Healthy Food Choices for Kids
I don’t have to tell you, being a parent is hard. It’s hard to know what is right for your kid. Then, you add in social media, and it’s like WHOA! Talk about feeling like you’re a bad parent… I try to give myself some grace and acknowledge that I am doing my best with the information that I have been given/researched. Most of the parents that are messaging me on Instagram have no idea where to begin in regards to “cleaning up” their child’s diet. These are the messages that have inspired this blog post!
In this post, I am going to cover what I typically feed my toddler daughter in a day, what ingredients I avoid for her, and why we avoid them. Keep in mind, this is not medical advice- this is just what works for my family. Here we go!
[DISCLAIMER]: Keep in mind I am not a doctor and this is NOT medical advice. This post may contain affiliate links meaning I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links. I only recommend products I love and trust. To see our full disclosure, click here.
Ingredients We Avoid
This list could get extensive. So, in the spirit of not overwhelming, I am going to start with 4 of the basics- the ones I believe are the MOST important to address immediately. A place to start for you and your kiddos! (If you're interested in a more extensive list, click the button below to get a free download of harmful ingredients we avoid!)
Soy
On an ingredient label: soy, soy lecithin, soybean oil
Soy is notorious for a lot of things that most people are not probably familiar with. The main reason I don’t give Libby anything with soy in it is because it effects our hormones. Imbalanced hormones = total chaos in our bodies. On all of the bioenergetic tests I have done for clients, I would say about 85% of people have a sensitivity to soy show up! There’s a reason! Our bodies can’t effectively process it because it is normally genetically modified. Genetic modification means it is most likely sprayed with a pesticide like Round Up. Have you seen the commercials circulating around about that junk? “You may be compensated for being exposed to Round Up”- that statement speaks for itself. If an adult can’t handle soy, then a baby darn sure can’t.
I want you to know that soy is in A TON of stuff. Take a look at the stuff in your pantry. Your go-to items. Your yummy snacks. I bet they have soy. Use the "On an ingredient label" above to navigate whether you have soy in your pantry. Here’s some common items/brands that have soy in them: Oreo cookies, Hidden Valley Ranch, Quaker Chewy Bars, Poptarts, Little Bites Muffins.
This list is NO WHERE NEAR all inclusive. For example, soy is also in a very popular brand’s chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, pre-made lunches for kids, ice cream, etc.
I WILL say- I have never seen soy in anything organic that we buy. Now, that is not to say that it is not in ANY organic stuff, but so far- that's been true for me.
Gums
On an ingredient label: xantham gum, guar gum, carrageenan, gum(s)
Gums are used to thicken things- think anything creamy that really shouldn’t be so thick. I have found gums in a few surprising areas, but of course each brand is different, so you’ll want to read ingredients no matter what.
The issue with gums is that it is extremely hard on our gut to digest. If our gut is distressed from trying to digest gums, it isn’t going to effectively break down our food. If our food is not properly broken down, we won’t retain the nutrients that we need. It could also cause constipation because your intestines are having to work double time to break down the undigested food that the gut passed on.
Some items with gums: Pizza Lunchables, Hidden Valley Ranch, Fruit by the Foot, Nutrigrain bars, Poptarts. I avoid gums at all cost, but it is in a lot of dairy alternative “milks”. When I am at home, I buy the cleanest brand of alternative milk (Malk brand- YUM). If we have regular milk, we do either raw milk or organic milk that is grass fed.
Artificial & Processed Sugars
On an ingredient label: sucralose, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup
I could go down the fake sugar (sucralose, aspartame) hole for days. The bottom line is, it’s been linked to cancer. There’s studies out there- you can google that yourself. I don’t believe in ANY artificial sugar. If we are eating sugar, it’s going to be real.
Let’s be clear- high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup are not real- they're processed. They’re man made. Normally with petroleum, which is used to make things like gasoline and kerosene. Would you go and eat either of those things? Nope. So, why would we eat something that is made from that? I don’t know, but we do. A lot. Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are in a lot of things- you should read the ingredients label and see! Some items that contain it: Lucky Charms Cereal, Oreo cookies, Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, Nacho Lunchables, Welch’s Fruit Snacks, Uncrustables. Both of these sweeteners are linked to obesity, mainly because it has an addicting factor. It's sweet. It's what makes all of those snack goodies yummy, so then we crave more.
Food Dyes
On an ingredient label: red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue lake 30, green 3, carmine (made from a bug), caramel color
Food dyes can be linked to contamination with carcinogens (cancer causing agents), can negatively effect children’s ability to learn properly, can cause hyperactivity in children, and is another thing made from petroleum. The fact of the matter: it is manmade and it is bad for our bodies.
Here’s some items with food dyes: Sodas, Haribo gummy bears, Swiss Rolls, Kraft Macaroni, Fun Dip, Takis chips. Something you can do in regards to food dye is look up the rules/guidelines for food dyes in other countries. We are one of the only countries who allow certain ingredients in our foods in general- especially food dyes.
What My Daughter Eats
***Libby was 13 months old at the time of this blog post***
You’ve probably read that list and feel overwhelmed. You’re probably thinking to yourself- what the heck DOES Libby eat. The simple answer is: real food. I try to feed her as much animal protein, vegetables and fruit as possible. I especially believe in eating the rainbow, so I try to make each of her plates as vibrant as possible.
Baby Led Weaning
Libby is over 2 years old now, but whenever she first began eating around 6 months, I followed the baby led weaning method. A great resource I found (thanks for the recommendation, Leah) was 101 Before One. I followed them on Instagram and I eventually purchased their digital “cook book”. The idea behind baby led weaning is that your baby is eating whatever food you’re eating- just modified a little. You give them pieces of food that is soft and can be mashed on the roof of their mouth with their tongue (imagine something like steamed broccoli). They also begin with foods that are French fry shaped so that they can easily grip and control feeding themselves. This is not a step by step of how to utilize baby led weaning. I recommend purchasing a book or doing more in depth research! Baby led weaning allowed me to feed Libby food that was nutrient dense and not processed- real food. She did not eat baby food ever.
Below is an example of what Libby would eat throughout the day on any given day. Yes, Libby even eats like this at daycare!
I try to be really intentional about the brands/things I am giving Libby. For example, the breakfast sausage she eats is the only one I could find at our Publix that doesn't have added ingredients or nitrates- it's not organic although I'd like if it was. Simple Mills brand uses simple ingredients in all of their stuff, so I feel comfortable using their muffin mix with her. Any meat that we give Libby is grass fed and/or organic. Even if we can't afford to eat organic that week, we always buy Libby's stuff organic. If I make her a smoothie, I may do a cup of Malk, frozen organic blue berries, an organic banana, flax seeds and maybe some PB2 powder (peanut butter).
As far as drinks: Libby had breast milk once or twice a day still. Otherwise, she was/is drinking high quality, filtered hydrogen water from our water machine. I do not give her juice and I don’t think you should until they’re at least 2 years old and only if it is 100% fruit juice. Even now that she is 2 years old, we rarely give her anything other than our hydrogen water.
Do What You Can
Now, here’s a full disclaimer: I am not perfect. Libby has definitely had dyes and corn syrup before. She is 2 years old and sees what other kids are eating and naturally wants some. She will have things with added sugars but it’s organic and made with cane sugar- none of the fake stuff. The point is: she gets some goodies but it doesn’t have artificial junk in it.
I am under no illusion that my child will go through her life without eating some of the things on this list . Heck, I was raised on that junk. BUT I will do whatever I can to limit her exposure as much as reasonably possible. Will I have a come apart if I find out she had a red popsicle full of corn syrup and red 40? Potentially. But I will live. She will live. And she will be okay because she isn’t eating that every day. That’s all we can do for our kids- provide them with the best that we can and let life play its course.
If you’re looking for my recommendations on snacks, breakfast, and lunch ideas- Read My Balanced Snacks Blog Post.
If you're looking for healthy swaps for your child, grab your free digital copy of healthy snacks/lunch swaps for kids!