Nutrition for Kids (and adults too)
The basics focusing on food rather than individual nutrients

By Terri Silva

We all know we should eat our vegetables.  We all want our kids to eat their vegetables.  We all know how important “whole foods” are for good health.  But why?  And what does it look like to really have a whole foods diet with enough fruits and vegetables?

Whole foods, in a broad sense, refer to foods that have undergone minimal processing.  While different people have different opinions about what exactly should be called a “whole food,” generally, there is consensus about the types of foods that would be included in a healthful diet that focuses on whole foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts), whole grains (including whole flours), root vegetables (potatoes, turnips etc), nuts, eggs, meat/bones, dairy, and healthful vegetable oils (especially olive oil). 

NOT included are products such as white bread/pasta/crackers, fruit roll-ups, boxed mashed potatoes, many frozen entrees, PopTarts, boxed Mac and Cheese, hot dogs, and the list goes on.  More detail about the foods later, but first:

A very brief introduction to the importance of whole foods:

What is wrong with processed foods? 

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