Skip to main content
Advanced Search

What will kids eat?

Four young boys make faces towards the camera Every child needs a good combination of calories, proteins, minerals and vitamins to grow. That's why healthy food choices are so important.

But what healthy foods will kids really eat? The answer varies from child to child.

To get an idea of what kids like, we asked some first grade boys about their favorites from the five basic food groups. Here's their list:

  • Starches: bagels, biscuits, bread - "chocolate," crackers, fettuccine Alfredo, chocolate chip muffins
  • Fruit: yellow, green or red apples with the peels on or off, bananas, grapes, oranges, fresh peaches, raw pears "sliced up with peanut butter on them"
  • Vegetables: cooked broccoli and cauliflower (Yes, a child admitted liking them.), cooked green beans, raw baby carrots, corn on the cob, cucumbers, cooked peas, "frozen peas straight from the freezer not washed," cooked potatoes, raw sliced tomatoes
  • Dairy: yellow or white cheese, ice cream, skim milk, Dairy Queen, any kind of yogurt
  • Meat and other proteins: cooked chicken, ham, Hamburger Helper, hot dogs, "cow meat," peanuts, "squirrel and deer," "non-bloody" steak

Source: American Dietetic Association, "Make sure your child eats a balanced, healthy diet," If your child is overweight: A guide for parents, 2nd edition; Tiger Cub Den 5, Cub Scouts Pack 367, Sunnyside Elementary School, Mounds View, Minn.
Reviewed by: Rachel Baar, MS, RD, LD, clinical nutrition manager, Mercy Hospital
First Published: 01/29/2004
Last Reviewed: 01/22/2010