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You are here: Home / Family Life / Health and Fitness / Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Child's Nutrition

Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Child's Nutrition

February 14, 2011 By Dianna Kennedy · PRINTABLES TIP: Always go toward the end of a post to find the printable. · Disclosure: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. {I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.}

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Do you struggle with feeding your children the very best? Have picky eaters at home? Try some of these tips on for size!

1. Lead By Actions, Not Words

You can’t expect your child to eat like a dream if you’re constantly drinking coffee for breakfast, never stopping for lunch, and grabbing McDonald’s on the go for dinner. Pay attention to what kind of eating examples you are setting for your children by your own habits.

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Doughnuts are only for special occasions ......

2. Go for Grazing

Do you have boys like mine, who refuse to sit still for a meal? Try grazing on for size. I mix up portable, potent, low mess snacks, and let the twins carry them along while playing. Some of our favorites include cheese sticks, trail mix (our homemade version is raisins, dried cranberries and smoked almonds), or baby carrots.

3. Be a Sneaky Chef

I have boys who eat like birds, so I try to maximize their nutritional intake when I can. One of my favorite ways to add protein and vitamins is with wheat germ. Do your kids love oatmeal? Mix in a little wheat germ for some extra protein. We use it in oatmeal, yogurt, and I’ve even been able to sneak into macaroni and cheese.

Have a child (or husband) who refuses to eat vegetables? There’s a reason that The Sneaky Chef
sold so many copies — it works! The sneaky premise is vegetable purees …. you can hide them in just about anything.

4. Visit the source

Do you have farms, or pick your own orchards? By taking your children to see food at its natural source, you’ll (hopefully) instill an appreciation of the magic of natural foods. Plan a trip to a local farmers’ market to see and sample local produce and other products.

Photo courtesy of Kaye Brown, at Our Daily Work

5. Do it Yourselves

Have some space? Plant a garden, and watch your children beam with pride as they grow their own vegetables! One of my very best friends has chickens, right in her own urban backyard. Your children can learn the life cycle of plants and animals, as well as working on responsibility.

6. Breastfeeding is best

Have a baby or young toddler at home? Experts agree that breastfeeding is one of the most excellent sources of early nutrition, since breast milk changes to meet the needs of the individual baby. Breastfeeding can also prevent obesity, hypertension and diabetes later in life.

Can you pick the safest selections?

7.Avoid the Dirty Dozen

We all want to avoid the ingestion of pesticides on our produce, but children are especially susceptible to the effects of these chemicals. In choosing more fruits and vegetables, parents also have to be cautious of exposing children to carcinogens. The Environmental Working Group gives parents a hand in naming the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables each year.  Whenever possible, when choosing items from the  Dirty Dozen, buy organic. The USDA strictly prohibits the use of pesticides on any crop with a certified organic label. You can download a printable list of the Dirty Dozen here.

8. Choose the Clean Fifteen

Do your children love selections from the Dirty Dozen? I know that strawberries, grapes, and blueberries are high on our list. Buying organic can break the bank at times – you can play it safe by choosing produce from the Clean Fifteen. These fruits and vegetables are the least likely to test positive for pesticides. If your children love avocados, mangoes, sweet corn, or asparagus, you’re in luck! You can also stick the Clean Fifteen Guide in your purse for reference. There’s also an iPhone app.

9. Pack it Up

When we head out for the day for playgroups or a trip to the park, I pack lunches for everybody. This not only saves me money, but prevents me from being tempted to stop at a fast food restaurant for lunch.

Helping my boys at a pizza making playgroup

10 Get Them Involved

I know it takes more time, and makes a bigger mess, but getting your children involved in meal preparation is vital. From grocery shopping, to making dinner, take the time to bring your little ones into your world. Explain why one choice is better than the other, and let them get some hands on experience.

Have more ideas for improving your children’s nutrition? Be sure and leave us a comment, and share this post with your friends.

This post may contain affiliate links.

When she’s not busy searching out organic produce at her local farmer’s markets, Dianna loves to write at her personal blog, The Kennedy Adventures! You’ll find her discussing her training for a half marathon, raising identical twin boys, and loving her Catholic faith.

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday.

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Filed Under: Health and Fitness, Health Education

About Dianna Kennedy

Dianna Kennedy is the mother of six, writing at The Kennedy Adventures. She's a relaxed classical homeschooler, and loves to share practical tips for today's Catholic parent.
Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Previous Post: « What Does a Deacon Do, Anyway?
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Comments

  1. Julie H says

    February 14, 2011 at 7:48 am

    Great post! I’m a senior nutrition student and I wrote a paper last semester on the benefits of breastfeeding and future obesity prevention….good for momma too! There still is some conflicting research on obesity prevention at different stages of life, but there are numerous benefits to breastfeeding at large!

    Have a blessed week!
    Julie

    Reply
    • Dianna says

      February 16, 2011 at 1:17 am

      Thanks, Julie!

      I can’t say enough good things about breast feeding …. it also had the added benefit of forcing me to take frequent breaks to rest with my little ones!

      Reply
  2. Carletta says

    February 14, 2011 at 8:54 am

    My kids and I watched Food Inc. and The Jamie Oliver Project together, and it really helped them understand why we were making changes to our regular menu. As a result, they were fully on board with wanting to eat more healthy, and they even get on to me when they see me make unhealthy choices. It helps to have that accountability!

    Reply
    • Dianna says

      February 16, 2011 at 1:19 am

      Oh, boy! I could only get through part of Food, Inc, before I was appalled/grossed out/decided to only buy organic, free range meat.

      It DOES help so much, if you research the reasons BEHIND making changes in our way of living. How awesome that they’ve gotten right on board!

      Reply
  3. Chrissy says

    February 14, 2011 at 11:21 am

    Very good post. Thanks so much for the list for dirty dozen adn clean fifteen. I love the idea of having a pizza making playdate. I did this years ago. I need to do it again.

    Reply
    • Dianna says

      February 16, 2011 at 1:20 am

      I LOVE that printable list — so easy to slip into your purse, since I can never remember what’s on which list!!

      I can’t take credit for the pizza playgroup — that was another friend of mine’s idea. My boys had a ball, and added things to their pizza that they wouldn’t ordinarily touch!

      Reply
  4. Angela @ Homegrown Mom says

    February 14, 2011 at 11:27 am

    I used to be so good about bringing our lunch or a snack when we went out. Need to start doing that again!

    Reply
    • Dianna says

      February 16, 2011 at 1:21 am

      Angela …. I would spend a MINT if I didn’t do that. Even my children know to grab a snack on the way out the door. With so many little ones (3), it’s a necessity.

      Reply
  5. Rachel Ramey says

    February 16, 2011 at 10:56 am

    Last time I checked, only *imported* grapes were on the dirty dozen list, so we buy grapes when they’re a) on sale and b) domestic.

    I don’t know about you, but I find things like avocados and asparagus to be crazy-expensive around here – even in their conventional forms!

    Reply
  6. Dianna says

    March 13, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    Are you a member at Costco? I saw avocados there for a reasonable price …. and they were Haas avocados.

    And, in other news …. we’re going to attempt to grow asparagus at home this year!

    Reply

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Angie, mom to three very fun kids, is the founder of Real Life at Home.  With degrees in elementary education (B.A.) and special education (M.S.Ed.), as well as being a former homeschooler, she is passionate about supporting both parents and teachers by providing printables, crafts, and activities to help children learn and grow. Read More…

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