you have no control over all the salt, sugar, high fructose corn syrup and additives that are so unhealthy. I have cooked with my friends' kids and neice and nephew and found all kids get interested in the process. I have them smell and feel the different ingredients and they have a sense of ownership over the finished product.

This time of year is a great time to talk about fresh fruits and veggies and try new tasty things. Take the kids to a local farm stand or farmers market and get them interested in all the different colors and shapes of the foods available. It's a great opportunity for them to explore new things (well not sure where you are, but if it is summer where you are that is the case anyway).

I dont know about the eggs. But - as far as teaching your daughter about nutrition - Barnes & Noble has a small section of kids cook books (appropriate for your daughters age). To me this is a great way to teach. Hands on. Let her help cook her own meals or bake her own treats.... maybe it will help aid in teaching her how to have a balanced diet and proper nutrition???

Hi A.
I like this web site www.kidshealth.org

Hi,
I have used a teaching website called www.enchantedlearning.com for information on many topics. Some of the info is available for free and some you have to have a subscription to access. As far as the eggs go... my daughter is a picky eater and loves eggs. I asked our pedi how many were to many and he said not to worry about it with young children. THe health benefits outweigh any risk of cholesterol. Eggs are an excellent scource of protein, iron, and many other vitamins and minerals that are often hard to fit into a childs diet.

Sesame Street has a video podcast available free through iTunes, and currently they're doing a health theme - I know a recent episode was about eating colors of the rainbow, and they've done one about each meal.

I would check out the diet guidelines at www.westonaprice.org or in the related cookbook, Nourishing Traditions. We do eggs every day, they are SO good for you! Animal foods are highly underrated in our american diets and we need more of them!