Nutrition Ideas
For Kids

By Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD

Calorie Boosters for Kids

If needed to increase the caloric intake in a child's diet, try the following foods:

• Cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal cookies, avocados, olives.

• Pizza, raisins, dried fruits, cornbread, peanut butter, tortillas, pudding, custard, muffins, fruit, fruit juice, ice cream.

• You can also bring more calories and extra nutrients into a child's diet by adding richer foods as condiments or taste treats.  Try some of the following ideas:

• Adding grated cheese or parmesan cheese to meats, casseroles, soups and vegetables.

• Adding an extra whole egg to raw foods that are to be cooked, such as meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, puddings, and pancakes.  The raw egg must get cooked with the food.

• Adding a whey protein powder with milk, milkshakes, or in pudding.

• Using coconut oil, olive oil, and organic butter in soups, casseroles, vegetables, cooked cereals, puddings, and potatoes.

• Adding ground sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, or wheat germ to cereals, yogurt, and vegetables.

• Adding sauces and gravies to meats, pasta, rice, and vegetables.  Use salad dressings on vegetables and salads.  Use fresh culinary spices in these frequently and appropriately.

• Adding powdered dry goat's milk to baked or cooked foods before mixing in liquids.

Examples:  2 to 4 tablespoons of powdered milk to 1 cup fluid milk, or 1 cup cooked cereal, or 1 cup yogurt.  Adding 2 tablespoons of powdered milk to 1/2 cup mashed potatoes.

Do NOT use much more than the recommended amount, as the high-protein content may taste bad and harm developing kidneys.

Smooth!  Crunchy!  Juicy!

• Low-fat cottage cheese

• Carrot sticks or baby carrots

• Oranges

• Papaya

• Sugar peas

• Kiwi

• Banana

• Jicama

• Pears

• Regular yogurt

• Broccoli

• Pineapple

• Hot cereal

• Red bell peppers (the sweet, mild ones)

• Cantaloupe

Chewy!  Grainy!  Spreads!

• Dried apricots

• Bagels

• Bean dip

• Raisins

• Rice cakes

• Garbanzo bean dip (hummus)

• Dried peaches

• Corn tortillas

• Banana chips

• Whole wheat crackers

• Dates

• Dry unsweetened cereal

Variety!

Use yogurt, sour cream, or cottage cheese dips for vegetables.  Avoid low-fat dairy, because replacement carbohydrates are worse on a child than the butterfat in whole milk.

Try different crackers.  Offer melba toast or lavosh.

Be sure to encourage activities that build physical capabilities and self-esteem while stomachs are full and feelings are good.

Milk, Egg, and Wheat Allergies

Below are common foods to avoid if an allergy is suspected, with possible substitutions for the diet.

Milk Allergy

Egg Allergy

Some hotdogs, luncheon meats, many batter-dipped foods, mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, tartar sauce, many salad dressings, custards, puddings may contain egg proteins.  You must read labels.

Wheat Allergy

Wheat can be found in all these, and more:

• Farina

• Wheat bran

• Wheat-free cereals (Rice Chex)

• Instant breakfast

• Wheat germ

• Cream of rice

• Rice Krispies

• Many baked goods

• Wheat starch

• Rice cakes and crackers

• Pancakes, waffles

• Gluten

• Rye crackers

• Many cereals

• Graham flour

• Cornmeal

• Many crackers

• Durum flour

• Corn tortillas

• Breaded foods

• Vegetable gums

• Rice, corn noodles

• Flour tortillas

• Modified food starch

• Noodles

• Vegetable starches without added wheat

• Hot dogs, luncheon meats

• Malted cereal syrup

• Gravies, sauces thickened

• Hydrolyzed vegetable with cornstarch

• Worcestershire sauce

• Soy sauce

• Cakes, cookies, pies

• Semolina

• Pretzels

Sugar Reactions

If any of the following words appear on the label, the food contains sugar.  Other names for sugar are sucrose, sorbital, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, mannitol, molasses, honey, corn syrup, lactose, xylitol, xylose, maple syrup, ribose, and galactose.

Foods with high sugar content

Cookies, cakes, pies, torts, candy, gum, chocolates, sugared cereals, carbonated beverages, eclairs, Danish pastries, bearclaws, donuts.

Ice cream, sherbets, yogurts, fruit juices, jams, jellies, puddings, custards, ice cream toppings.

Canned or frozen fruits (and some types of fresh fruits).  White, brown, raw, or powered sugar.

Avoid commercial substitutions for sugar to sweeten foods.  These are products such as Nutra-Sweet™, Equal™, Sweet and Low™, Sugar Twin™, Aspartame™, and saccharin.  Read up on these if you need reasons to be concerned about putting these in your child's body.

As alternatives, try stevia, rice syrups, fructose, honey, fruit juice concentrates, or Succanat™.

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