Yes, I know the current wisdom for feeding kids. They need foods loaded with nutrients — vitamins, minerals (like calcium), protein and other substances to support their rapid growth and development. They need to acquire these substances in a variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds, milk, yogurt, lean meats and poultry.
I am also aware (from feeding my own kids and now grandkids) that the older they get, the harder it can be to get the right balance of these foods into these kiddos.
Nutrition experts who established the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 put it this way: “Young children (4 years or younger) are fully reliant on others to provide their meals and snacks. As children transition to school-age and through adolescence, they are exposed to new food choices and begin to have more autonomy in the foods that are selected. New influences on eating behavior also emerge, such as peer pressure, which can create opportunities or challenges for establishing dietary patterns consistent with health and longevity.”
In other words, we adults still need to provide and guide but children have lots of other influencers on their food decisions. And that can be a challenge.
All kids are different but in general, surveys show that school-age kids tend to score fairly well on their intakes of grain-based foods (bread, cereal, crackers) and protein foods. They tend to come in lower with vegetables, fruit and dairy/high calcium foods.
So we, as adults, get to craftily help fill in these nutritional gaps. I’ve learned, for example, that kiddos are ready for a snack at the end of a long school day. Take advantage of this after-school hunger with grapes, cut up apples, oranges or other fruit. It’s an easy way for them to get their fruit requirement for the day without ruining appetites for dinner.
My grandkids won’t touch a sliced tomato but they love cherry tomatoes. And tomato sauce. Go figure. So I’ve learned how to sneak some veggie variety into some of their favorite foods. Their radar has yet to detect the grated carrots in my spaghetti sauce. And the finely chopped carrots, celery and onion mixed with my burrito filling have even garnered praise. Brilliant.
My granddaughter has just started running on her seventh-grade cross-country team. Practices are at 6 a.m. every day before school. I understand her not wanting to eat when she gets up to run at this hour. Yet I know she needs fluids. And protein. And carbohydrates to fuel and sustain her young body through its paces.
Sooo … I offered her an ice cold individual carton of milk as she rushed out the door before dawn. It worked! Her body was fueled for the task. And after her run, she was ready for breakfast before dashing off to school.
Ideas? I’d love to hear yours.
Barbara Quinn-Intermill is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator affiliated with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. She is the author of “Quinn-Essential Nutrition” (Westbow Press, 2015). Email her at to [email protected].
