Grocery stores are really fond of marketing healthy foods to parents and adults looking for a “healthy” snack.
Knowing the marketing industry, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not, especially with things like GMOs going unlabeled in the US.
Feeding our children the best foods should always be at the top of our priorities, and that’s why we wanted to talk about 9 “healthy foods” that you should take a second look at!
Formuland is focused on bringing parents the best information to make decisions on what to give children through our blog and site. Making informed choices to pick real healthy foods requires some research, so we’ve done that for you!
We specialize in bringing the best baby formula and children’s products into the homes of parents across the US so that kids everywhere can benefit.
When it comes time to buy the next round of groceries, step away from the grocery store and head to the internet!
Why do the extra work?
There are plenty of reasons why parents need to take the extra time to figure out what foods are truly healthy and which ones are wolves in sheep clothing!
It seems like each box in the store says “healthy!” in big letters, but a close look at the ingredients shows a list of words we can’t pronounce.
Giving children food that isn’t healthy (even accidentally!) can lead to some serious health problems. Getting good nutrition is needed for developing brains and bodies.
Children who get healthy foods are also shown to be happier and more active, dwindling down the possibility of childhood obesity.
What are 9 healthy kids foods that aren’t that great?
Since there’s so much information out there, we wanted to highlight our top 9 healthy kids foods that are deceiving.
You may be surprised at the foods on this list, and it’s Formuland’s recommendation to take a second look and replace these items with healthier alternatives!
Kids’ yogurt
There’s a myth that’s been around for longer than anyone can count and it’s that kids don’t like healthy food.
So have you ever wondered why there are so many things branded just for kids that claim to be healthy, yet will keep kids begging for more?
Kids yogurt is one of these tricky products. Yogurt is good for you and it contains great probiotics and protein.
But these kids yogurt brands have a trick up their sleeves: sugars and artificial flavors.
Anyone who has ever had a real strawberry knows that many strawberry flavored products taste nothing like the real thing. Why? Because that natural flavor can’t be copied and mass produced!
So while yogurt is good for your kid, try swapping out those kids brands for greek yogurt sweetened with your child’s favorite fruit and some honey.
Fruit cups
Speaking of fruit, we know that these are nature’s “candy” and there are so many different fruits that our kids can find one they like.
When it comes to fruits, it may be easy to grab a fruit cup to pack in your little one’s lunchbox, but be careful.
These fruits are a far cry from the real thing. They’ve been preserved with chemicals to get those long expiration dates and they’re packed with extra sugars!
“Healthy” cereals
Getting healthy grains into your child’s diet is important, and there are tons of cereal brands that are shifting from the cookie cereals of our past to protein-rich alternatives.
These sweet treats are marketed as being healthy cereals for kids – luring them in with chocolate nibs and the promise of healthy and happy kids.
But like many of these products, cereals are packed with artificial flavors and added sugars. In the end, it’s possible that the cookie cereal may have been a bit “healthier” than that health-branded box you ended up buying.
Fish sticks
One way to get kids to eat fish is through fish sticks. It’s a nation-wide favorite and we can’t blame kids– they’re pretty tasty!
But fish sticks have a few hidden negatives to them. For one, we can never seem to be sure what kind of fish is inside them.
The breading and frying of fish sticks is also a concern, especially because fried foods can lead to obesity.
Overall, though delicious, they’re high in calories and are also overly processed to create that uniform white fish “patty” inside of the fish stick. Other alternatives are oven-roasted seasoned fish with bread crumbs on top.
Chicken nuggets
Chicken nuggets are similarly problematic to fish sticks. They’re a kid favorite, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a kid who refused to eat chicken nuggets.
However, chicken nuggets are over-processed and may contain ingredients that aren’t often expected, like bone and other organs.
Skipping over-processed, fried, and frozen chicken nuggets to make your own at home that are baked can be a healthy alternative to your chicken nugget-loving tot!
Snack bars
Thinking snacks like granola bars are a trap that many adults fall into. They’re marketed as healthy snacks we can take on the go, and kids love the different flavors they can come in.
While oats and grains on their own are great for you, many of these snack bars add too much sugar to bond the grains together and add in chocolate drizzles to make it taste even better.
Instant oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great food to feed your kids. It’s healthy and linked to lowering cholesterol levels.
But instant oatmeal is a different story. These easy packages are full of sugars and artificial flavors as well as oats that taste different from the oats you can get regularly.
Instead, try making overnight oats to treat your kids with in the morning!
Lunch meats
We grew up with turkey and bologna sandwiches being a staple in our diet. But there’s new information that lunch meats are a tricky food.
They’re processed and packed with chemicals to lengthen their shelf life, for one. Then there’s the link that eating lunch meats can increase your chance of getting cancer by 18%!
So avoiding lunch meats as much as possible and swapping them out for fresh baked meats is your healthiest choice.
Juices
Our final healthy kids’ food that needs to be out of your pantry is juice!
Oftentimes, we think that fruit juice is a great way to get our kids to get the nutrients that fruits can offer us. But, similar to a lot of children’s products, fruit juice is packed with sugars, artificial colors and flavors, and are often only a small percentage of real juices.
It’s good to keep all juice to a minimum, just like sodas, but opt for 100% non-concentrated juice if you want to treat your tot!
Which healthy kids’ snacks do you feed your children?
