10 Amazing Foods For Kids

Tomatoes

The clear winner because every serving packs a big dose of lycopene, an antioxidant associated with lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

Tomatoes also contain loads of vitamin C and a fair amount of fiber. If your child won’t eat them fresh, chunked, or sliced in a salad, try lightly grilling them with a little olive oil -- lycopene absorption is actually greater when tomatoes are cooked.

Next-best choice: Carrots, for the beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body, and because kids love the crunchy texture.

Picky-eater idea: Go for tiny grape tomatoes, which are sweeter (remember to cut them up for toddlers). Try a creative presentation: Your child won’t be able to resist a grape-tomato caterpillar.

 

Whole-Wheat Bread

Serve fortified bread so your kids will be getting iron, vitamins, magnesium, and zinc as well as fiber. Check the label -- whole wheat flour should be listed as the first ingredient. One way to get kids to branch out from white is to serve whole-wheat bread toasted and topped with melted cheese.

Next-best choice: Brown rice, which has more than three times the fiber of white and twice as much vitamin B6. Instant is fine. You lose a small amount of fiber, but it’s still healthier than white rice.

Picky-eater idea: Use cookie cutters to make finger sandwiches in fun shapes. Your toddler will be so excited to eat a giraffe PB&J, she may not notice that the bread is a darker color.

Blueberries

These tiny nutritional powerhouses are bursting with vitamin C and folic acid, minerals (including potassium), fiber, and disease fighting phytochemicals, shown to help prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Wow! Plus, kids like to eat them sprinkled with a bit of sugar, topped with whipped cream, added to muffins and pancakes, or plopped into oatmeal, yogurt, or cottage cheese.