101 Healthiest Foods for Kids: Eat the Best, Feel the Greatest - Healthy Foods for Kids, and Recipes Too!

by Sally Kuzemchak

Written by a mom and registered dietitian who specializes in family nutrition,  101 Healthiest Foods for Kids is an interactive guide for parents and kids to discovering what fruits, veggies, whole grains, and more are best for fueling kids' minds and bodies. Plus, find tips for selecting, serving, and prepping these wholesome foods; answers to your biggest nutrition questions; and strategies for encouraging picky eaters.

Do you and your kids love living a healthy lifestyle (or are you looking to make that a goal)? Are you curious about which  foods are  ideal for childhood nutrition ? Let 101 Healthiest Foods for Kids  be your handbook to everything whole food, no matter where you may be on your journey!

This family-friendly guide includes informational sidebars with great tips and tricks for getting kids to try new foods and make healthy choices, as well as answers to questions,   Is juice healthy? ,  Does my child need a multivitamin? , and Do kids need more protein?  

From fruits and veggies, to whole grains and protein-rich foods, you’ll find 101 full profiles on foods such On top of all that, you'll also find more than 25 quick and easy recipes you can make as a family, from  Beet & Berry Smoothies  to  Cauliflower Nuggets and Red Lentil Snack Cookies . 

Keep this colorful, easy-to-skim guide in your kitchen to grab again and again. Pick a food that's new to you, or one you love and want to get the kids excited about, and let the fun begin!

Genres: Cookbooks, Parenting, Cooking, Nonfiction, Nutrition

208 pages, Paperback

Published October 16, 2018

About the author

Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian, educator, author, and mom of two boys. She blogs at Real Mom Nutrition, a “no-judgments zone” all about feeding families that was named Best Blog for Parents by Health magazine in 2015. She serves as a Contributing Editor for Parents magazine and writes each week for their “Scoop on Food” blog. An award-winning reporter and writer, Sally has been published in nearly 20 magazines including Prevention, Family Circle, Eating Well, Fitness, and Shape. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, and in her spare time, she loads and unloads the dishwasher. Then loads it again.

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ very informative

I really enjoyed learning all about the different healthy food items. I also learnt a few new items that I had never heard of before, for example, Jicama and Kohlrabi.

I really liked that it wasn't just a book full of healthy food, it was informative. It was nice to know the health benefits, vitamins, minerals etc.. Each item contained as it gave you a better understanding what you was eating. Not just for children but adults too.

This was a nice book you could read with children too. They can look at the pictures and learn not to be scared of trying new food.
There are many educational extension activities you can do with this book. For example.... food tasting, a bingo card where you visit shops and Mark off the food items when you find them in the shops, vegetable and fruit painting,cooking with new foods.
I would love to see this book used in schools, to help teach children all about new food.

The content was split into the following Chapters :-
In each section the food source was listed in Alphabetical order,
* Vegetables
* Fruits
* Grains
* Protein- Rich Foods
* Spices & Seasoning

There was a picture of the food item then a detailed but brief explanation of the health benefits, either tips and tricks or a brief recipie idea. Ie, Brussel Sprouts.... recipe..... Cheesy Brussel Sprouts Chips.
Or
Cauliflower ..... recipe..... Cauliflower Nuggets

Overall 101 healthiest Foods For Kids, is a fun and informative book for adults and children to read, it's clear, concise and is illustrated perfectly.
I would of loved to have seen more recipes but that's just because I adore cook books.

If you are looking for a healthy read that you can enjoy with your children then give this book a try.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must for every parent. There is a lot of information, and a couple of recipes that I cannot wait to try. There are even ways to encourage kids to try new foods, and rules to eat healthy food. It ends with Top 10 lists that are practical. Many thanks to Quarto Publishing for the early copy of the book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pick up a copy even if you’re now an empty nester. Recipes include yummy “Blueberry Banana Ice Cream”, “Easy Peanut Sauce” and “Better For You Orange Julius”. Save money and time with “ Make Ahead Instant Oatmeal Packets” or “ Chocolate Breakfast Shakes”. Plus learn how to easily open a Pomegranate or make Watermelon sticks.

[Jessica Walsh-Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most helpful books about feeding your kids that I have read thus far on my parental journey.

This book provided lots of easy recipes to try and benefits of each food you can offer your kiddos.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of information on nutrition. I particularly liked that we're explained what is good about each food and why we need to eat it, how to cook them and also how to store them (great for reducing food waste and eating fresher fruits and vegetables), with tips throughout the book on how to help children eat more healthily.

I like the fact that the book is organised in alphabetical order, making it super easy to grab it quickly to find some information if you need it while cooking or something.

It is more a nutrition guide than a recipe book, however. While there are a few recipes and good ideas on how to use each food, I would have liked to see more - one recipe per food would have been perfect! We tried the breakfast smoothie recipe this morning, and it was a huge hit with my toddler, it was so tasty - it was a huge hit with me, too, but I didn't get to have much of it ;-) This is a recipe we'll use again and again in the future.

Disclaimer - I received a free digital copy courtesy of Quarto Publishing Group - Fair Winds Press and NetGalley in exchange for a an honest review.

[Bookworm Between the Sheets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the advice for understanding my child is not as a picky eater as I thought! The author gives great advice starting with defining a selective 'picky' eater in a child along with how much ideal servings of fruits and veggies a child should consume daily. ALSO I liked how the author gave great tips and not sounding like preaching about not giving your child enough healthy foods. Explaining to parents that you should not stress about their daily intake but overall dietary intake.

This book has a few recipes, but more details and suggestions for all the different food groups and how best to prepare for a child. I found this book very informative as having three young children and sometimes feeling at a loss and hopeless at the minimal healthy foods that they eat on a daily basis. The author gave easy suggestions along with parent tips on how to incorporate better foods for your child.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter loved her children's cookbooks. To this day, she still makes the brownies that she learned to make from one such cookbook.

This book, however, is not a cook-book, so much as a nutrition guide, with suggested recipes thrown in. It sounds as though the author want both parents and children to read this book, but it appears more aimed at the parents, which "Good to know" sections and "Help my kid wants to be a vegetarian".

Beautiful photos, throughout, with short, easy recipes.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the 101 healthiest foods for kids in this book came to me as a surprise, but I knew about most of them already. What was truly interesting was the daily amounts for fruit, vegetables, and grains.

There are tips on how best to store fresh fruit and vegetables, on how to encourage picky eaters to try new food.

I would recommend this book to parents, who tend to serve the same food every day and need an idea on what else is out there.

[Tapasya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. It describes the healthiest foods for kids. The description is nice and it’s colorful. I don’t know if this book is perfect or all the food mentioned are right, but what I know is that I loved the book. It was helpful to know about certain veggies or fruits and their importance in kids diet.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC.

[Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the lack of judgement in this book. I'm wary about nutrition books because they tend to put guilt into the readers heart, especially a book aimed at parents. Sally does a wonderful job of making healthier eating habits look fun and exciting rather than dreadful, especially considering the struggles many parents face trying to get picky eaters on board with healthier options. I came away from this book learning way more than I thought I would, and I loved the fun fonts and bright colors which really kept me engaged and focused a lot more than I would like to give them credit for.

The only thing that I found odd was the sprinkled-in gendered language. I understand the contexts of talking about her sons, which didn't bother me at all. What I didn't understand was why, for example, when I got to the watermelon page it was gendered. "Watermelon juice trickling down her arms." Upon finishing the book, I saw that there were a few more kids that the author recruited for help with the recipes (which did include a couple girls). I just dont understand why most of the book was sprinkled with weird, gendered language like that. I brought this up to my partner and we joked that it's because "only women eat watermelon," which is not true obviously. It's just strange. That in no way makes this book less than 5 stars as far as I'm concerned, it was just the only thing that really bothered me.

TLDR; I loved this book and I'm even thinking about using some of the tips and tricks on some grown adults that I know who "don't like fruit/veggies." 1000% recommend.

[Ilana · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Never stop trying. Yout kids (and their health) are worth it'.

Sally Kuzemchak writes from the double position as a parent and nutritionist, introducing more or less known - like jicama, for example, foods (101, to be exact) that are recommended for children - but for adults too. The book consists of short presentations, accompanied by pictures and some pearls of wisdom based on scientific facts versus various common - and not necessarily reliable - information.

Although personally I would have expected a little bit more recipes, preferably a bit complex too, the book is relatively easy to read, packed with important details about each food - veggies, fruits, grains and other foods such as eggs, honey or milk - and some simple photography. It covers a big range of issues, including various diseases, intolerances and allergies, as well as latest certified trends in the field of nutrition. Although it is basically aimed at parents by offering a variety of suggestions and information about a big list of foods, the information is equally useful for the adult preoccupied by a healthier lifestyle and menu. I liked that there are no exagerations and extreme opinions, pseudo-science and myths, but purely explanations, facts and once in a while a recipe too (at least one caught my eyes and would love to test it hopefully soon).

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press for 101 Healthiest Foods for Kids Eat by Sally Kuzemchak . This was an encyclopedia of healthy foods broken up into groups including: Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Protein Rich Foods, and Spices & Seasonings. The book starts with a quick introduction of how to eat healthy and how to get kids to eat healthy and then moves onto the foods. Each food is represented on a one or two page spread that starts with information on that food – nutritional value, ways to buy it, etc. It is very readable and information. Then some foods include recipes, “Try It” tips, tips on how to cut/prepare the food, or other questions and answers.

Each page includes a picture of the food, sometimes more than one which make the book look really nice. I enjoyed the recipes for Blueberry Banana “Ice Cream,” Make-Ahead Instant Oatmeal Packets, and many others. I also enjoyed the tips on cutting up fruits such as pomegranates and pineapples. At the end of the book are useful top ten lists such as: 10 Foods for Boosting Immunity, 10 Foods for Brain Building, and 10 Foods that Aren’t as Healthy as They Seem. The book then has a list of additional resources you can read and a really useable index with the ingredients, recipes, and other information all listed for easy reference.

Overall this is a great reference book that is easily readable and entertaining, but contains nothing really new or different.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

101 healthiest foods for kids is a family-friendly guide that includes tips and tricks for getting kids to try new foods and make healthy choices, plus answers questions that parents may have about protein or multivitamins.

This book covers fruits and veggies, whole grains and protein-rich foods, providing 101 full profiles the different foods. Also included are 25 quick and easy recipes you can make with the children.

Its an easy-to-read guide and covers children up to the age of 18, providing in age groups the amount a child should be eating. Whilst this book is primarily for the Americans, as its measured in cups and uses American terms for food names, the information included with each food is very useful, even to adults wanting to know the nutritional values for their own diets.

The book includes plenty of colour photography and is in imperial plus metric measurements in the recipes, though as already said the amount per child is only in cup measurements.

It certainly is true as the author mentions that children sometimes pick food out of a meal, but overtime they start eating it - I used to have onion rejected in spaghetti bowl - now the plate is clean, though I need to work on the courgette still!

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

101 Healthiest Foods for Kids details different foods, their nutritional benefits and then suggestions on how to serve them. It is accompanied by tips for getting kids to eat them, which I can't really comment on because my three year old would eat anything I put on his plate. So this was more for me as a mum to broaden my horizon and try things that I don't always cook, introducing him to lots of different things. I learned about some vegetables such as Jicama that I didn't even know existed. I'm not sure if I'll ever find this in the UK, but now having read about it I'd definitely pick it up and give it a go if I did see it.

This is a book that kids could enjoy looking through too and perhaps pick out things they like themselves, learning what's healthy and why. It has 25 recipes to cook as well, I'd never thought of making cauliflower nuggets, for example.

Definitely a book you want in the kitchen whether you have a fussy eater, or just want to broaden your horizon and try out some new healthy recipes.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book, for free, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is good for what it is, that being a collection of the best foods for kids. This is not a cookbook but instead describes the best proteins, fruits, veggies, grains, etc. for kids. Most health conscious people probably know most of these already so I assume this is for new parents who used to eat unhealthy or other people with less knowledge of healthy eating. There are a few recipes here and there but they are the exception. There is a good deal of useful information in the margins.

Most of the authors ideas seem to match my interpretation of modern nutrition.
That being said, she is pro grains and seems to justify that for their carb content.
I hope I am misinterpreting her point as there are plenty of non grain carbs (e.g. sweet potato,fruit).

[CM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting for the nutritional information. It listed the foods, what nutrients they have and what those nutrients are good for. It also gave tips on how to prepare, store and cook each food. I think it would be a useful book for broadening your horizons if you usually eat the same foods frequently.

I did get a couple recipie ideas that I think my kids are really going to like but there really weren't many, I would have loved a few more instead of just a couple random ones. We also don't eat much meat here so although it is not a vegetarian book it did talk about lots of alternative protein choices which I liked.

However, I found the tips for getting kids to eat them were sparse and kind of generic; not much I haven't read before and not really sure that I agree with all of them. Every parent has their own style right.

[Muriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

101 Healthiest Foods is a reference guide full of the most impactful foods to feed kids from produce to grains/herbs. Each food has a photo, the nutritional benefits, and the best way to get impact from the food. There are also tips for storage, picking ripe produce, and serving suggestions. The last section has the lists like 10 foods that aren't that healthy, foods for bedtime, and boosting immunity. This book would be great to pull out when you need to tell your kid why sweet potatoes are good for them and what nutritional boost they might expect.

Note: I was allowed an advance copy of this book to review. In no way did that affect my opinions.

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is THE book for every parents or educator who is trying to make the little kids eat better, especially eat more veggies because that is really important! This book not only give you ideas how to keep veggies (and other foods, not just veggies) simple and enjoyable, but also talks about the nutrients and why it's good.

I love the rules in this book - especially the flexibility and the never give up, but don't force the kid!

And I admit, I was craving veggies while reading this book!

[Jeanne Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Fair Winds Press for my unbiased opinion of the book. I loved this book! It is bright and colorful! I loved the recipe suggestions, helpful hints, and the all-around layout of the book. I have several young and new parents I can give this book for Christmas. I think every parent should get this book. The knowledge and reference aspect of it is invaluable!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better kid/nutrition books I’ve read lately. Her cow dairy section might be a tad out of date (newer research: kids don’t need it and it doesn’t help prevent fractures) but overall as a mom and dietitian I really enjoyed the layout and info. I even plan to try out the recipes (red lentil cookies! Come on, every dietitian-mom’s dream!). I even plan to make my kids read the last section of helpful lists, I think they will comprehend and like those.

[jess ~has abandoned GR~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may be framed for parents, but honestly, this mama doesn't eat too healthy, either! It was a great wake-up call, and full of excellent ideas for new foods to try together as a family. This is going on my Amazon wish list.
arc received from publisher

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although a lot of pieces of information in this book were good reminders that I had already known before, it was nice to see what nutrients kids can get from these foods and to be challenged to try new things. I like the organization of the book as well.

[Ruksana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because there is always ideas needed in why and how to include healthy foods into kids diets . Reminder of choosing health over convenience in bite size chunks.

[A. J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was beyond excited to get an ARC of this book from NetGalley, so it was pretty disappointing to not like it in the end. 

Maybe I didn't find this book as useful because I've been able to read other books on helping kids become healthy eaters, but this book wasn't helpful at all. Most of the tips seemed like common sense. Or else just not...useful.  There weren't as many recipes as I thought there would be, recipes that show unique ways to hide tough food, but there really wasn't that many. I think I found one in the entire book that I thought was useful. Also my ARC seemed to have a couple of strange blank pages that looked like parts of the text was just missing.

I did like that the author broke down exactly how many servings of veggies and fruit and other foods a kid needs in a day, for each age group as well.  That and the one recipe I found are the reason I didn't give the book 1 star.  
There are other more helpful books in the area that you can read, I don't recommend this one.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely informative read - perfect for parents with children or, indeed, anyone with an interest in nutrition, diet and health. I enjoyed reading it and gained a lot of information to help make healthier food choices for my family based on the content.

Thank you for the opportunity.

[Dove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this will be a great source for overwhelmed parents looking for new ideas on healthy food options for their kids. While it is not an in-depth guide, it is practical and its format is easy to follow, with a list of healthy foods that have brief descriptions about why they are healthy options and a few recipes and tips interspersed, along with a set of convenient Top Ten Lists at the end.

[Terrie Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foods that most consider healthy and some of those not considered are contained within this cookbook. Some recipes are provided.

​I enjoyed learning that some foods not considered as healthy choices are contained here. I enjoyed reading the recipes and am looking forward to trying them with my picky eater grandson. I would have like to see recipes for most, if not all, of the foods. I was disappointed that it didn’t contain more.

​I especially liked the list of 10 bests in the back. They included road trips, bedtime and those that aren’t as healthy as they seem. My favorites were those to ease constipation, for extra iron and for post-game fueling.

​This is a good informational book. It would be a great cookbook with some additional recipes. It would go from just informational to something that could be utilized on a frequent basis.



I received an eBook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leanetta Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book for parents with children or even for adults who don't get the adequate amount of fruits and vegetables daily. It gives details on how to give it and different ways to serve it. I never thought dried fruit would suffice but does and there are also a few recipes and tips to help you through. I am surely going to follow this one up so that myself and my family can get the right amount of nutrition and leave all the unhealthy sugary stuff alone.

[Erin (honeynougats.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a great resource for my middle school culinary classes. Gives great nutrition and health benefit information about a large variety of foods from each food group. Several simple recipes are included. Bright photos and nice page layouts.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read book for parents of little ones! Laid out beautifully, it describes some of the most nutritious foods that should be a regular part of our diets (both children and adults alike). There are accompanying recipes, tips and tricks. It's a lovely book from a visual standpoint - bright photography and a clean aesthetic. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley!