4 Food Groups All Kids Should Eat

4 Food Groups All Kids Should Eat

I read an article recently about the primary foods we should focus on feeding our kids. I was very interested in this since I believe that kid’s nutrition is vital for their health and immune systems. 

Here are the recommendations:

1. Saturated Fats

When a baby is born and growing rapidly that first year of their life, their body needs a lot of fat. Breastmilk is made for babies and its main components are fats and protein. Saturated fats are healthy fats. These include Coconut oil and Butter.  Not just for kids, but saturated fats are good for everyone. These are needed for absorption of vitamins and minerals. 

2. Bone Broth

Homemade broth is rich in vital nutrients that benefit kids more than eating fruits and vegetables will. The minerals, gelatin, and glycosaminoglycans in bone broth are necessary for the development of bones and teeth. They are also beneficial for healthy hair, nails and joints. Bone broth is also so healing for digestive problems, food allergies, and increasing immunity.You didn’t realize your mom was right on by giving you chicken noodle soup when you were fighting off a cold. 

3. Cultured Foods

Cultured foods are more common in traditional cultures than our modern day diet. These cultured foods are wonderful for digestion and strengthening our immune systems as well. Cultured foods contain naturally occurring probiotics. Probiotics add healthy bacteria to our children’s digestive system. It is said that our immunity starts in our digestive system. Cultured foods are fermented which allow the good bacteria to grow naturally and increase the digestibility of the foods. Some cultured foods include: yogurt, kombucha or kefir “sodas”, gingered carrots, pickles, and cultured veggies.

4. Seasonal, Local Produce

Eating fruits and vegetables that are in season increases the vitamins and nutrients available. By taking your kids to the farmer’s markets they can pick out a new food to try each week which will broaden their pallet hopefully. Here is a list of produce that is in season for each month. This can be a handy tool to use when making your grocery list too. Usually buying in season fruits and vegetables will also save you money. 

Here are some easy sweet potato bites that I love making. 

We try to fill Aidalyn up on vegetables throughout the day either by sneaking them into her morning omelet, making a cauliflower crust pizza at lunch, or making roasted vegetable sticks for snacking. I also always make sure she gets a good amount of coconut oil every day. She loves yogurt too. I buy brands that list live active cultures in the ingredients. I also give her a powdered probiotic to increase the good bacteria she gets each day. She used to be better about eating soups. Adam and I love bone broth soups in the winter. I have heard to add some bone broth to a kid’s sippy cup for them to drink it… but Aidalyn was too smart for that trick, ha. 

What are some of your tips for getting kids to eat from these recommendations?