Check out our newer page about grains, and ideas for kids to eat whole grains.

How many grains should my kid eat a day?

Children ages 2-8 should get:

3-5 ounces of grains a day, half should come from whole grains

1 ounce is 1 slice of bread, 1 Cup of Cereal, or 1/2 C rice or pasta

Grains include whole wheat breads (muffins, pancakes, waffles), pasta, rice, oatmeal, cereals, pretzels, granola, couscous, Quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, bulgar, amaranth, etc.

PREPARATION IDEAS:

• One key to getting more whole grains is to substitute. Replace white bread with whole wheat bread. Replace regular pasta with whole grain pasta. Replace white rice with brown rice.
• Granola can be made to order. Purchase some granola, or make your own. Than add some sweet things such as coconut, mini chocolate chips, or dried fruit.
• Make whole grain pancakes or waffles appetizing by adding mini chocolate chips, berries, or we've even tried orange juice instead of water. All choices very scrumptious. Also try using a squeeze bottle to squirt shapes from your pancake batter. Try letters, faces, etc.
• Good news! Popcorn is a whole grain!. Pop some air popped popcorn, or put 1/3 Cup in a paper bag. Turn the bag down to close, and microwave as you would microwave popcorn (without all the chemicals). Than add some popcorn seasonings such as carmel seasoning, butter flavor, or cinnamon.
• Top whole wheat pancakes or waffles with berries, yogurt, peanut butter, or cottage cheese.
• If using store bought pancake or waffle mix, purchase the whole grain variety.
• Make your own maple syrup to control the amount of sugar. Maple extract, water, and sugar is all you need. Thicken it with a touch of corn syrup.
• Add cinnamon, mashed bananas, and raisins to your whole wheat waffle mix.
• Sunflower seeds can be added to hot cereal, cold cereal, baked goods, waffle batter, or even yogurt.
• Freeze your own whole-grain waffles to pull out on a busy day.
• Top whole-wheat toast with all natural peanut butter for some extra protein. 100% jam on toast is great when your child wants something to eat.
• Add light cream cheese and 100% fruit jam to a whole-wheat English muffin or small bagel. If preferred, substitute the jam for honey.
• Make muffins from scratch to avoid the sugar and fat you would find in a box of muffins or muffin mixes. Add whole-grain flour, ground flax, nuts, and fruit. Bake in mini muffin tin. Mini muffins are the perfect size for little fingers.
• Freeze muffins in single servings. Put one for each child on the counter to defrost overnight. Once you wake, you'll have muffins ready.
• Bran muffins can be a great source of fiber. Experiment with different recipes to find one your family prefers. Add fruit to the muffin mix for extra flavor and vitamins.
• Flax seeds are excellent for your child's health, as well as your own. You can get flax meal ground up to add to mixes, oatmeal, shakes etc. Usually this can be found in your baking aisle near other specialty flours.
• Make oatmeal with orange juice, flavored milk, or even applesauce to give it flavor without all the sugar.
• Top oatmeal with dried fruit such as apricots, cranberries, or raisins. in addition you can add nuts. The more finely the nuts are chopped, the better they will blend in.
• When purchasing cereal check the label for "whole grains", 3 or more grams of fiber, and less than 5 grams of sugar.
• Mix bland cereals with yogurt, or granola with yogurt. Cheerios tastes great when mixed with fruit flavored yogurt.
• Add fruit to your child's morning cereal. Try bananas on Rice Chex, strawberries on Cheerios, or blueberries on granola. Aim for 3-5 servings of fruit per day.
• Mix cereals if one is high in sugar. My son calls it his "recipe" to mix several cereals into one. Fruit loops plus Cheerios for example will cut the sugar in half.
• Different grains can be useful in dipping. Whole-grain pita bread, whole-wheat crackers, baked chips, toasted wheat bread, or whole-wheat bagels are a few kids enjoy. Dips are as diverse as the children themselves. Chopped tomatoes, avocado, and black eyed peas provide a nice dip for baked corn chips. Hummus or other bean dips, spinach dips, artichoke dips, low fat cheese dips, avocado with salsa, or yogurt dips are a few options.
• Try a mini-mini-pizza. Top a large round whole-wheat cracker with tomato sauce and shredded cheese. Melt the cheese or just eat as is (Does this remind you of a "Lunchable"?
• Try a mini-pizza, but using whole-wheat English muffins. Cover with a little tomato sauce and some low-fat cheese. kids can arrange olives or vegetables to make faces or designs. Bake in oven till the cheese is melted. No English muffins? Try wedges of whole-wheat pita bread. Provide a little extra sauce for dipping the finished pizza into.
• Use cookie cutters for sandwiches. There are large ones shaped as hearts, flowers, triangles, squiggly squares etc. A pocket sandwich can be made using a "cut and seal" tart cutter. This creates a pocket for the fillings, and a sandwich that is sealed on all sides.
• Vary traditional sandwiches by using non-traditional items. Avocado as a spread, spinach instead of iceberg lettuce.
• On all sandwiches use whole grain bread. Add all natural peanut butter and 100% fruit jam and you have most food groups represented.
• If they aren't willing to go whole-wheat all the way, have 1 slice of bread white and 1 slice wheat on your sandwiches.
• Use different breads for your sandwiches. Use a dinner roll, whole-grain hot dog bun, or a hamburger bun for a small turkey sandwich. Sometimes sliced bread is simply boring. My kids prefer their sandwiches on mini bagels. We melt a thin slice of cheese and add some lean ham to the mini-bagel.
• Whole-wheat tortilla's can replace white bread. You can secure a tortilla with a toothpick or skewer so it doesn't unroll in your hands.
• To add some fun to the lunchtime rut, my mom would make "butterfly sandwiches". We stood at the back door yelling, 'Ahoy Butterflies', and the "Butterflies" would "fly" in. She would make sandwiches cut diagonally with the two ends meeting to make butterfly wings. Add two long and thin sices of carrots for the antennae, and we had butterflies. Sometimes, presentation is everything.
• Whole-wheat pasta makes a great luch. Boil the pasta and add a touch of parmesan cheese and butter. Quicker than a drive-thru!
• Snack mixes can include various grains. Cheerios, pretzels, popcorn, goldfish. Add any dried fruit for extra sweetness. Let them mix it themselves in a small bag or bowl.
• Triscuits or rice cakes can be topped with peanut butter, fruit, or cheese. They are a perfect size for little hands.
• Make your own corn chips. Cut corn tortilla's into wedges, spritz with a small amount of oil, and bake in the oven. Mix salsa with refried beans and use as a dip for your chips. Nachos can be assembled quickly if you have pre-made some baked corn chips. Shred some low-fat cheese to melt on top. For extra protein, add some refried beans to the top.
• Make your own granola bars. Add dried fruit and nuts to increase the nutritional value.
• Graham crackers dipped in milk are one of my kids' favorite snacks. I like this snack because it adds some calcium and protein to what would otherwise be all grains. Also try dipping graham crackers in other things such as yogurt, applesauce, low-fat pudding, etc.
• Different grains can be incorporated into different foods. Use amaranth in soups and stews. Try barley in salad with chopped vegetables. Mix buckwheat into pasta as a side dish. Use millet as a hot cereal. A variety of grains can be found at a local health food store. You can purchase them in the bulk food buckets aisle and only buy as much as you'd like.
• Dip breads in olive oil and herbs like oregeno or basil to get some healthy fat in a meal. Healthy fat is important in children's diets for proper brain and nervous system development.
• An often overlooked add-in to pasta includes nuts. Saute some in olive oil and top your noodles with them.
• If you are eating out you can ask for a whole-wheat bun on your child's burger. They usually can oblige, even if it's not advertised.
• Use different toppings on your air popped popcorn, such as cinnamon.

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Eating grains is it's own affordable health insurance, and you can take matters into your own hands regardless of your budget.