Feeding your kids can be a real challenge. Finding foods that are both nutritious and kid-friendly is a task, and it’s easy for moms and dads to give in to selecting foods that are less than healthy, to give in to finicky eaters!
Feeding your children healthy foods is important, however. In fact, it’s too important to just give in to what is easy. The CDC’s statistics on childhood obesity are pretty grim. In 1980, kids aged 6 to 11 years had an obesity prevalence of about 7 percent. Today, that number is nearly 20 percent. Likewise, kids between the ages of 12 and 18 have an 18 percent obesity prevalence, and many of those kids are morbidly obese. What’s causing it and what are the effects?
Causes of Childhood Obesity
I strongly believe that the standard American diet is the cause of obesity in our kids. Today’s foods that are marketed towards kids are salty, fat-laden, sugary, chemical brews that bear very little resemblance to the foods kids ate 20 years ago. In the past few decades, ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup have become nearly ubiquitous in foods targeted at kids and adults. If you judiciously read ingredient labels, you’ll be surprised to find just how many products contain HFCS, which has been linked in several studies to obesity, fatty liver disease, and other health problems. Likewise, inactivity may also be contributing to the obesity epidemic. When I was a child, I spent my time building forts in the woods next to my parents house and playing lots of different ball games. Today, you’re more likely to see kids wired into computers, ipads, television, and video games instead of spending time getting healthy exercise and play.
Effects of Childhood Obesity
I’ve heard parents say, “So my child is a little chubby. They seem pretty healthy otherwise, so what’s the harm?”
Truthfully, there’s a lot of harm in long-term obesity that begins in childhood. Some of the effects include:
- High cholesterol and triglycerides
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
- Increased risk of type 2 diabetes
- Increased risk of bone and joint problems
- Increased risk of social and psychological issues related to stigmas associated with obesity
- Increased risk of many diseases including certain cancers
- Lack of knowledge about healthy lifestyle choices
- Greater risk of obesity as an adult with the attendant problems
Making Healthier Choices
Clearly helping your child develop habits that will allow them to live long and healthy life is essential. I’ve also read that it takes an average of 8-15 times for a child to adopt a new food, whereas most parents give up after offering a new food to their child after 5 times. As a parent, you have a lot of influence on the choices your child makes, because you control their environment. Let’s take a look at some surprisingly unhealthy foods for kids and better choices you can help them make.
1. Kids’ yogurt
Yogurt seems healthy, right? After all, it’s wholesome dairy products and fruit. Unfortunately, yogurt has two things that are detrimental to health: dairy products and tons of sugar. Most people cannot process dairy products well. Not only that, but many dairy products are loaded with hormones and antibiotics that can interfere with your child’s own hormones.
Yogurts marketed specifically to children, particularly the “fun” yogurts in tubes are super high in sugar, artificial colorings, and other chemicals. Read the label and you’ll see they often contain high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, and artificial colors.
A better choice: Coconut yogurt or chia seed pudding.
2. Instant Oatmeal
If you read The Beauty Detox Solution, you’ll know I am a fan of organic, whole-grain oat groats. So how bad can instant oatmeal be? After all, it’s oats and it’s really quick and easy to make. Surely it must be better than sugary kids’ cereals.
You’d be surprised! Instant oatmeal tends to be just as high in sugar as other cereals marketed to kids – sometimes as high as 12 grams of sugar per serving in certain flavors like maple. Additionally, some instant oats may be contaminated with gluten during manufacturing. If your child is gluten sensitive (and may are), then this can cause a real problem.
A better choice: Try steel-cut oatmeal (look for products labeled gluten-free), kasha cereal, or buckwheat granola.
3. Fruit Juice
Many parents offer their kids fruit juice as a healthier alternative to soda. Package labeling may also make promises like “100% of….” or “all-natural.” These labels can mislead parents into believing they are offering their kids a healthy beverage when actually what they are giving them is sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other chemicals. The label may not supply much help when you read them, and in reality, you may be giving your children nothing more than sweetened vitamin-enhanced water. Likewise, juice lacks the fiber that whole fruit contains.
A better choice: Coconut water (has sugar, but at least is a more natural alternative, especially if they are active. You can wean down portion sizes over time), fresh homemade lemonade, herbal iced tea with stevia, or whole fruit, sliced and wrapped to prevent oxidation. Also, start getting them used to just drinking plain water!
4. Fish Sticks
Fish has the reputation for being a lot healthier than other foods like chicken nuggets or beef, but is it really? Fish sticks are often breaded, full of GMO corn bi-products, deep fat-fried, and full of chemicals. In fact, many even contain HFCS and other artificial ingredients that can contribute to obesity. They may also be made from cuts of fish contaminated with PCBs and other contaminants frequently found in fish.
A better choice: Veggie sticks with (homemade) hummus
5. Peanut Butter
This is a very popular kid food, and parents think it’s pretty healthy since it contains nuts. Peanuts are, in fact, legumes and not nuts. Non-organic peanuts are one of the most pesticide saturated foods in the Western diet. Peanuts are also especially prone to developing fungi (up to 24 types according to one study!) and toxic mold. One strain commonly found in peanuts is aflatoxin, which is a chemical carcinogen 20 times more toxic than DDT. Is that really what you want to be feeding your kids? I also noticed on a commercial peanut butter brand that a guest brought into my clients’ home recently there was trans fats included in the ingredient list (!). That is equally frightening, but another discussion altogether.
A better choice: Almond butter! Make almond butter bugs on a log over celery with raisins.
6. Rice Cakes
Parents worried about their kids’ weight often offer rice cakes as snacks. Made from white rice, there is very little nutritional value in these snacks, so although low in calories rice cakes contain empty calories that won’t fill kids up. It’s just like giving them a puck-shaped mound of carbs. This often means that shortly after having a “healthy” rice cake snack, they’ll be on the hunt for something more satisfying.
A better choice: Gluten-free crackers or some raw almonds.
7. Breakfast Bars
Read the label of breakfast or granola bars and you’re likely to discover the first ingredient is “enriched flour.” Next usually comes the ubiquitous sugar, listed in all its different alias, or HFCS, and you’ll often find other chemicals as well. While these foods appear to be healthy, they are actually filled with empty calories that make hunger return in about an hour. You’ll save calories by providing your child a real meal that fills them up first thing in the morning.
A better choice: Have a GGS with some extra banana to give it a yummy, kid-friendly flavor. I give the GGS to so many of my client’s kids! About 25 minutes later, give them some almonds to snack on, some steel-cut oatmeal (as discussed above) or some millet bread toast.
Finally, I want to conclude with pointing out that it is crucial to lead by example. Your kids won’t really get healthier until you make healthier choices yourself. Make the commitment as a family to make better food choices.
Only stock the home with healthy choices. Your kids might throw a hissy fit at first, demanding, “Where is my Captain Crunch?!” or “I don’t like that kind of oatmeal. I won’t eat it” or even just giving you the silent treatment and pushing away new food. Don’t worry, they won’t starve to death. In time, they have to eat something, and if all you have in the house is the healthy food they will have to try it. Plus they’ll see Mommy and Daddy eating it and commenting on how good it makes them feel. You may not be able to control all the food they eat at school or when they’re out with their friends, but at least you know they’re getting the good stuff at home.
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i have high sugar and im really scared to eat normal food so thank you so much 4 these suggestions ill be sure to try them!
Thanks for the great ideas! Some of these are obvious (fish sticks), but others are still new ideas – like going from peanut butter to almond butter and ditching dairy. We have a milk addict in our family so I think dairy will be one of the harder changes to make. Any suggestions to make that easier?
Froose is a fruit beverage that sneaks in whole-grain brown rice and no added sugar, so it’s full of nutrients and fiber instead of empty calories. There are coupons available now on CommonKindness.
(Oh, and they also make gummies.)
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Kimberely , really enjoyed your article on kids nutrition ..im the founder of duffy fitness here in newport beach and the WA in Shanghi ..weve put together a program for kids addressing exactly what youve stated …i would add more protein particularily for breakfast ..also recent studies show from 8-11 children using a professionally guided resistence training and proper diet improved self-perception , feelings and better lean mass for good body composition due to the insulin sensitivity of the foods they were informed to eat …Children will get more out of resistence training than traditional cardio type of exercise . Resistence training resembles more of the sports the play with short periods of activity , try to get a kid to do 20minutes of cardio , pretty tough ….injuries will decline as well as there body fat particularily with obese children …..i do your green drink everymorning and love the formula as my girlfriend does get up at 5 am to make them .
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Hi, what are your thoughts on bananas for adults? I know you put them in your GGS, but I know they’re full of sugar and aren’t “great” for you like vegetables and other fruits (i.e. apples). Basically, I’m trying to find a fruit/veggie based breakfast that is also filling, and I feel like a banana could do the trick but I’m hesitant. Any thoughts?
For Jenny
Hi i have used advocado in replace of the banana and added an extra apple or piece of mango i enjoy a variation of this for breakfast everyday. xx
Hi Kimberly!
I love your book as well as your blog, so much great information! My question is about the bit on peanut butter. I’ve heard it isn’t the healthiest option because of all the reasons you listed but how do you feel about organic peanut butter made from valencia peanuts? Supposedly the aflotoxin mold doesn’t grow on this type because they are grown in arid conditions. Thanks so much! I really enjoyed this article as I have a very finicky 3 year old.
So glad you called out juice. I have NEVER understood by so many parents are so darn insistent on giving kids juice. Why? It’s just drinking sugar. I especially hate the juices that proclaim themselves “100% juice”, but they’re mostly made of white grape juice, which is so refined that it is essentially just sugar without any vitamins in it whatsoever. And that Motts for Tots stuff that is supposedly healthier is literally just water, added vitamins, and white grape juice.
HI Kimberly!
Great post as usually, your blog and The Beauty Detox Solution are amazing for me. Frantic question, I jumped right to Radiant Beauty phase because I was already having your GGS for breakfast prior to reading BDS and I was nervous of cutting out fruit. I’m worried I missed a step should I go back? I will miss the GGS so much! What should I do? Also I fear the oats in the morning could be too filling and I might over eat the rest of the day because I like to snack on avocados and if I have half of one in the morning with the cereal would that be too much fat?
Thank you so much for any help!
Hi Kimberly, I respect and thank you for all your great info.
My question is a little off base but like to ask. What 5 common foods are the best for compromised digestion? I cannot afford any fancy super foods but want to get things under control. I will be making your enzyme salad which is really practical 
) Any other ideas? Thankyou for your time! Pam
I’m quite a fan of Ayurveda and their principles, but somehow there’s a mismatch with your lifestyle diet. Ayurveda very much promotes the use of dairy, while this diet ( and many others) simply advises to cut on almost all dairy products. I read that Kim also spent time studying Ayurveda, so I’m really curious why there’s such a restriction on dairy, even for kids.
Hi Kim,
I follow all of the above suggestions for my 3 year old. I have eliminated her dairy. I do allow her 1 oz of goat or coconut yogurt 2 times a week for when she’s in school. She never gets juice, except when I make her a apple, carrot, celery, and tomato juice from my juicer. The only bars I give her are Larabars or others that have no sweetners of any kind added. It’s only almond butter at my house and I’ve never thought to buy rice cakes. I’m vegetarian so no fish sticks although she does it soy isolate products b/c she LOVES morningstar sausages. I do buy Quorn too and she eats their fake chicken patties.
Plus, she’s never had candy/ soda/ anything artificial.
BUT!!!, the order at which she eats is ALL over the place. I can try to fill her up on fruit in the morning, but she won’t eat much and then at night be begging for it.
And veggies, forget it. Sometimes she eats tomatoes or carrots but has stated that she will never eat broccoli or spinach. and her beloved cauliflower is now on the hate list too. Maybe I can get her to take a few mouthfuls of my GGS every couple of days.
So though she doesn’t eat anything bad, I don’t feel she eats that much of the truly good stuff.
AND YET STILL she’s mildly obese. Her BMI is 65. So it stresses me out but I don’t want her to have a bad body image or have a bad relationship w/ food either.
Any suggestions???
I was just thinking yesterday about childhood obesity. It really makes me sad to see children that are overweight! Lack of exercise and poor diet really make a difference even early in life. It seems if we can start feeding our children well they will have a much happier life! I’m glad to be starting my diet changes now so when I have children I can start them off healthy!
Thank you for this blog. I have a three year old who is super active and I have been trying to find healthy packable snacks to send to daycare with him. I have been drinking the GGS for about 2 months and I let him be a part of the process when I make a batch. He has tried it, but doesn’t like it although I try to get him to drink some everyday. I will try adding the extra banana for him next time. (He does eat raw veggies like spinach & kale).
It would be great if you could include a blog that suggests lunchbox solutions and possibly include some nut free options. There is a child with a nut allergy in his preschool room, so nothing with nuts is allowed.
Thanks again!
Hello Kimberly, I love the GGS, but after having it for a month, decided to return to the blossoming beauty phase. I found that reintroducing fruit in my diet really intensified my sugar cravings, and I felt a little weightier. Do you think this is because I still have my candida issue and my body is not taking to fruit as well as it could be? I’m currently eating a large bowl of greens and raw rolled oat cereal for breakfast. Am I still getting the same benefits from the greens as I would if they were blended in the GGS? How long should I stay on blossoming beauty?
Thank you very much! Julia xx
Hi Kimberly,
Always really enjoy all your blogs. I read recently that you no longer use grapeseed oil to cook with. I only use it when I make your east west baked veges, which I love! I have tried coconut oil once, but tasted the coconut flavor too much, which really put me off. (I’m not a huge fan of coconut flavored things). Can you only buy coconut oil in solid form? Do you recommend a certain brand? I would like to try it again as I know how much you believe in it. Is there a way of using it that it doesn’t make all food take on such a coconut flavor? Also, is it ok to use flaxseed oil in place of olive oil for salads you recommend in your book?
Different topic altogether, but would love your opinion on laser hair removal. Also, are you still working on your own skin care range? That is something I truly look forward to trying!!!
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Julia xx
This is awesome. I’m happy to be able to recommend this to my friends and readers! It’s nice to offer concrete tips on what TO do instead of just what not to do. What is GGS? Glowing Green Smoothie? I just got your book so I’m still learning your lingo
super excited though! Also, nervous.
Hello Kimberly,
What is a GGS? A better choice: Have a GGS with some extra banana to give it a yummy, kid-friendly flavor. I give the GGS to so many of my client’s kids!
Thanks,
Monique
Reply to Monique: GGS = Glowing Green Smoothie. If you put that in to the search option on Kimberly’s site, you will get the recipe for it. It’s amazing. I thought it would be really tough to get through, but I honestly love the taste and my body craves it if I miss a morning. It’s a definite do.
I love this list. It is a great reminder to stay away from processed food. Feed yourself and your kids food as close to the earth as possible. Although sometimes we do enjoy brown rice cakes.
One thing I do for juice is juice it myself. I will get a flat of organic apples from costco and run them through the juicer. My kids feel like they are getting yummy juice and I feel good about it. (we have fun with all sorts of fruits and veggie combinations)
I think this article is just as good for the adults! I really enjoyed this post, thank you!
Great suggestions, Kim! I’d also like to add sunflower seeds and berries to your list. My kids love fresh berries — they’ll actually fight over them. They also love sunflower seeds (even raw) because they’re small for small hands.
Hi Kim,
Thanks so much for all of your great information and advice!
I have a question on rice. I am trying to avoid gluten and simple carbodhydrates as I believe I have candida. Are whole grain arborio and whole grain brown rice okay to eat? I sometimes buy rice cakes and risotto made with those kinds of rice and the nutrition labels say 0 sugars.
Thanks!