Building a Nutrient-Rich, Kid-Approved Plate

You may think that because I’m a nutritionist my kids only eat healthy foods, even willingly perhaps. Well, not exactly. My kids are kids, and if given the choice between saltines or oven-roasted cauliflower, they’re going to choose the saltines every time. Lucky for them (😉), one of my toxic traits is constantly trying to find ways to add nutrients to their plates. To take some of the guesswork out of it, I generally follow this basic framework: produce, protein and/or healthy fat. While I could inspect every little thing within those three categories, I know if I’m at least getting something from each of these on their plates we’re doing okay.

You may have noticed that carbs aren’t listed in my top 3 categories. That’s not to say I don’t offer carbs to my kids, I certainly do! Carbs are not all bad!!! But I try to offer them as fruit or whole grains. Why? Because while we may logically register fruit and whole grains as different from a slice of cake, at the end of the day our body is processing those sugars in pretty much the same way. Yes, there are some nuances, and yes, you are getting other vitamins & minerals from fruit and whole grains that you’re not getting from cake; my point is, carbs are a necessary part of a child’s diet. They just don’t need to be the main focus. That said, some produce options double as carbs (sweet potato for example, or fruit), so they are oftentimes naturally built into the plate.

Also important to consider is that by offering a protein or fat with the carb, you’re slowing that glucose (sugar) release/absorption, which helps to regulate your child’s blood sugar levels. You know when out of the blue you’re hangry, maybe even shaky and you just need something to eat ASAP? That’s your blood sugar crashing, and it happens to kids, too. Protein and fat help to avoid that crash.

So, what does all of this look like? Let’s check out some examples:

• Burger patty + sweet potato fries + cheese (either on the burger or cubed on the side)

• Taco chicken + avocado toast + blueberries

• Salmon fish sticks + roasted broccoli + full-fat Greek yogurt

• Mini meatballs + carrot sticks + English muffin pizza

• Beef tacos + guacamole + salsa

• Spaghetti with meat sauce + steamed green beans + Parmesan cheese

• Scrambled egg + whole grain toast with nut butter + roasted carrots with cinnamon

• Whole grain waffle with nut butter & hemp seeds + cottage cheese + apples sautéed with cinnamon in coconut oil

Some snack ideas might be:

• Cottage cheese + carrot sticks + pretzels

• Rice cake with nut butter + apple

• Ants on a log (aka celery sticks with nut butter and raisins)

• Apple with nut butter + whole grain Os

The Importance of Produce, Protein & Fat

Why should you focus on these two to three categories? Produce is going to give your kids essential vitamins & minerals to help them grow and keep them healthy, as well as fiber which will help them feel full. Protein & healthy fat will also fill them up, but perhaps more important, they will fuel their muscles (protein) and brains (fat). Speaking of fat, it is critical that kids, especially babies & toddlers, get an adequate amount of healthy fat in their diets. Their brains crave it, so you want to make sure you’re offering a healthy fat at most meals & snacks. Full-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese & other full-fat dairy, avocado, coconut and nut/seed butter are all great options.

If you’re like me and just want a handy list to reference when you’re feeling in a rut, check out my free resource, Full in Four: Building a Nutrient-Dense Plate. You can save it to your phone or print it out and put it on your fridge. I also have a School Lunches Highlight on Instagram where I save the lunches I pack if you need a little inspiration. I know how easy it is to fall into a rut, and sometimes seeing one or two ideas can jumpstart my own!

Final Tips on Offering Food

Finally, one last thing to consider when making your child’s plate: try to always include at least one “safe food,” something you know they’ll eat. For us, this is usually some form of fruit, yogurt or whole-grain toast. This provides them with something they know they like, you know they’ll eat something, and they’re more likely to try something else on their plate.

Just kidding, this is the last tip! Avoid overwhelming them with portions, especially if it’s a new food. Babies, toddlers & kids don’t need adult portion sizes, so opt for one or two pieces of each food being offered instead of filling their plates. They can always have more (if there’s more available), but feeling overwhelmed will often put them into analysis paralysis, and they likely won’t eat anything at all.

RECIPE & PHOTOGRAPHY BY:  BETHANY MITCHELL-LEGRO