10 Amazing Foods for Kids

Lean Beef

Lean beef is loaded with iron, and growing, active children need the nutrient to produce healthy red blood cells. Recently, doctors have been seeing an increase in anemia at every age as Americans replace red meat with other forms of protein in their diets. (If your family doesn't eat beef, be especially vigilant about serving iron-fortified products like cereal or breads.) Beef is also loaded with vitamin B12 and zinc. Cook up lean hamburger meat for tacos and lasagne, or serve spaghetti with meatballs.

Next-best choice: Drumstick, anyone? Chicken offers many of the same benefits as red meat -- it's the second-best source of iron -- but it has less saturated fat than beef, with the added bonus that most kids really like it.

Picky-eater idea: Serve hors d'oeuvres to your kids: Roll up paper-thin slices of deli roast beef and serve alone, or wrap the slices around string beans or mozzarella sticks.