Quick Eating Healthy Ideas for Kids with Food Allergies

Eating healthy ideas don’t have to be complicated, I think simple is always better! As a mom with two beautiful children, that I not only want to feed healthy but also have to avoid Gluten and dairy, it can be challenging to come up with new ideas for snacks.  If you have young children, I want to highly recommend feeding them whole foods in a large variety while they are young so they are comfortable with them as they get older. 

Bowen, my 18 month old, will eat anything I put in front of him, so I take advantage of that and mix together a variety of foods and serve them to him in a dish with his own spoon.  If you have a child that has food sensitivities, or you suspect that they do, keeping a food journal can help you pin point which ones are the nuisance.  For Bowen, I notice that he tends to get a rash behind his back and on his tummy when something doesn’t agree.  I let him run around in his diaper at least once a day so I can check for any new marks on his body.  Oh the fun of having sensitive children. One of his favorite snacks is avocado and grapes.  He loves avocado and I have found that it helps his skin with all the omega 3 fatty acids it has!  They are excellent source of unsaturated fatty acids and have a higher proportion of this 'good' fat than any other fruit, except the olive. Yes they are fruits, even though they are often mistaken for vegetables. Grapes are rich in flavonoids and are a good source of quick energy for kids. Grapes can also prevent (or reduce) constipation, gouts, skin and liver disorders, blood clots, and help fight viruses.  

 

Now my seven year old, Arleena, loves this snack…I use my two tiered steamer and prepare lots of squash that I can easily mash up with a little honey for Arleena, or cut into strips for Bowen to eat in a pinch.  As long as I add a little honey, agave nectar or maple syrup to the squash, Arleena loves it as a treat.   

She also loves this kid’s salad I prepare…I chop up some spinach into really small pieces along with some chicken breast leftover from dinner, raisins, nuts and some Dayia vegan cheese.  Now the trick is the dressing and cutting everything up really small so all the flavors work together.  The dressing is balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cumin (or other spice) and honey.  Mix that together to taste and put a little throughout the salad.  I always make her helping really small so she asks for more, which I have in the refrigerator. (I also keep Fresco Chicken Sausages on hand in case I don't have left over chicken.  They are precooked so you can pop one out and heat it up real quick and they are gluten/dairy free!)  

Eating healthy ideas for kids with food allergies can be simple as these quick ideas I make for my kids all the time.  And the best part is they LOVE them!