A great way to get kids interesting in what you are eating, as opposed to asking for the old standbys, is to involve them in meal planning and cooking. If they help create a meal from the ground up, they are much more likely to want to eat it. Let them help with menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. They will be learning about different foods, and the investment of time and energy will build their excitement about the finished product. It will no longer be something that just appears on their plate. By the same token, planting a vegetable plant or taking a trip to a local farm to see that food does not magically appear at the grocery store or in the fridge, will also help broaden their understanding about food. You could also make a trip to the local farmers market and have your child be responsible for a certain amount of money from which they will buy ingredients for something they want to make. This takes planning, but doesn’t have to be complicated if they are making something simple like a salad.

The "clean the plate" mentality is one that has fallen by the wayside as a best way to manage kids and their food intake. It is better to encourage them to eat a little bit of everything on their plate, instead of inhaling the macaroni and cheese and asking for more, all while the green beans remain untouched. Keep an eye on why your child isn’t cleaning his or her plate. For instance, if your child snacks constantly throughout the day on sugary or processed “pantry” snacks, that could lead to a smaller appetite for the healthy wholesome foods served at mealtime. Cutting down snacking to one healthy snack in-between each meal will help increase your child’s appetite at meal times. (Check out our healthy and delicious Snack options provided in the Menu Selection of your child’s Neat Eats and Treats!)

Once you know that your child’s appetite is not a factor, try to recognize your child’s pattern of eating (what and how your child is eating), so that you can do things like encourage him/her to have a bite of vegetables before eating any more chicken, or to eat one bite of each food on the plate before going back to the first item. Another thing to try is to serve very small servings of each food included in the meal to ensure they are all eaten while your child is truly hungry and then if he/she wants more, he/she can have a little more of their favorite. This is better than loading up on the favorites and having “no room” for the less desired foods. It is also not a good idea to use dessert as a bribe. It keeps kids from learning to listen to their bodies and learning when they are hungry and when they are full. Instead, have your child pick two to three desserts for the week and then let your child choose which meals to have them with. That way your child can eat the meal and then decide if they are still hungry, and not have dessert as a bribe or a given. Once your child’s chosen desserts are all eaten up, you may want your child to wait until the following week to choose more, though you may offer a piece of fruit as an alternative. It is likely that your child will learn to moderate and space out these treats to be eaten.

It has been proven that kids may need to be exposed to a new food many times before they will actually try it and accept it. If you make it once and it is not a huge hit, don’t write it off forever. It will take a lot of effort and repeated attempts for your child to develop a taste for new foods. Resist the urge to force feed or build an expectation of a reward for trying something they "don’t like," because in the long run such tactics do not stick. The foods they chose to try and learn to like on their own will be the ones that make it into their repertoire of choices. And the more foods they have in this bank, the more balanced and healthy their nutrient intake will be.

In addition, keep in mind that the earlier in age that you introduce new foods, the better. The younger kids are, the more readily they accept and adapt to the tastes of new foods without any pre-formed opinions.

You can also use a “taste plate” where kids can place small bites of foods that are new and different. There is then no pressure to eat this food as part of the meal, but it is there for them to try. Curiosity will likely get the better of them and they will try something. This is a great way to introduce new things in a non-stressful way and it takes the battle out of making them eat it because it is what is served.

An active, rapidly growing child needs more calories. Not only their rapidly growing bodies but also their growing brains demand a lot of energy. The only energy type the brain can use comes from glucose, which of course comes from sugar. So it is quite natural that a growing child will crave for quick calories from sugar when hungry or after a bout of intense physical activity or mental concentration. It is important to recognize an impending caloric deficit before it actually happens and provide a quick, healthy snack just in time. Eating balanced meals with balanced snacks in between will keep your child’s blood sugar at a constant level and they won’t have the drastic drops in glucose that cause the body to crave sugar for quick energy.

No, you are not a bad parent. If your children refuse to eat what you cooked, then that's their choice to go to bed a little bit hungry. If they go to bed hungry, they might think twice before turning down dinner the next time around. And one meal never starved a child or made them obese. As long as there are options on the table that you know they’ll consume for most meals, they'll be fine. It is also your job as their parent to expose them to new things and encourage them to try them.

**(See also, "How do I get my child to try new foods" for other ideas about how to introduce new foods and balance them with the tried and true standbys)

Not necessarily. Kids are growing and often their food intake will reflect their energy needs for their growth. They will probably start eating more just before they begin growing. If they have good eating habits and listen to what their body needs (as opposed to eating everything on their plate all the time), they will likely decrease the consumption as their growth begins to slow. You should only be concerned if your child gains or loses a significant amount of weight in a short period of time that cannot be attributed to an increase in height. Toddlers also tend to replace their “baby fat” with lean body mass, which may mean they end up weighing more even though their size hasn’t increased in what appears from the outside to be a proportional way, as lean body mass weighs more than fat.

Many people often mistake a food allergy for what is really food intolerance. Both food allergies and food intolerances are abnormal responses to food, however, food intolerances are much more common. A classic intolerance is “lactose intolerant”. In this case, the consumption of dairy products is not causing an actual allergic response in the body, but it is also not causing a pleasant response either (due to a lack of the enzyme, lactase, to break down the lactose) so these foods should be avoided. Symptoms of a food allergy occur within a few minutes to an hour of eating the allergen. Initially, it might start as itching in the mouth or difficulty breathing. Once the food begins to digest, symptoms can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The most common foods that cause allergic reactions in children include eggs, milk, fruits (especially tomatoes and strawberries) and peanuts. These allergies are sometimes outgrown as children get older. If your child does present some of these symptoms, monitor their food intake carefully to try and see if you can isolate and determine the specific foods might be the cause. Once you have narrowed down the source, you can see a dermatologist who can perform further tests to verify your child’s food allergy.

Instead of thinking about healthy fast food right away, try to think about healthy options you can take with you on the go. Try not to focus on having a set dinner; instead give your kids a snack in the afternoon that will tie them over until they get home. Try something like a banana with peanut butter or some other kind of fruit and healthy snack bar. Once everyone is back home, have a small dinner such as leftovers or a bowl of low-sugar cereal.

Another option if your children play several sports is to pack a cooler and bring it to their game or practice. Bring foods such as grapes, whole-grain rolls or baguettes, cheese, peanut butter, or trail mix that can be thrown together as a simple meal that can be eaten easily while up and about. This will allow you and your kids to have something filling during those extra-curricular activities.

Also try stopping by a grocery store instead of a fast-food restaurant. Most grocery stores now have pre-made sandwiches in the deli and pre- packaged fruits and veggies with dip- very easy for car rides and packing.

Eating at home is not only usually healthier, but mealtime as a family also creates a grounded environment for kids to eat in and helps develops the social aspects of meals. That said, it is not always possible in the world we live in today. The drive-thru is not your best choice, as there are many options these days that are quick (just not as quick as fast-food) and have healthier food at Subway (if you skip the chips and cookie options), Potbelly’s, Chipotle and even Panera Bread (choose the apple as a side!). If you must go through the drive-thru, have your kids order small meals, either a kid’s meal or small size meals, avoiding extras such as bacon toppings, and a small soft-serve ice cream cone, as well as choosing water instead of soda. There are often choices now where you can get a fruit, salad, or yogurt instead of fries and that cuts out a lot of the calories and fat and simultaneously adds in vitamins and minerals. Do not be fooled into ordering bigger sizes because of the "value." While it may be more food, it is not added value because it is not contributing to your health.

Schools are required to offer lunches that follow dietary guidelines, however, there are often other food choices that compete with the healthy options. Most schools offer a la carte options such as a slice of pizza or French fries, which are very tempting for children instead of the healthier lunch options. There are also vending machines in several schools that children can choose from. The best way for parents to be sure students are eating a healthy lunch is to have their children pack a lunch. You can stress to your children not to buy the pizza or French fries but you can never to be too sure what they actually are buying at school.

The short answer is no. While they may not have the caffeine that some sodas do (which can cause dehydration and bone loss in everyone, but especially in kids with their smaller bodies), these “alternatives” are still basically sugar water with food dye added to them. If you look at a bottle of fruit punch, you will see that the ingredients are water, sugar (in some form, usually high fructose corn syrup), and a few other things, often citric acid and some coloring. While this drink has calories in it, it has basically no vitamins or minerals, and is only providing them with a great deal of refined sugar. Your child would be much better served drinking water or milk, and occasionally juice. While many juices are also high in sugar, this is usually natural (not added, refined sugar). Juices usually contain some vitamins and minerals as well. Try adding some water to your child’s juice to cut down on the sugar.

Canned fruit CAN be okay, if it is not packed in heavy syrup. While fresh fruit is going to have more fiber, more moisture, and more nutrients than canned fruit, and therefore is your best option, canned fruit is certainly better than a fruit roll up or some other candy-like snack. If you go with canned fruit, the healthy option is to pick fruit canned in 100% juice. Heavy syrup is the worst, but light syrup isn’t very health either. These syrups just add sugar to a food that is already plenty sweet enough the way nature gives it to us. Just remember, fresh food is always the healthiest choice and most of it packs and travels perfectly well.

Honey is potentially dangerous as it can be contaminated with the spores that cause botulism. The young child’s immune system is not capable of tolerating and fighting these bacteria like adults are and can become ill. Some sources say that it is not safe to feed to a child less than one year, while others recommend holding off until age four. It is best to consult your physician for appropriate guidance, but hold off giving honey to your small child until you have done so.

It would make life a lot easier if they were, but portion size and serving size are not the same. A serving size is what is recommended, for example, by the Food Guide Pyramid. Different foods have different serving sizes and it is recommended that you eat a certain number of servings per day. For example, a child between the ages of 4 and 8 should get 5 ounces from the meat and beans group of the food guide pyramid per day. This correlates to 5 ounces of meat or 5 ounces of peanut butter, just to name a couple of options. It is easy to see how this could be met in one meal and then exceeded in others. Eating too much from one food group can lead to reduced intake from other groups or to weight gain from excessive intake overall.

The portion size is different and can be much bigger than a serving. You may be served a steak or a chicken breast in a restaurant that is equal to more than all the servings of protein you should eat in one day, yet you eat it all in one sitting. Or you may have a package of crackers, even a small package, which contains two to three servings in that one small bag. A bagel is equivalent to 4 ounces of grains, which are almost all the grains a child between 4 and 8 should consume in any given day. In all of these cases, it is easy to consume the whole thing without understanding how many servings you are eating. This problem is universal for adults and children, but you can help your child by teaching them to read and understand nutrition labels, and by breaking portions in to more appropriate sizes, especially when dealing with restaurant meals and packaged foods.

If you are going for pre-packaged snacks, like a snack bar, choose the ones with the least number of ingredients, or make sure all of the ingredients are recognizable real food items, unlike high fructose corn syrup, mono-and diglycerides, methylcellulose, or calcium phosphate (all of which are in Nutri-Grain bars). A great alternative to these are the Annie’s brand of organic granola bars or Clif bars. Both of these brands use only wholesome organic ingredients, are still affordable, and taste delicious! You can find them at most grocery stores, as well as Target. Besides snack bars, we always recommend grabbing fruits or veggies in a snack bag. Or for something more interesting that you can prepare ahead of time, check out our fun snack recipes for kids.

We never recommend the use of Splenda (or other artificial sweeteners) for children or adults. There are many scientific studies suggesting serious risks and side effects. These are products of chemical engineering, manufactured in laboratories. They are not natural, from the earth, as we were intended to eat. A good rule of thumb: Only eat food that your great grandmother would have recognized as food. Make sure you read the ingredients (not only the nutrition facts!) on packaged foods to find out what form of sugar is used. Sucralose is found in Splenda and often gets overlooked in the list of ingredients. Watch out for those claims on the front of packages saying “low sugar”; it may have simply been replaced with sucralose.

The white whole wheat is still made from a whole wheat kernel, just a different variety (hard white spring wheat) than traditional whole wheat flour which is made from hard red spring wheat which gives it the brown color. The white wheat does have a lighter color, lighter texture and milder taste, so it can be swapped in for all-purpose without anyone noticing! However, it seems that many companies choose to use only some white whole wheat flour and add more regular white (all-purpose or bread) flour. Then they add a source of fiber to bump that number up on the label. This might seem okay, but from what we know about fiber, it seems that the biggest health benefit comes from eating it in a natural food form versus an added or modified form. So again, just carefully read those ingredient labels!

Coffee has been shown to have some benefits to children and adults alike, such as improving concentration and school test performance. However, moderation is key, as it is with any other caffeinated substance. Coffee can be a huge source of refined sugar (which has its own commonly known side effects) and caffeine. In addition, it is known as a diuretic and digestive irritant. Caffeine has both benefits and disadvantages as well. However, the disadvantages and risks seem to outweigh the benefits, especially when intake begins at a young age. Caffeine can cause stress on the adrenal glands (which greatly reduces your energy level) and can block absorption of vitamin C. Vitamin C is known to strengthen your immune system, as well as aid in the absorption of iron to avoid an iron-deficiency. Coffee is also known to be very addictive as an energy dependency. Thus, we don’t encourage this habit to begin in childhood.