If you don't eat many processed foods, what do you feed your kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"kid's food" = processed food that is leading to the obesity epidemic. Feed your child real foods just like you eat, and the child will like them just like you do. If you want them to look more fun, make them look more fun naturally (put fruit on sticks, shape eggs into bunnies, place carrot sticks into teepees with peas hiding inside....). There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your children real food, and it is a shame that our society makes new parents think that there is.

For me, and I'm a PP who does use mostly fresh and/or minimally processed foods, I think sometimes it feels wasteful. I don't let it stop me, but I do sigh and understand why some parents just cave to the convenience of processed crap. Yes, I know it can take 10 to 20 tries for my child to try a new food and that sounds fine. Except that then becomes 10 or 20 pieces of fish, or lentil soup or whatever that is thrown away untouched or with one little bite out of it. With my two year old I use plates with multiple sections so that every meal I know she's getting at least one or two things that she likes in addition to anything new or unfamiliar.

Last night she ate almost 3 pieces of chicken, skin removed. She loves hummus, but it went untouched since I'd spread it on fresh cucumber rather than with fresh carrots. She did eat half of a banana and some grapes. The freshly picked zucchini that I'd diced and tossed with mint and a vinaigrette also was avoided completely. My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"kid's food" = processed food that is leading to the obesity epidemic. Feed your child real foods just like you eat, and the child will like them just like you do. If you want them to look more fun, make them look more fun naturally (put fruit on sticks, shape eggs into bunnies, place carrot sticks into teepees with peas hiding inside....). There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your children real food, and it is a shame that our society makes new parents think that there is.

For me, and I'm a PP who does use mostly fresh and/or minimally processed foods, I think sometimes it feels wasteful. I don't let it stop me, but I do sigh and understand why some parents just cave to the convenience of processed crap. Yes, I know it can take 10 to 20 tries for my child to try a new food and that sounds fine. Except that then becomes 10 or 20 pieces of fish, or lentil soup or whatever that is thrown away untouched or with one little bite out of it. With my two year old I use plates with multiple sections so that every meal I know she's getting at least one or two things that she likes in addition to anything new or unfamiliar.

Last night she ate almost 3 pieces of chicken, skin removed. She loves hummus, but it went untouched since I'd spread it on fresh cucumber rather than with fresh carrots. She did eat half of a banana and some grapes. The freshly picked zucchini that I'd diced and tossed with mint and a vinaigrette also was avoided completely. My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them.

But what is it about these foods that kids just start eating them without rejecting them? I would think a two year old would look at a brown object (nugget) on their plate just as suspiciously as a green cucumber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat a combination of processed and made-from-scratch meals.

Our pre-prepared ingredients include things like:
1. Bread & crackers
2. Yogurt
3. Applesauce
4. Dried fruits
5. Frozen veg.
6. Dried pasta
7. Pasta sauce
8. Canned beans
9. Luncheon meats (salami, turkey, ham slices)
10. Muffins (morning glory kinds of things)
11. Cheese and butter
12. Hummus
13. Ice cream treat
14. Cookies, gummy bears, or other treat.
15. Nutella
16. Peanut butter and jelly
17. Instant brown rice
18. Hot dogs

I call them processed, because I don't make those things at home. But I do, as much as possible, strive to get these as organic and in BPA free containers.

Our "fresh" stuff includes
1. Salad and fixin's
2. Salad dressing
3. Dinner main-course meats
4. Vegetables
5. Fresh fruits for snacking

Gosh, look how short that list is. Well, I'm just not going to be making my own bread, cheese, and sandwich spreads...

This does not seem responsive to the question at all. You eat mainly processed foods.

How is this post not responsive? Many folks have posted that they serve their kids things like cheese and applesauce and stuff, and these are on the PP's "processed" list. I suppose the OP could take a list like this one to determine the extent to which he/she would be willing to make his/her own bread, cheese, yogurt, homemade pasta (or would using flour and salt mean it's processed?), hummous made from dried beans (or is that processed?), meat (which I suppose would mean that the animals are slaughtered and prepared from a farm in the backyard) and so on. In addition, the PP lists the foods that are not processed (as much).

Methinks your quibble with the post might require a clearer definition on your part about why it is not "responsive."

Keep Calm. Carry On.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"kid's food" = processed food that is leading to the obesity epidemic. Feed your child real foods just like you eat, and the child will like them just like you do. If you want them to look more fun, make them look more fun naturally (put fruit on sticks, shape eggs into bunnies, place carrot sticks into teepees with peas hiding inside....). There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your children real food, and it is a shame that our society makes new parents think that there is.

For me, and I'm a PP who does use mostly fresh and/or minimally processed foods, I think sometimes it feels wasteful. I don't let it stop me, but I do sigh and understand why some parents just cave to the convenience of processed crap. Yes, I know it can take 10 to 20 tries for my child to try a new food and that sounds fine. Except that then becomes 10 or 20 pieces of fish, or lentil soup or whatever that is thrown away untouched or with one little bite out of it. With my two year old I use plates with multiple sections so that every meal I know she's getting at least one or two things that she likes in addition to anything new or unfamiliar.

Last night she ate almost 3 pieces of chicken, skin removed. She loves hummus, but it went untouched since I'd spread it on fresh cucumber rather than with fresh carrots. She did eat half of a banana and some grapes. The freshly picked zucchini that I'd diced and tossed with mint and a vinaigrette also was avoided completely. My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them.

But what is it about these foods that kids just start eating them without rejecting them? I would think a two year old would look at a brown object (nugget) on their plate just as suspiciously as a green cucumber.

I think it is just because they are given them so often. My child refuses to eat chicken nuggets. We didn't introduce them until she was about 2.5 because there had never been a need. When we finally did during a road trip, she wouldn't eat them. She doesn't understand why they have the stuff on the outside. Same reaction to fish sticks when someone gave her some, she just doesn't understand the appeal. On the other hand, she will eat you out of broccoli and grapes.

It isn't that wasteful if you give just a bit at a time and think about how they might be most likely to eat them. My child loves dips (almond butter, hummus...) but I never put them on myself because she refuses to eat anything with a spread, and she loves the art of the dip. I also serve salad deconstructed because I can never tell what she won't eat. Sometimes there is waste, but not that much because if it isn't something that I know she loves (green beans, apples and dip, hard-boiled eggs), I just put a bite or two off of my plate onto hers when it is served. This has backfired a couple times when she loves the item and I end up having to give her all of mine, but usually there is at least enough for me to be satisfied, and when not, oh well, now I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them.

But what is it about these foods that kids just start eating them without rejecting them? I would think a two year old would look at a brown object (nugget) on their plate just as suspiciously as a green cucumber.

14:24 here, and I agree. I once bought a can of spaghettios just to see what my then-18mo old would do. Eyed them suspiciously, took one bite and refused the rest.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read the four pages of previous posts, but here's my advice: everything in moderation.

When your child is at home, and if you're expected to pack lunches for them when they're at daycare/school, have them eat the type of whole foods or mostly unprocessed foods that you eat. There's no reason they need chicken nuggets or hot dogs etc. DD is 4 and she eats tons of fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.

And. She also has chicken nuggets when we're traveling or sometimes when we're out. She likes hot dogs and processed desserts and snacks, too. She rarely has these at home, but yes, she does sometimes. It's fine with us. She's a good eater who seems to have a good foundation for healthy eating as she gets older.

I will say that you can't control what your child sees and perhaps asks for once they go to school (or daycare where kids bring their own food -- they seem to notice each other's food around 3.5 or so). That's when you start two conversations: (1) about nutritious food that gives them energy and helps them grow; and (2) about how different familes make different choices, and these are the choices we make in our family.

Again, the number one thing is that you not introduce a distinction between "adult food" and "kids' food". Just serve what you eat (or modified versions of what you eat, if needed) and see how that goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat a combination of processed and made-from-scratch meals.

Our pre-prepared ingredients include things like:
1. Bread & crackers2. Yogurt
3. Applesauce
4. Dried fruits
5. Frozen veg.
6. Dried pasta7. Pasta sauce8. Canned beans
9. Luncheon meats (salami, turkey, ham slices)10. Muffins (morning glory kinds of things)11. Cheese and butter
12. Hummus
13. Ice cream treat14. Cookies, gummy bears, or other treat.15. Nutella16. Peanut butter and jelly17. Instant brown rice18. Hot dogs
I call them processed, because I don't make those things at home. But I do, as much as possible, strive to get these as organic and in BPA free containers.

Our "fresh" stuff includes
1. Salad and fixin's (what are "fixin's"? If vegetables, not processed; if croutons, processed.) 2. Salad dressing (purchased salad dressings generally have lots of chemicals) 3. Dinner main-course meats
4. Vegetables
5. Fresh fruits for snacking

Gosh, look how short that list is. Well, I'm just not going to be making my own bread, cheese, and sandwich spreads...

This does not seem responsive to the question at all. You eat mainly processed foods.

How is this post not responsive? Many folks have posted that they serve their kids things like cheese and applesauce and stuff, and these are on the PP's "processed" list. I suppose the OP could take a list like this one to determine the extent to which he/she would be willing to make his/her own bread, cheese, yogurt, homemade pasta (or would using flour and salt mean it's processed?), hummous made from dried beans (or is that processed?), meat (which I suppose would mean that the animals are slaughtered and prepared from a farm in the backyard) and so on. In addition, the PP lists the foods that are not processed (as much).

Methinks your quibble with the post might require a clearer definition on your part about why it is not "responsive."

Keep Calm. Carry On.

"If you don't eat many processed foods..." Assuming that the list is reflective of quantities eaten (and not really 80% meat, vegetables, and fruit and 20% a combo of the rest), much more than half of the foods consumed by pp are processed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine is 19m and her major foods are fruits and veg (broccoli, blueberries, bananas and avocado are favorites), any kind of cooked beans, cubes of tofu, cubes of cheese, eggs (usually fried and cut into pieces), oatmeal, yogurt, bread, rice. We offer meat, but so far she isn't into it.

That sounds like a diet! LOL

Yes, we all eat a diet, and this doesn't seem like a terrible one.

I only say this b/c I have an underweight DD and these foods are not really weight gainers.

I don't think this is true. The above post is actually pretty much my child's diet with some hummus thrown in and she is at the 99% for weight and hieght. Perhaps, you might try giving her more of the above?

Agree. These are mainly calorie-dense foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree with some of the PPs' advice. You just feed your child whatever whole foods you are eating yourselves.

Give us an example of some of the meals you and your husband fact yourselves, and we can give you feedback on whether it needs changing for a child.

OP here - thank you everyone so much! I have been away from the computer and never imagined there would be so many responses. Very grateful.

Breakfast is oatmeal or cereal with fresh fruit on weekdays; eggs on weekends. For dinner, we eat whole grain pasta with whatever fresh vegetables are in season and dried beans; stir fries with (again) whatever fresh vegetables are in season and frozen edamame (which I prefer to tofu); simple soups (usually with beans and vegetables); quesadillas or tacos or enchiladas (again with the beans and veggies); and usually once or twice a week we have red meat or fish (with vegetables as a side). Lunches during the week are usually leftovers from dinners. We do cook with a lot of onions and garlic so I wonder if that would be a turnoff for kids.

We don't eat much poultry but I guess that might have to change with a little one around....

I would appreciate any tips you can give on how to "kid-ify" these. Thanks again all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree with some of the PPs' advice. You just feed your child whatever whole foods you are eating yourselves.

Give us an example of some of the meals you and your husband fact yourselves, and we can give you feedback on whether it needs changing for a child.

OP here - thank you everyone so much! I have been away from the computer and never imagined there would be so many responses. Very grateful.

Breakfast is oatmeal or cereal with fresh fruit on weekdays; eggs on weekends. For dinner, we eat whole grain pasta with whatever fresh vegetables are in season and dried beans; stir fries with (again) whatever fresh vegetables are in season and frozen edamame (which I prefer to tofu); simple soups (usually with beans and vegetables); quesadillas or tacos or enchiladas (again with the beans and veggies); and usually once or twice a week we have red meat or fish (with vegetables as a side). Lunches during the week are usually leftovers from dinners. We do cook with a lot of onions and garlic so I wonder if that would be a turnoff for kids.

We don't eat much poultry but I guess that might have to change with a little one around....

I would appreciate any tips you can give on how to "kid-ify" these. Thanks again all!

Don't assume that your child won't like anything, even the onions, that you find healthy for yourself. I made all of my child's food when she was little. Usually it was just whatever fruit/vegetable/meat we had laying around, cut up, and cooked on the stove. At one point, I had half an onion laying around, so so I dicedit and cooked it. I didn't know if she would really eat it, but it turned out to be her favorite food ever. From then on, it was great to know that as long as I had an onion around, I could make her happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine is 19m and her major foods are fruits and veg (broccoli, blueberries, bananas and avocado are favorites), any kind of cooked beans, cubes of tofu, cubes of cheese, eggs (usually fried and cut into pieces), oatmeal, yogurt, bread, rice. We offer meat, but so far she isn't into it.

That sounds like a diet! LOL

Yes, we all eat a diet, and this doesn't seem like a terrible one.

I only say this b/c I have an underweight DD and these foods are not really weight gainers.

I have a super underweight child and this sounds like it's got the perfect items included! Cheese, avocado, whole milk yogurt, eggs, meat (offered)... Those are exactly the kinds of foods the nutritionist recommended for our child, plus also nuts and nut butters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"kid's food" = processed food that is leading to the obesity epidemic. Feed your child real foods just like you eat, and the child will like them just like you do. If you want them to look more fun, make them look more fun naturally (put fruit on sticks, shape eggs into bunnies, place carrot sticks into teepees with peas hiding inside....). There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your children real food, and it is a shame that our society makes new parents think that there is.

For me, and I'm a PP who does use mostly fresh and/or minimally processed foods, I think sometimes it feels wasteful. I don't let it stop me, but I do sigh and understand why some parents just cave to the convenience of processed crap. Yes, I know it can take 10 to 20 tries for my child to try a new food and that sounds fine. Except that then becomes 10 or 20 pieces of fish, or lentil soup or whatever that is thrown away untouched or with one little bite out of it. With my two year old I use plates with multiple sections so that every meal I know she's getting at least one or two things that she likes in addition to anything new or unfamiliar.

Last night she ate almost 3 pieces of chicken, skin removed. She loves hummus, but it went untouched since I'd spread it on fresh cucumber rather than with fresh carrots. She did eat half of a banana and some grapes. The freshly picked zucchini that I'd diced and tossed with mint and a vinaigrette also was avoided completely. My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them.

I think the PP is spot on. I have a real problem wasting food, and that is the number one reason why I have never stuck to a program of feeding my kids the same meal that my husband and I eat for very long. We do not serve chicken nuggets (my oldest is an extremely picky eater and wouldn't touch them anyway), but we do make them homemade from scratch mac and cheese because they will reliably eat it (and ask for seconds). Add some roasted chicken, fruit, and maybe a vegetable for my less picky eater, and it's not a terrible meal. Intellectually I agree with the whole "kids should eat the same things adults do" philosophy, and before I had kids if anyone had told me we would be in the place we are in now I would have said no way, that would NEVER happen. But I discovered, much to my chagrin, that you can't make kids eat things they don't want to eat. (I mean, unless you're willing to use heavy coercion, bribery, or outright force -- and even coercion and bribery wouldn't work on my oldest). When I try to make things that are "kid friendly", no one is happy -- DH and I don't get to eat the kinds of things we like (spicy, heavy on veggies, "exotic" veggies like brussels sprouts, soups and stews, tomato-based dishes), and the kids won't eat it anyway. There are plenty of kids out there with adventurous palates, and that's great -- but not all kids are like that. My oldest will go without rather than eat something he decides he doesn't want to try. I am not about to have a battle over food three times a day, every day, for the next ten years or however long it takes him to pull his head out of his ass about food (I don't say that to him of course!). Food is awesome, and he's the one who is missing out. So I have scaled back my expectations -- as long as he eats something reasonably healthy, I've done my job. I am also teaching him about the social aspect of food and he is seeming more receptive to that message now that he is 5. (though whether he can put it into action remains to be seen).

To bring this back around to the OP's inquiry, we still do not eat a lot of heavily processed foods. There are many things, like cookies, crackers, juice, "fruit" snacks, processed chicken nuggets, snack cakes, packaged bars of all kinds, and chips, that come into our house rarely or never. We do buy things like whole wheat bread and bread products (bagel thins, english muffins, tortillas), whole wheat pasta, various types of cheese, and peanut butter, all of which are processed, and sometimes frozen or prepackaged ravioli, tortellini, and so forth. I am more concerned about too many simple carbs and especially too much sugar than about processing per se. We have fresh fruit with every meal -- even most picky kids like some types of fruit -- and I try to include a protein at each meal as well. Even if your child is picky, that does not necessarily mean that you will end up serving [insert name of most reviled processed food here]. But it may not be easy to make one meal that everyone will eat, either.

[Anonymous]

a lot of times deconstruction is the key to "kid-ifying." Obviously, great if your kid doesn't require this, but my kids don't like a lot of sauces or stew'y type foods or foods that are mixed up, so, for example, if I'm making a stir fry, I might try to pull out some chicken that has just been sauteed with some mild seasonings before adding other sauces and serve it separately from some stir fried veggies and brown rice

[Anonymous]

My kids always just ate the same food as Dh and I...just cut up or mashed up into smaller/softer pieces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"kid's food" = processed food that is leading to the obesity epidemic. Feed your child real foods just like you eat, and the child will like them just like you do. If you want them to look more fun, make them look more fun naturally (put fruit on sticks, shape eggs into bunnies, place carrot sticks into teepees with peas hiding inside....). There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your children real food, and it is a shame that our society makes new parents think that there is.

For me, and I'm a PP who does use mostly fresh and/or minimally processed foods, I think sometimes it feels wasteful. I don't let it stop me, but I do sigh and understand why some parents just cave to the convenience of processed crap. Yes, I know it can take 10 to 20 tries for my child to try a new food and that sounds fine. Except that then becomes 10 or 20 pieces of fish, or lentil soup or whatever that is thrown away untouched or with one little bite out of it. With my two year old I use plates with multiple sections so that every meal I know she's getting at least one or two things that she likes in addition to anything new or unfamiliar.

Last night she ate almost 3 pieces of chicken, skin removed. She loves hummus, but it went untouched since I'd spread it on fresh cucumber rather than with fresh carrots. She did eat half of a banana and some grapes. The freshly picked zucchini that I'd diced and tossed with mint and a vinaigrette also was avoided completely. My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them.

I think the PP is spot on. I have a real problem wasting food, and that is the number one reason why I have never stuck to a program of feeding my kids the same meal that my husband and I eat for very long. We do not serve chicken nuggets (my oldest is an extremely picky eater and wouldn't touch them anyway), but we do make them homemade from scratch mac and cheese because they will reliably eat it (and ask for seconds). Add some roasted chicken, fruit, and maybe a vegetable for my less picky eater, and it's not a terrible meal. Intellectually I agree with the whole "kids should eat the same things adults do" philosophy, and before I had kids if anyone had told me we would be in the place we are in now I would have said no way, that would NEVER happen. But I discovered, much to my chagrin, that you can't make kids eat things they don't want to eat. (I mean, unless you're willing to use heavy coercion, bribery, or outright force -- and even coercion and bribery wouldn't work on my oldest). When I try to make things that are "kid friendly", no one is happy -- DH and I don't get to eat the kinds of things we like (spicy, heavy on veggies, "exotic" veggies like brussels sprouts, soups and stews, tomato-based dishes), and the kids won't eat it anyway. There are plenty of kids out there with adventurous palates, and that's great -- but not all kids are like that. My oldest will go without rather than eat something he decides he doesn't want to try. I am not about to have a battle over food three times a day, every day, for the next ten years or however long it takes him to pull his head out of his ass about food (I don't say that to him of course!). Food is awesome, and he's the one who is missing out. So I have scaled back my expectations -- as long as he eats something reasonably healthy, I've done my job. I am also teaching him about the social aspect of food and he is seeming more receptive to that message now that he is 5. (though whether he can put it into action remains to be seen).

To bring this back around to the OP's inquiry, we still do not eat a lot of heavily processed foods. There are many things, like cookies, crackers, juice, "fruit" snacks, processed chicken nuggets, snack cakes, packaged bars of all kinds, and chips, that come into our house rarely or never. We do buy things like whole wheat bread and bread products (bagel thins, english muffins, tortillas), whole wheat pasta, various types of cheese, and peanut butter, all of which are processed, and sometimes frozen or prepackaged ravioli, tortellini, and so forth. I am more concerned about too many simple carbs and especially too much sugar than about processing per se. We have fresh fruit with every meal -- even most picky kids like some types of fruit -- and I try to include a protein at each meal as well. Even if your child is picky, that does not necessarily mean that you will end up serving [insert name of most reviled processed food here]. But it may not be easy to make one meal that everyone will eat, either.

I have a child that will eat almost anything, but I agree that there are plenty of kids out there that are picky and I don't think it is the parents fault or that they should have food battles with the child. My mom did that with me and I had real issues with food for a long time. When I got to college I started eating foods that I would never touch as a child and enjoy healthy, whole foods as well as culinary treats, and actually loss the extra weight! I got lucky with a child that eats "adult" foods but we have friends with kids that don't eat any fruits and/or vegetables and the parents are healthy eaters who actively served whole, minimally processed foods.