Are your kids’ picky eaters? Well maybe you’re just feeding them boring foods. 

October is Healthy Habits Month at Kids in the Game! We’re practicing healthy habits across all of our programs to make sure your kids are growing up healthy and strong. When we think of healthy food, we often imagine bland vegetables and plain meals, reinforcing the belief that fueling ourselves and our kids properly is neither delicious nor fun. 

As adults we have the privilege to pick and choose what we eat, so we also choose our own health consequences willingly. However, kids are restrained to the foods that their parents or guardians prepare or buy them.       

Intaking the correct nutrients is vital for a child’s overall development, cognitive function for their day-day life, and most importantly for their future health.    

Because kids are subject to what their caretakers feed them, when given the freedom to choose, kids may turn to unhealthy but more attractive food choices that are loaded with processed ingredients and sugars. These bad eating habits can hurt a child by following them for the rest of their life.

Before you accept that your child is destined to be a picky eater, take a look at the recipes below to find out if their current diet is just plain boring.  

Eggs

Don’t be scared of eggs!

They are an excellent source of protein, fat, Vitamins A, D, E and B12 and choline. They also have omega-3 fatty acids which can aid in children’s brain development.

Eggs are a great food to feed your kids in the morning, as they carry up to six grams of protein per serving. And as another bonus, eggs will keep your kid’s appetite more satisfied throughout the day than a breakfast full of pastries or fried foods. All good things in moderation, right?  

Turkey Tacos

What kid doesn’t love tacos?

Not many. But most parents would prefer their kids to consume less saturated fat when they decide to have a Taco Tuesday. That’s why substituting ground beef for ground turkey is a great way to allow your children to experience the joy of eating tacos without the threats to their health.  

Leaner cuts of ground turkey have more protein than ground beef, with 99% ground turkey sitting at 28 grams per four ounces! Also, on most occasions, turkey is less calorically dense than ground beef as well.

Additions to this meal that will keep your child fuller include:

• Bell Peppers (Great source Vitamin C)
• Shredded Cheese (Makes the meal taste better and also contains a healthy amount of fat)
• Spinach (A good way to sneak veggies into your child’s diet without them tasting it too much!)

Protein pancakes and/or waffles

There are ways to make pancakes and waffles that allow them to be packed with protein instead of unwanted sugars and processed ingredients.  

You can play around with this recipe! Blending together oats, whole wheat bread, eggs, and whey protein powder is a great way to make a great tasting pancake or waffle loaded with protein.

You can also add bananas or blueberries to incorporate fruit into the meal, plus adding flavor for a better overall taste.

Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt is a great snack for any meal of the day. Just make sure you pick a brand that has zero added sugar and is high in vitamin D and protein.

A great brand to choose is Two Good Greek Yogurt. Two Good includes flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, and peach, all while having zero added sugar, no aspartame, sucralose, or acesulfame-k and a whopping 12 grams of protein per cup.

You can also add bits of flavored rice cakes or granola to the yogurt to give it a better taste and more crunch!

Each month Kids in the Game has a different theme to tie into our recess, after school and enrichment programming. For October the theme is “Health and Wellness”. Now as a sports and fitness based organization, this one seems pretty simple! But just as our kids need reminders that French fries are not vegetables and Gatorade is not water, we wanted to create something for our coaches to remind them to make healthy choices too (and have a little fun in the process!).

For the remaining of October, we have created a Health and Wellness Bucket List and we want to challenge you to join! Take the time to think about your own healthy habits and remember changing small habits can go a long way…let’s do this!

#1- Ride your bike to work! Or go for a bike ride around your neighborhood or through the park.

Teaching our kids about health and wellness is important. But living healthy lifestyles ourselves is just as important. Kids watch and learn from everything that we do and being positive role models in all aspects of life is key. Be sure to check out our social media accounts (link them here) for updates on how our coaches are tackling these challenges.