Others refuse to eat anything but white pasta. Or, even worse, pretend to eat their carrots but feed them to the dog when you’re not looking, so you don’t even know they’re missing out on those vitamins and nutrients. (That’s where the hidden carrots in Kidfresh meals like Muy Cheesy Quesadillas come in handy!)
As a parent, your best bet is to get them to eat as many nutrient-dense whole foods as possible, with an emphasis on veggies. However, there are a few specific nutrients that are so important, it’s worth paying extra attention to whether or not your little ones are getting enough.
We all know calcium is necessary for strong bones, and it’s especially important for kids with growing bones and teeth. Research shows that getting enough nutrients early in life helps kids achieve maximum peak bone mass by age 18, which decreases the likelihood of osteoporosis later in life. In other words, you’re setting them up for a long, healthy life from the get-go. (Bonus: strong bones fracture less easily, so you can stress less when your little one takes an interest in skateboarding.) Kidfresh’s Wagon Wheels Mac ‘N Cheese is made with real grated cheddar, making it a great source of calcium.
Iron is essential to fuel early growth and development. It helps move oxygen from the lungs throughout the rest of the body, and oxygen has a lot of important jobs. You can find it in red meat, dark, leafy greens, chicken, fish, and beans. Those aforementioned quesadillas are also a great source.
Most kids get more than enough protein, especially if they’re eating meat regularly. But if you’re dealing with a picky eater, you may want to monitor this macronutrient. Every cell needs protein to work correctly, and it’s key to providing energy (so your kids don’t sleep through math class) and building and repairing muscles. Kidfresh prioritizes the nutrients in all of its meals, so you don’t have to worry at all.
]]>Snacking gets a bad wrap in terms of living a healthy lifestyle, but in my opinion, snacking can be good for everyone—especially kids!
For one thing, most kids need to eat every two to three hours to get in all the nutrients and calories they need to sustain adequate growth. Healthy snacks—like Kidfresh’s frozen snacks and sides—are the way to make that happen.
The key is providing them with healthy snacks they’ll actually be excited to eat. Here are a couple of simple guidelines to start with.
Simple Guidelines for Kids’ Snacks
Think of your kids’ snacks as small meals.This means they should be just as nutritious as the rest of the food you give them throughout the day. A good general rule: When choosing snacks for your kids, look for foods that have a nice balance of protein, fiber, and good fats, don’t contain trans fat, and are low in sugar and sodium. Kidfresh’s SuperBlastin’ Bites Triple Cheese Pizza, for example, have lots of protein and fiber and 45 percent less sodium than other pizza bite brands.
Use snack time to fill in nutrient gaps.When your child’s tummy starts rumbling at 3:00 p.m., you can use this as an opportunity to get in important nutrients that he or she may have missed in meals. For example, if your child wasn’t hungry at lunch and threw out half of that peanut butter sandwich you lovingly made, use the next snack as an opportunity to get in some protein. Instead of grabbing a bag of potato chips, try offering a whole-wheat tortilla spread with some mustard, rolled up with two slices of turkey, or heat up some Totally Rockin’ Potato ‘N Squash Tots, which have 5g of protein per serving and plenty of important vitamins.
]]>You might think that if you introduce your kids to sweet potatoes and avocados from the get-go, they’ll be programmed to only ask for veggies.
Wouldn’t that make everything easy?! The truth is, no matter what you feed them, they’re going to develop a taste for classic kid-favorite dishes—many of which are nutrient-poor calorie bombs—at some point.
Which could mean tantrums when you tell them you won’t let them eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets every night like their friend’s cool mom and tears over being served fresh salmon instead of fish sticks.
This is why I love Kidfresh dinners so much. They allow you to occasionally satisfy your kids’ cravings for those kinds of meals while also providing lots of vegetables and no artificial flavors or ingredients. Not to mention the fact that they’re ready in four minutes. When was the last time you got a healthy meal on the table that fast?
Here are a few of my favorite Kidfresh dinners to consider keeping on hand for busy nights when the little ones are clamoring for pizza.
5 Healthier Kid-Favorite Dinners
The Super Duper Chicken Nuggets are made with whole grain breading and hidden antioxidant-rich cauliflower and onions. They provide 12g of protein and 10g of whole grains.
Not only is Kidfresh’s Wagon Wheels Mac ‘N Cheese made with real grated cheddar, it’s also hiding pureed carrots and packs in 12g of protein.
Tomato sauce is already super healthy, but the sauce on Mamma Mia Cheesy Pizza also comes with vitamin-packed pureed carrots and spinach. This one is especially nutrient-dense thanks to the extra veggies, whole grain crust, and protein-rich mozzarella.
No mystery fish, here. Kidfresh uses whole wild-caught Alaskan pollock in its Fun-Tastic Fish Sticks and uses chickpea flour in the breading (brilliant!). All of the omega-3s will power up your kids’ brains for school the next day.
For kids, it’s even more essential. You’re waking them up early to get to school, and their developing bodies and brains need serious nutrients in order to power up and help them grow and learn.
The bad news: Most traditional breakfast foods kids love are practically devoid of important nutrients and are instead filled with sugar. That means you’ll be setting them up for a crash (which may come in the middle of science class).
Here’s my go-to strategy to make your kids’ breakfasts as healthy as possible.
Cut the sugar!
Most cereals and mainstream yogurts have more sugar than anything else. Drop them, or look for better alternatives, like healthier granolas and Greek yogurt (topped with berries and peanut butter for total kid approval!).
Focus on protein and fiber.
An all-star breakfast is a mix of protein and fiber-rich foods. Think eggs and whole grain toast (topped with avocado?). This is also why I love Kidfresh’s Egg ‘N Cheese Poppin’ Pretzel Bites, which are made with egg and cheese for protein and whole wheat for fiber. (Bonus: there’s pureed carrots hidden inside for vitamins!)]]>