February 13th, 2020 / 0 Comments

Getting kids to eat healthy can sometimes feel like “Mission: Impossible.” But there are ways to sneak nutrition into meals, according to Children’s National Hospital dietitian Erika Davies, MS, RD, LD.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics dietary recommendations, children from the ages of 9-13 should be eating:
It can be hard to pack all this into one day, especially with picky eaters.
With more finicky eaters, Children’s National Hospital Davies recommends that parents resist offering their children special meals on a repeat basis, as “it gives them no motivation to try something new.”
To encourage kids to reach for healthy snacks instead of chips or cookies, she advises always having nutritious foods easily available, while also eliminating junky snacks.
“Parents should also be sure to model good eating behaviors” Davies said, noting kids often take after what they see.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service provides a database of easy, healthy recipes, tips, and nutrition information for parents to help families eat healthier, and their Choose my Plate page provides tips for making healthy food fun and appetizing to even the pickiest of eaters.
Sneaking in healthy alternatives and nutritious substitutions has never been easier.
The USDA advises parents to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables by making it fun. Allowing kids to be actively involved in making and preparing food makes them more likely to eat it and be more mindful about the ingredients involved.
Posts from Erika Davies, MS, RD, LD
Four ways to sneak nutrition into any meal
The truth about tryptophan and turkey
Thanksgiving meals for diabetic children
How to pack your kids a healthy and tasty school lunch
After-school snacks for kids with diabetes
Managing blood sugar levels in sick kids