Why Variety is Key in Feeding Kids
Do you find yourself sending your kids off to school with the same lunch in their backpack every single day? Having had the same breakfast as usual, and with a rotation of only a handful of dinners to look forward to? If that’s the case, you might find yourself stuck in a food rut!
In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy for parents to fall into a routine of serving the same few meals to their kids. After all, once you’ve identified meals that they will actually eat, it is understandable that those become go-to. However, variety is essential. It allows us to explore new flavors and textures and ensures that we are getting a diverse array of nutrients. Here are 5 tips to promote variety when feeding kids:
- Rotate Within Each Food Group
Aim to include 4-5 food groups in each meal and 2-3 for snacks (the food groups are fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy products). Each food group provides an array of essential nutrients that support growth, development, and overall health, and there are numerous options to choose from within each group. Offering a diverse assortment exposes children to a wide range of flavors, textures, and nutrients. It also prevents monotony and boredom with repeated meals and can help keep children interested and engaged.
For example, if your little one enjoys rice, try experimenting with couscous or quinoa. If yogurt is usually available, try cottage cheese or kefir. If your preschooler asks for sliced apples every day for snack, explore different varieties of apples. It is a great idea to take advantage of seasonal produce to add variety to your meals throughout the year. Using fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season can help create vibrant and flavorful dishes.
2. Change It Up
Get creative with how you prepare and present meals. For example, if you know your child enjoys mashed potatoes, serve them roasted next time. You can try out different cooking methods and experiment with grilling, roasting, steaming, sautéing, braising, or baking to bring out different flavors and textures in your ingredients.
3. Don’t Serve The Same Thing Twice
Do a quick scan as you plan meals, whether it is the day before or a few days out, and make an effort to plan meals with variation. Try basing dinner on a different main component every night of the week. For example, Monday: chicken, Tuesday: pork, Wednesday: vegetarian, Thursday: fish, Friday: beef, etc. You could also choose a different cuisine every evening. For example, Monday: Italian, Tuesday: Mexican (hello Taco Tuesday!), Wednesday: Thai, Thursday: Greek, etc. The same also works for breakfast; Monday: toast with eggs, Tuesday: yogurt parfait, Wednesday: cereal with fruit, Thursday: smoothie, Friday: pancakes, etc.
4. Try A New Recipe
Commit yourself to trying a new recipe on a regular basis. This may be once a week, twice a month or whatever your schedule and bandwidth allows for. Get inspiration from cookbooks, food magazines, and online food blogs. Experiment with recipes from different sources and adapt them to suit your taste preferences and cooking style. Recruit your children to help browse for recipes. When they are invested in the selection and cooking process, they are often more interested in trying it. Better yet, let the kids select and prepare the meal as much as their age and ability allows.
5. Keep Track of Favorites
Keep a running list of fan favorites from those new dishes. It is hard to please everyone, but once in a while you will come across a meal that everyone digs into happily, and you are going to want to remember that one! I keep a simple list in the notes section on my phone, and I will put that meal on the menu regularly though not often enough for everyone to get tired of it.
Adding variety to your meals takes some effort, but once you are in that mindset, even these steps become routine. To summarize, make sure you are regularly rotating through each food group instead of relying on the same few items, experiment with different ways of preparing or serving familiar foods, add variety by serving something different every day of the week, and make a commitment to regularly try new recipes. Happy cooking!
