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Super Foods for Kids (and Adults)

All foods may fit. But let's be frank. Some foods are better than others, especially for children.

When you are trying to feed a growing family on a tight budget and limited time, eating foods that offer the biggest bang for the buck takes precedence. That's why choosing the cheapest, easiest-to-prepare foods packed with the most nutrition is the way to go. To that end, I have put together my list of favorite, tasty super foods for children that won't break the bank.

It's difficult to come up with a short list of top foods because so many qualify as great choices for growing bodies. So how did I decide? First and foremost, foods had to be kid-friendly and filled with nutrients to make the grade. That rules out the likes of kale, Brussels sprouts, and liver, for example. They may pack nutrients, but nearly all youngsters turn up their noses at the prospect of eating them. Once a food made it past the primary criteria of great taste and good nutrition (according to my taste buds), I looked at how it fit in with the other entries. I needed to narrow down the list while concentrating on providing a variety of selections for parents and children, which is why there is an array of choices. You'll see foods from every food group listed here.

What about the foods left off the list? I couldn't include everything, just the choices I thought most worthy. So if your family favorites are missing, that doesn't necessarily make them bad-for-you foods. Admittedly, the list lacks dozens of nutritious foods, most notably fruits and vegetables. Yet, all plant foods have something wonderful to offer kids by way of nutrition, so you should never rule out any of them.

Just because they're good for you doesn't mean children will eat all of the super foods highlighted here. Chances are, your kids will reject many of my favorites on the grounds of taste, but keep trying. Some day your little tike will surprise you when he actually asks to snack on sweet potatoes or demands hummus for lunch. Hey, stranger things have happened.

Sweet Potatoes
Why they're good for a growing body: These sweet tubers taste great warm or cold, and they're pretty at look at, too. A sweet potato provides carbohydrate, potassium, vitamin C, folate, fiber, and carotenoids, substances that the body uses to make vitamin A and to fight off disease.

How to serve: Slice cold, cooked, peeled sweet potatoes for a snack or side dish. Mash cooked sweet potatoes with orange juice for an extra boost of vitamin C and folate. Thinly slice peeled sweet potatoes, toss in canola oil, and bake. Serve warm or cold as a potato chip substitute. Cut peeled sweet potatoes into wedges and roast along with sliced apples or white potatoes. Bake a crustless sweet potato pie and serve with low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt for a calcium-rich treat.

When to begin offering: There's no reason why sweet potatoes can't be one of the first vegetables your child eats during infancy. My kids loved pureed sweet potatoes straight out of the jar. You can make your own by thoroughly mashing or pureeing a cooked skinless tuber with breast milk or infant formula. Make sure the consistency is right for your infant's developmental stage.

Broccoli
Why it's good for a growing body: Broccoli is packed with energy-producing carbohydrate, as well as fiber, a carbohydrate with no calories, but lots of health benefits. Broccoli also supplies numerous vitamins and minerals in healthy doses, including calcium, potassium, folate, and carotenoids that foster peak eyesight, ward off cell damage, and serve as the raw material for vitamin A production in the body.

How to serve: Kids are funny about broccoli. Hannah and Hayley liked it when they were just out of infancy, but it fell out of favor with both of them when they reached two or three. Broccoli's strong taste can be off-putting, which is why I let my children slather it with reduced-fat salad dressing. Broccoli is so beneficial that I will let them eat it however they want. Your children may take to broccoli more easily than mine did (and then, didn't), in which case serving it raw or lightly steamed is your best bet. In fact, cooking broccoli until it's just crisp-tender frees up some of the beneficial phytochemicals, helping the body to better absorb them. When children refuse plain broccoli, try making soup out of it.

When to begin offering: Babies can try pureed broccoli at six months or so. Whole Grains
Why they're good for a growing body: Whole grains are rich in fiber and vitamin E, usually very low in fat, and nearly always devoid of cholesterol (as are most grain products). The germ and outer coating in wheat and other grains harbors many of its valuable nutrients. That's why breads, cereals, and other products produced from whole grains retain the bulk of their nutritive value, as opposed to refined grain foods such as white bread and certain breakfast cereals. Whole grains are typically fortified with folic acid, B vitamins, iron, and zinc, which only adds to their appeal. Some whole grain breakfast cereals contain added calcium and vitamin D, too. Studies show that whole grains provide protection against certain chronic diseases, probably due to their fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protective phytochemicals. It makes sense to get your children into the habit of eating whole grain foods now. Harvard researchers who studied the diets of more than 75,000 women for ten years found that women who ate more than two and a half servings of whole grain foods every day greatly reduced their heart disease risk as compared to women who ate no whole grains. How do you know a food contains whole grains? The label can help. Look for the health claim "Rich in Whole Grain."

How to serve: Give kids whole grain breakfast cereals instead of their highly processed, sugar-laden counterparts. Use whole grain breads for toast and sandwiches, serve whole grain crackers for snacks, and whip up a batch of oat bran muffins. Try brown rice instead of white, and encourage kids to try grains like quinoa, buckwheat, and barley as pare of soups, stews, or side dishes. Serve whole wheat pasta. Add roiled oats to meat loaf. Serve popcorn to children over the age of four.

When to begin offering: As they get closer to their first birthday, your child can eat a wider variety of grains. Whole grains are fiber rich, so don't go overboard. Babies and toddlers can fill up fast on whole grains, leaving little room for higher-calorie foods. Small amounts of whole grains probably won't present a problem, however.

Cheese
Why it's good for a growing body: Cheese is a protein-packed, calcium-laden food with near universal kid-appeal. It's also a source of vitamin B ₁₂ and the bone-building mineral phosphorus. Cheese comes in varying fat levels that can be used in a number of ways for a wide range of ages. For kids who eschew milk, cheese is a calcium alternative: 1½ ounces of hard cheese equals 8 ounces of milk in terms of calcium. The benefits of cheese don't stop at good nutrition. Research shows that eating cheese after a meal may actually thwart cavity formation by neutralizing the mouth acids that promote dental decay.

How to serve: You can serve up the goodness of cheese in any number of ways. Cheese can be part of an entree, a snack, or eaten as dessert. Kids love to nibble plain cheese, cheese and crackers, and melted cheese on toasted bread. Vegetables take on added appeal when cheese sauce tops them. Sprinkle grated cheese such as Parmesan on macaroni or on steamed vegetables. Kids can reap the goodness of cheese when it's used to make grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and lasagna.

When to begin offering: Wait until eight months of age to serve your baby cheese, longer if your family is highly allergic (see Food Allergy and Intolerance). Cut cheese into small pieces that tiny fingers can pick up and that children can chew with ease. Use milder-tasting hard cheeses at first, such as plain Havarti and mild cheddar.

Yogurt
Why it's good for a growing body: This versatile food is a kid-favorite. That's a good thing, since yogurt provides protein, carbohydrate, B vitamins, bone-building calcium and phosphorus, and zinc, which is helpful when your child doesn't eat enough meat products. Yogurt that contains live active cultures promotes intestinal health and boosts immunity, too.

How to serve: Children tend to go for highly sweetened yogurt with flashy packages, but you would do better to buy plain yogurt and sweeten it at home. Older children can decide on how to flavor their yogurt. Kids can add all-fruit preserves; fruit such as frozen berries or cubed fresh melon; dried fruit, including raisins and cranberries (but only if they are four or older); crunchy ready-to-eat cereal; molasses; or honey (no honey for kids under one year, however) to their plain yogurt. Chances are, they will use much less sugar than the typical 7 teaspoons that manufacturers add to 8 ounces of fruit-flavored yogurt. Yogurt-based fruit smoothies are fun for kids, as are dips made from yogurt. Plain yogurt tastes great atop a baked potato or sweet potato, too. As babies and young toddlers, Hayley and Hannah loved yogurt mixed with pureed fruit and thickened slightly with infant cereal. Emma loves full-fat yogurt mixed with peanut butter.

When to begin offering: Children can have yogurt at about eight months or so, later if there is a strong family history of allergies. Purchase full-fat yogurt with active cultures for children two and under, such as Stonyfield Farms' YoBaby brand. Give older children reduced-fat yogurts with live active cultures. Chickpeas (A.K.A. Garbanzo Beans)
Why they're good for a growing body: Chickpeas are packed with protein as well as the complex carbohydrates starch and fiber. They are also a source of iron, magnesium, folate, calcium, potassium, and zinc, as are many of their legume counterparts. In fact, kidney beans, lentils, and the like make suitable substitutes for chickpeas.

How to serve: Kids can be funny about legumes, rejecting them out of hand because of their shape or texture. Hannah will eat chickpeas just the way they are and as hummus, but Hayley prefers hummus only. No matter. Store-bought or homemade hummus is a kid-friendly food that can be used as a snack or turned into a meal. Try pita bread topped with hummus, and chopped melon for an easy lunch. My kids like lavash (roll-up bread) filled with hummus, too. For a snack, they dip pretzels into hummus. Try adding chickpeas to soups, salads, and pasta dishes. Puree chickpeas with chicken broth and use as a sauce on pasta or green vegetables. Add chickpeas to a vegetarian chili dish (but keep the seasonings mild to promote acceptance). Falafel may pique a child's interest in garbanzo beans because it uses the legume in a different way. A Middle Eastern favorite, falafel is a patty made from garbanzo beans that is easy to prepare at home.

When to begin offering: Babies can try mashed, plain garbanzo beans at eight months. Make sure to remove the thin skin around the bean before serving. To moisten, use a bit of chicken broth. Avoid serving heavily seasoned hummus to babies. Many commercially prepared varieties are loaded with garlic, so make your own when possible.

Canned Tuna Fish
Why it's good for a growing body: Canned tuna fish harbors protein, vitamins B ₁₂, B ₆, and niacin, as well as small amounts of iron and zinc. While it's low in fat, the type of fat canned tuna fish contains is largely the omega-3 variety. Omega-3 fats are unsaturated fats with special protective properties. Often referred to as fish oils, omega-3 fats boost brain development and reduce the likelihood of heart disease in your child's future. Other, more oily, fish such as salmon and bluefish contain concentrations of omega-3 fats that beat tuna fish by a mile. But it pays to begin getting your child acquainted with seafood by serving milder-tasting seafood of any sort, since stronger flavors and odors can put kids off fish for a long time.

How to serve: Fish is an acquired taste for many American kids. A child may not be ready for grilled or smoked salmon (if they are, great) but willing to try a tuna salad sandwich. Try sneaking tuna into casseroles, too.

When to begin offering: Infants can try small pieces of moist canned tuna fish at about ten months or so.

Navigating Seafood Safety
Tuna fish garners attention for its potential mercury content. Canned tuna fish contains little, if any, of this potentially toxic heavy metal that can wreak havoc on the nervous system.

According to the FDA, the federal agency that oversees seafood safety, the larger species of tuna sold in stores and in restaurants as tuna steaks and as sushi contain about five times the mercury of canned tuna fish. Why the difference? Canned tuna is composed of smaller tuna types such as skipjack and albacore. In general, the smaller the fish, the less potential for mercury. Swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel—large, predatory fish—contain the most mercury. That's why the FDA advises pregnant and nursing women and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant to avoid these varieties of seafood.

Berries
Why they're good for a growing body: The likes of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are packed with carbohydrate, carotenoids, potassium, vitamin C, fiber, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. All that, with just a hint of fat and no cholesterol. To boot, this trio of berries ranks among the most powerful of fruits in thwarting cell damage that could result in chronic illness such as cancer and heart disease. Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries supply anthocyanins, which appear to inhibit the production of cholesterol by the body, keeping arteries more clear. Proanthocyanin in blueberries is of particular interest for its ability to prevent a certain enzyme known for promoting cancer.

How to serve: Children love sweet, juicy berries and will eat them out of hand. Use berries instead of sugar to sweeten breakfast cereal; frozen may be substituted for fresh during the winter months. Concoct fruit smoothies with fresh or frozen berries. Layer with yogurt and crunchy cereal for a berry-filled parfait. Frozen or fresh whole or sliced berries and pureed berries make a healthy topping for frozen yogurt, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, and sponge or angel food cake. Add berries to pancakes, muffins, and other quick breads for their color and nutrition. Ditto for salads. Bake a fruit crisp or cobbler and serve instead of cookies for a sweet, nutritious treat. My kids love to dip whole strawberries in melted semisweet chocolate, and I'm sure yours will, too.

When to begin offering: Infants may eat berries beginning at eight months, but they should be well mashed or pureed to prevent choking. Wash berries thoroughly before serving. Beef
Why it's good for a growing body: Beef packs high-quality protein; vitamins B ₁₂, B ₆, and niacin; and the minerals zinc and iron in their most absorbable form. I chose beef over other meats because it's one of the most concentrated choline sources going. Choline is a B-like vitamin required for brain development and peak cognitive powers. In addition, beef contains the cholesterol and fat necessary for proper brain growth during the first two years of life. Lean cuts of beef contain the least fat and cholesterol and are the most appropriate for older children.

How to serve: Older children go for small amounts of ground beef as part of spaghetti sauce, tacos, and burritos, or as a burger.

When to begin offering: Infants may eat pureed, or finely chopped cooked ground beef beginning at eight months.

Eggs
Why they're good for a growing body: You can't beat eggs for top-notch nutrition, especially when it comes to protein. Eggs are considered the gold standard of protein quality because of their superior amino acid content. Egg protein provides all of the EAAs necessary to support life and growth. In fact, the protein eggs provide is so superior that all other foods are judged against the egg's amino acid makeup. Eggs are also the source for more than a dozen vitamins and minerals, and they are the most concentrated food source of choline, which is crucial for brain development in babies and in young children.

Now for the obvious question: Aren't eggs bad for you? Once considered cholesterol "bombs," a multitude of research has exonerated the egg, but parents still view it as a food to be avoided or strictly limited in family members' diets. Studies say that most people can eat an egg a day as part of a low-fat regimen without raising their heart disease risk. Despite their cholesterol count, which at 213 milligrams is admittedly high when compared to the recommended restriction of 300 milligrams a day, one medium egg supplies just 1.5 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat is much more detrimental to health than dietary cholesterol. That's good news for parents and kids who enjoy this healthy food.

Above all, eggs are cheap, convenient, versatile, easy to prepare, and kids love them.

How to serve: You and your family can reap the many benefits of eggs in a variety of ways, including as omelets, quiches, and frittatas; and as part of waffles, crepes, pancakes, and French toast. Hard-boil a batch of eggs and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week for a quick snack, for egg salad sandwiches, or for adding to green salads.

When to begin offering: Babies may have cooked egg yolks at eight months, but wait until twelve months of age before giving them egg whites. Egg whites can be allergenic in children. Even so, chances are your child will have no problem tolerating the white of an egg. Serve infants chopped hard-boiled yolks or scrambled egg yolks (remove the whites and scramble for older family members or use in baking). Avoid egg substitutes in infants because they are made from egg whites only.

Milk
Why it's good for a growing body: Cow's milk contains calcium and phosphorus, two minerals critical for bone development and subsequent bone strength in growing children. Nearly all milk sold in the United States is fortified with vitamin D. Vitamin D regulates the body's uptake of calcium from food as well as bone calcium concentrations. In fact, getting adequate calcium without enough vitamin D does not ensure bone health and can certainly harm a child's chances of avoiding osteoporosis later in life.

In addition, milk supplies high-quality protein for growth and development and carbohydrate for energy. Full-fat milk provides fat and cholesterol for growing minds and bodies; reduced-fat milk is safe to feed your child after his second birthday. Milk is also a source of vitamin A and the mineral magnesium, which contributes to bone health. Magnesium may also be one of the components of dairy foods that research reveals helps to keep blood pressure in check. The Dietary Approaches to Hypertension Study (DASH) found that a low-fat diet rich in plant foods and three daily servings of reduced-fat dairy foods, including milk, lowered blood pressure as effectively as medication in adults.

How to serve: Most children love plain cold milk. Flavored milks, such as chocolate and strawberry, contain more sugar but no less calcium. Commercially prepared flavored milks may lack vitamin D, so read the label. Offer cereal with milk when kids won't drink a glass of milk straight up. Or make milk into a fruit smoothie or pudding. Prepare condensed soups such as tomato with milk instead of water.

When to begin offering: Aside from cow's-milk-based formulas, refrain from giving milk of any sort to your child until after her first birthday. The rationale for waiting to offer milk is covered in detail on page two of Formula Feeding.