The basics of nutrition for kids

This week we’re talking about the basics of nutrition. And here’s the number one, most important, scientific fact you need to know:

There is no magic formula, no special plan. You want the majority of your diet to be real, whole, un-processed or minimally processed food.

I know that’s a lot easier said than done, and in episodes to come we’re going to take a deep dive into the behavior change aspects. But for today we’re going to cover the basics, because I don’t want to make any assumptions on anyone’s starting point.

Let’s start with Milk.

How much milk does your child need a day, assuming they are over the age of 1?

The answer, surprisingly, is NONE!

Kids don’t need milk, they need calcium and protein. 

Now that does not mean that they shouldn’t drink milk; it’s an easy way to get that calcium. But they should not have more than 15oz per day. More than that can lead to anemia.

If your kid does not like milk you can try:

• Almond/Soy milk
• Cheese
• Unsweetened Yogurt
• Chia Seeds
• Tofu
• Oranges
• Spinach
• Almonds
• Canned whole fish 

Beverages

What should your child be drinking?

Water, water, just water, only water, more water...

1-3yo need 30oz

4-8yo need 40oz

9-13yo need 60oz

14-18yo need 60-80 oz

Some milk, is ok, unsweetened decaf iced tea is an option, seltzer water adds some variety.

Anything else, soda, sports drinks, and even 100% juice, should be limited to one severing a week. That’s right, JUICE IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU. 

One cup of juice, once per day, increased your lifetime risk of cancer by 31% (Front Nutr. 2023; 10: 1301335)

Not to mention that our bodies were not made to process that much sugar in such a short period of time

Professional athletes that work out for 8 hours a day, often in the sun, can benefit from certain sports drink. Almost all children are fine with just water. If you have a teen training for several hours in the heat, they may benefit from water with electrolytes or an occasional electrolyte tablet.

Produce

How many services of fruits and veggies do you think you and your child have daily?

For the vast majority of us, it’s not as much as it should be

More than 50% of what we put in our bodies every day should be a fruit or veggie

Think about the “My Plate” from the myplate.gov Every time we make a plate, half of it should be fruits and veggies.

A very underutilized time is breakfast. Think about what we normally have; cereal, pancakes, oatmeal. It’s just carbs. By adding half a plate of fruit or veggies mixed into your eggs, you’re giving a big boost to your breakfast and getting the day started off right

Protein

Most of us are not getting enough protein, unless we are being very intentional about it

Remember, protein does not have to come from an animal source; nuts, nut butters, Greek yogurt, beans, tofu, seeds, and quinoa are all great sources of protein.

Be sure there is protein on every plate. Again, breakfast is an underutilized opportunity. Eggs are a great breakfast option and I love that you can easily add veggies to them. Plain Greek yogurt with fruit is another. You don’t have to be afraid of bacon and sausage if you are buying quality meats without a lot of chemicals and you are keeping your carbs down (more on this later). 

Oh No, here it comes...the dreaded word...carbs!!!

Carbs don’t have to be scary. You do not have to eliminate carbs from your diet, but you do need to be carb smart! Remember, carbs, at their molecular level, are sugars. And again, our bodies just were not made to process a lot of sugar at one time. Carbs are VERY easy to overeat.

Here are my 5 golden rules of carbs

• The more natural carb, the better (so potatoes and rice are better than bread and past because they come out of the ground that way)
• Whole wheat is usually better than while. But not always. Quality matters. A white bread that you get fresh from a bakery or make yourself is going to be better than a wheat that’s full of chemicals that you bought at a big box grocery store
• Watch your portions! One quarter of your plate should be carbs. If you or your child is still hungry 15 min after finishing your plate, you can have more fruit, veggies and protein, but no seconds on carbs
• You always want to pair your carbs with fat and protein to avoid spiking your glucose and insulin (so a slice of bread with peanut butter on it is preferable to the bread a lone)
• You want to eat your carbs last. I know this one is not ideal, we don’t really eat this way. But if at all possible, start your meal with protein and produce, and have that rice of bread at the end. This also stabilized glucose and insulin

Ultra-processed Foods

The #1 best decision you can make for your family’s healthy is decrease ultra-processed foods. 

What is an Ultra-Processed food? If it didn’t exist 100 years ago, it’s and ultra-processed food (I heard this somewhere, I cannot claim to have made it up, but I think it’s very accurate) Basically, foods where the subcomponents are chemical as opposed to whole foods.

This does not have to mean giving up chips, ice cream and cookies for life. It means on occasion, get the good stuff! Go to the diary or local bakery where they use high quality ingredients.

Or even better, make it yourself! That way you control everything that goes in. You can use real butter, real sugar as opposed to cheap chemical substitutes that go into ultra-processed foods