Skip to content

Top Navigation

Parents Parents
  • GETTING PREGNANT
  • PREGNANCY
  • BABY NAMES
  • BABY
  • TODDLER
  • BIG KID
  • FUN
  • HEALTH
  • PARENTING
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAY
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES
  • MORE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Parents

Parents Parents
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that'll last a lifetime. Read More Next
    • Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Parenting is so much easier with good pals. Learn to overcome friendship hurdles and bond with women who get you. Read More Next
    • How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      I’m a pediatric sleep specialist who has seen it all, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not too late to get your child to (happily) stay in his own bed all night long. Read More Next
  • GETTING PREGNANT

    GETTING PREGNANT

    See All GETTING PREGNANT

    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant Every Day of the Month

    When sex coincides withĀ your most fertile ovulation days, you'llĀ increase the chances of conceiving.Ā Get to know each phase of your cycle to get pregnant faster.
    • Ovulation
    • Reproductive Age
    • Maximizing Your Fertility
    • Pre-Pregnancy Health
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Dealing With Infertility
    • Genetics
  • PREGNANCY

    PREGNANCY

    See All PREGNANCY

    Signs of Approaching Labor: How to Tell Your Baby is Coming Soon

    Anxiously awaiting your baby’s arrival? Learn to recognize the first signs of labor approaching, which signal that your little one might make an appearance soon.
    • Signs of Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Week-by-Week
    • Giving Birth
    • Labor & Delivery
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Complications
    • Fetal Development
    • Gender Prediction
    • Baby Showers
  • BABY NAMES

    BABY NAMES

    See All BABY NAMES

    These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020

    Curious which baby names stole the show this year? From new classics like Noah to tried-and-true faves like Ava, here are the top boy and girl names of the year so far, plus more naming trends to consider.
    • Baby Girl Names
    • Most Popular Names
    • Names by Origin
    • Twin Names
    • Baby Boy Names
    • Names by Religion
    • Celebrity Baby Names
    • Baby Name Quizzes
  • BABY

    BABY

    See All BABY

    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    Caring for a baby with a wet or dry cough? Listen for wheezing, hacking, or barking first, then read on to find out what's normal and when it's time to worry.
    • Newborn Care
    • Crying Baby
    • Health
    • Baby Development
    • Safety
    • Gear
    • Breastfeeding
    • Diapers
    • Sleep Issues
    • Feeding
    • Nursery
  • TODDLER

    TODDLER

    See All TODDLER
    • Preschool Activities
    • Behavior & Discipline
    • Toddler Development
    • Milestones
    • Potty Training
    • Starting School
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Childcare
  • BIG KID

    BIG KID

    See All BIG KID

    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school.
    • Education
    • Health
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Bullying & School Problems
    • Child Development
    • Safety
    • Manners & Responsibility
  • FUN

    FUN

    See All FUN

    17 Budget-Friendly Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas

    A fun celebration doesn’t need to cost a pretty penny. Throw a memorable bash with these clever cost-cutting kids’ birthday party ideas.
    • Birthdays
    • Indoor Activities
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Printable Coloring Pages
    • Kids' Entertainment
    • Best Toys
    • Holidays
    • Family Vacation Ideas
  • HEALTH

    HEALTH

    See All HEALTH

    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    Here’s everything you need to know about the disease that originated in Wuhan, China.
    • ADD & ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Autism
    • Cold & Flu
    • Coronavirus and COVID-19
    • Cough
    • Down Syndrome
    • Emergency Aid
    • Fever
    • Medication & Vitamins
    • Obesity
    • Rashes
    • Stomach Aches
    • Vaccines
  • PARENTING

    PARENTING

    See All PARENTING

    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    Everything you need to thrive at home as a family.
    • Positive Parenting
    • Parenting Style
    • Celebrity Parents
    • Family Dynamics
    • Divorce
    • Home
    • Adoption
    • Just for Mom
    • Money
    • Toy Recalls
    • Stroller Recalls
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Family Recipes
    • Baby Food
    • Toddler Finger Food Recipes
    • Hints & Tips
    • Healthy Eating
    • Birthdays
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Food For Pregnant Women
  • HOLIDAY

    HOLIDAY

    See All HOLIDAY

    44 Fun Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids

    Spend an afternoon making these Valentine's Day cards, decorations, and edible projects for kids. Bonus: These craft ideas are perfect for preschoolers and the ideal homemade gift for a few special someones!
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES

    OUR MAGAZINES

    See All OUR MAGAZINES
    • Parents
    • Parents Latina
    • Ser Padres
  • MORE

    MORE

    • Newsletters
    • Contests
    • ParentsIRL
    • Adulting
    • First Year Playbook
    • Celebrate Your Way

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Food & Recipes
  3. Nutrition
  4. Kids Nutrition
  5. Make Kid Foods More Nutritious

Make Kid Foods More Nutritious

October 04, 2007
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Rita Maas
Okay, so you may never get your kids to give up nuggets, cookies, and juice -- but you can make their fave foods healthier.
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Juice

Credit: Rita Maas
  • Save juice boxes and pouches for road trips, and limit fruit juice at home to 4 to 6 ounces day -- it's full of sugar and calories, and kids can get vitamin C from healthier whole fruit (and vegetables too).
  • Make a small serving go farther by diluting juice with water. Or pop a couple of frozen juice cubes -- each cube holds an ounce -- into flavored seltzer for a fizzy, low-sugar treat.
  • When you do give juice, opt for OJ: It boasts folate and potassium, and the kids' versions are fortified with calcium and vitamins A and E.

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pizza

Credit: Rita Maas

* When ordering, ask for a pizza "easy on the cheese" or with "half the usual amount of cheese." Also, pick thin crust over thick to slash about 80 calories per slice.

* Vitamin-rich veggies are the most nutritious topping, but if your family wants meat, your best options are chicken or ham (pepperoni, though still high in fat, is slightly leaner than sausage).

* Pass up high-damage extras like cheese-stuffed crusts or breadsticks, and serve a bagged salad on the side instead.

* Our favorite healthy idea: Make your own pizza with a packaged whole wheat crust (4 grams of fiber per serving) topped with spaghetti sauce and part-skim mozzarella, or give your kids whole wheat pitas and let them choose their own veggie topping.

2 of 7

3 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

French Fries

Credit: Rita Maas

* At the drive-thru, order the smallest size -- and share them.

* You'll do better with frozen fries from the store: They have about half the fat of restaurant taters, though ones labeled "battered" and "extra crispy" tend to be higher in fat. Scan labels for trans fats, since many brands have up to 3.5 grams per serving (McCain is one brand that's trans fat free).

* To really trim the fat, cut potatoes into wedges or sticks, toss with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, and bake on a sheet at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes. Sweet potatoes are a fun twist, and you'll more than meet your child's daily vitamin A needs.

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ice Cream

Credit: Rita Maas

* Stick to basics when you take the kids out for ice cream: The more bells and whistles inside and on top of their ice cream -- chocolate coating, candy-bar pieces, caramel swirls -- the higher the calories and fat.

* Go for light ice cream, which has about half the fat of regular. Better yet, get a scoop of frozen yogurt -- it delivers even fewer calories, has little if any fat, and is actually a good source of calcium. (A half-cup scoop equals a serving.)

* For desserts at home, buy light ice cream sandwiches, fudge pops, or ice pops, all of which are low in calories and fat.

4 of 7

5 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Macaroni and Cheese

Credit: Rita Maas

* Making the boxed kind? Use skim milk and reduce the margarine from 4 tablespoons to 1 to save about 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per cup.

* Mix up your own with a sauce of skim milk, margarine, and flour -- then melt in shredded or sliced cheese (let your kids pick their favorites). Boil up whole wheat noodles for 6 grams of filling fiber per cup. For a real nutrition boost, stir in some broccoli florets and diced carrots.

5 of 7

6 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cookies

Credit: Rita Maas

* Watching portion size is the key with cookies. Most contain roughly the same amount of sugar, but serving sizes vary widely: 10 animal crackers, eight vanilla wafers, four gingersnaps, three chocolate sandwich cookies, or two sheets of graham crackers all equal about 150 calories.

* Does your child want a bigger portion? Choose Teddy Grahams: They're lower in sugar and fortified with calcium, with only about five calories per bear.

* For no-brainer portion control, give your kids one of the new 100-calorie snack packs. And look for whole-grain versions of Fig Newtons and Chips Ahoy! -- each serving has 2 grams of fiber.

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chicken Nuggets

Credit: Rita Maas

* Nuggets pack a lot of fat, whether they're from the drive-thru or the freezer section. (About five nuggets can have almost half of your child's daily fat allowance!) You can save a couple of grams by choosing ones made with only breast meat -- and chicken patties have a bit less too.

 

* Faux chicken nuggets (made with vegetable protein) taste like the real deal but save loads of fat per serving.

 

* Make your own nearly-fat-free chicken fingers by dipping skinless tenderloins in egg whites, rolling them in bread crumbs and "frying" them on the stove in a nonstick skillet (add a bit of canola oil or cooking spray). Give your kids barbecue sauce or low-fat ranch dressing for dipping.

 

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 7 Juice
2 of 7 Pizza
3 of 7 French Fries
4 of 7 Ice Cream
5 of 7 Macaroni and Cheese
6 of 7 Cookies
7 of 7 Chicken Nuggets

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Parents

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • From Our Sponsors this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Parents.com is part of the Parents Network. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.parents.com

View image

Make Kid Foods More Nutritious
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.