10 Best Foods for Kids: Ages 1 to 3
1. Milk If your child is under 2, he or she should drink whole milk; full-fat dairy promotes growth and development in babies and toddlers. Kids over 2 should be drinking low-fat milk: it's packed with Vitamin D and calcium, for good skin and strong bones.
2. Whole Grains
Whole-wheat breads and cereals contain whole grains and fiber, which are good for the heart and digestive system.
There will probably come a point--or several points--in your life when your kids are begging for processed snacks like Oreos or Hostess cupcakes. Sometimes it's just impossible to deny them a treat. If you must buy these snacks, buy the pre-packaged 100-calorie packs: this way you can control the portion size, fat and sugar content. You can also buy healthier cookies such as Fig Newtons and make mini-portions yourself.
10 Best Foods for Kids: Ages 4 to 6
If fresh blueberries are not in season, pick up a bag of frozen blueberries. Because freezing can affect some nutrients in fruit, the frozen kind are not quite as good as fresh berries, but they still have plenty of health benefits. They contain fiber and antioxidants.
5. Pomegranates
Pomegranates are fun to eat and filled with nutrients. Younger kids might choke on the arils, or seeds, of the pomegranate, however: give them pomegranate juice instead. While giving your kids juice generally isn't the best way for them to get their daily servings of fruit, you can make an exception for this antioxidant-rich juice.
Make burgers or bolognese sauce with extra-lean ground beef rather than the full-fat kind. Beef is a great source of protein.
10 Best Foods for Kids: Ages 7 to 10
This is a good source of lean protein. If you're going to bread it, bake it in the oven rather than pan-frying it with oil: baking will keep the fat content low.
8. Lentils
Packed with protein, these little legumes give kids caloric bang for the buck. One cup of cooked lentils contains around 230 calories and hardly any fat or cholesterol. Lentils are high in potassium, fiber and iron as well as protein.
9. Spinach
Dark leafy greens, if you can get your kid to eat them, are incredibly nutritious. Spinach has lots of Vitamin A and potassium, and is completely fat-free. Try adding raw spinach to a salad, or sneaking cooked spinach into some lentil soup.
10. Pumpkin
This low-calorie squash has plenty of Vitamin A and fiber, and can be made into a sweet, healthy mash with just a little butter and brown sugar. You can also steam it and put chunks of it on top of brown rice.
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