The short answer: Plan healthy meals for growing kids around variety, balance and repeated exposure—not perfection at every meal. Offer lean protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, involve children in planning and preparation, and include at least one familiar food when serving something new.
Mandy Katz, Director of Healthy Living at Giant Food, is a Registered Dietitian and former pediatric dietitian. She says children’s nutritional needs vary by age, activity level and health status, but parents can help them develop healthy eating habits without preparing a separate meal every night or turning the dinner table into a battleground.
In the sixth and final installment of our interview series, Katz explains how to plan healthy meals for growing kids, handle picky eating and decide when an uneven day of eating is—and is not—cause for concern.
What Should Healthy Meals for Growing Kids Include?
FTN: As a parent, you understand that our kids are the most important part of our lives—but sometimes they are also one of the most frustrating parts when it comes to feeding them. How do you plan healthy meals for growing kids?
Mandy: As a former pediatric dietitian, this was a very common question! Growing kids are not little adults – depending on their age they could be doubling in size or growing 6 inches in a year! One thing they do have in common with adults is the need for a nutrient dense diet filled with a variety of foods. Which can be hard because kids can be picky.
Healthy meals for all ages are comprised of lean proteins (animal or plant based), fruits and vegetables and whole grains with limited saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. The amounts of these will vary by age, activity level, and health state. But what does this look like on a plate and in the lunchbox? Well, that’s a bit more complicated.
How Can Parents Encourage Kids to Eat Healthier Foods?
FTN: I understand this as a parent more than most. Nothing makes you feel unappreciated like seeing a lunchbox come home half-eaten or watching a dinner go untouched because they wouldn’t try it—or worse, they tried it and hated it.
Mandy: We all want our children to be adventurous and good eaters, but all too often we raise chicken nugget loving, cookie connoisseurs who are never hungry and starving at the same time.
Respectfully, we most often bring this on ourselves – but we do come by it honestly because raising kids is hard work and sometimes (most times) fed is best. But it’s okay, and it’s never too late to start healthy habits. Here are my:
Five best tips for planning healthier meals for growing kids
1. Get kids involved
Let them help plan, prepare, and pack lunches. Offer choices between recipes, fruits, vegetables, and snacks. When kids have some control over what they eat, they may surprise you.
2. Eat together when you can
Even one shared meal a week provides an opportunity to model positive eating habits and create a healthy relationship with food.
3. Don’t make a separate meal every night
Offer the family meal and include at least one food you know your child will eat. This helps kids learn to try new foods without feeling pressured, while also making sure they have something familiar on their plate.
4. Keep school lunches realistic
School lunches are not the time to experiment. The goal is to keep kids hydrated, nourished, and ready to learn. Don’t make teachers the food police.
5. Keep exposing kids to new foods
It can take many exposures before a child accepts a new food, so continue to offer without pressure. For little ones, even playing with the new food can be helpful for trial.
At the end of the day, feeding kids is not about creating perfect eaters. It’s about helping them build a healthy relationship with food while giving them the nutrients they need to grow.
When Should Parents Worry About What Their Kids Eat?
FTN: We’ve been guilty of making a tough eater a separate meal. Thank you for reminding me that I’m not a bad parent if I don’t. It’s hard when you’re trying to make sure the kids are fed.
Mandy: In the clinical world we evaluate nutrition based on what kids have had over a three-day period. Some days they will eat vegetables and try new foods, and some days they will live on crackers and chicken nuggets. Ultimately if they are getting enough calories, meeting their growth goals at their annual check-ups, and eating a wide variety of foods, they are going to be just fine.
And when in doubt, talk to a pediatric dietitian like me who can help support you in building a healthy meal plan that works for your whole family.
The Bottom Line on Planning Healthy Meals for Kids
Parents do not need to produce a nutritionally perfect plate—or a perfectly adventurous eater—at every meal. Katz recommends looking at the broader eating pattern, continuing to offer a variety of foods without pressure and giving children age-appropriate opportunities to help choose and prepare meals.
A half-eaten lunchbox or rejected dinner can be frustrating, but it does not tell the whole story. The larger goals are supporting healthy growth, providing enough food and helping children build a positive relationship with eating.
Mandy Katz, Director of Healthy Living at Giant Food brings a wealth of knowledge as a Registered Dietitian (RD) and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN) with a background in pediatrics. Born and raised in the DMV, she received her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Morgan State University and a Master of Science from SUNY Oneonta. She’s passionate about all things food and shares the inside scoop on all things that affect healthy living. You can learn more at giantfood.com/healthyliving.