Going Out to Eat with Your Kids

When eating out with your kids, do you often think what will they have on the menu? or “What will my child eat?”

Today my intern Rachel Rikeman is taking over the blog and sharing some tips on how to deal with food when you go out to eat with your kiddos. This is a great topic that many parents I work with and myself struggle with.  Rachel provides some great ideas on how to provide children a healthy balanced meal when you are out to eat and explains why eating out can be a great way to expose kids to new foods.

Growing up, I remember going to restaurants with my parents and ordering chicken fingers with French fries everywhere I went. I liked them because they were delicious; my parents liked that they were cheap, and I would eat them without fuss.

Today we live in a very health conscious world, yet many restaurants’ kids menus are still limited to these fried, fatty, “fun foods,” in place of balanced, nutritious meals.

Should We be Accepting the “Kid’s Menu” as Our Children’s Only Option?

Kids menus are great because they often include foods your child will accept, are cheaper and come in smaller portions. If you find yourself eating out often or looking for ways to offer your child a more balanced meal, there are other options!

1. Appetizers or sides

Appetizers and sides can introduce new, colorful food. Expand your child’s palette + amount of vitamins and minerals from the meal. Order a few sides as a meal to introduce variety at a fair price. Appetizers can create small comprehensive meal.

Examples: Hummus plates or chicken lettuce wraps

2. Order a meal for yourself and split it with your child.

Often, restaurants dole out huge portion sizes.

Ordering a meal for yourself and splitting it with your child, will save money, reduce potential for over eating, and you may find a new food your child will eat!

3. Ask for a smaller portion of a meal on the regular menu.

Many restaurants are open to serving half portions of meals for a smaller price! Even if they don’t offer it on the menu as an option.

You can almost always find similar items on the “adult menu” for your children. Try something like grilled chicken with a side of roasted potatoes and green beans instead of chicken fingers and fries!

4. Swap sides.

If a kids meal comes with fries you could ask for a vegetable or fruit instead.

Going out to eat can actually be a great way to expose your child to new foods that they might not eat at home. Being out in  new environment can make a food your child is learning to like more exciting. Foods also may be prepared in a new ways that they may actually like. Often times restaurants present food in a fun way so kids may be more inclined to try something that looks creatively presented. Some restaurants even have fun names for menu items as well, and this can be a way to get your child to try something. Maybe you have presented a child with Brussel sprouts or broccoli before and they hated them. How were they cooked? Most people do not have the expertise of a professional chef, and maybe your child will like these veggies prepared in a different way.

Remember that it’s healthy to let your child have “fun” foods once in a while. Spending and enjoying time with your family is just as important to a “healthy” meal!

Rachel Rikeman is a dietetic intern with Wellness Workdays. She got her Bachelor of Science
degree in dietetics, nutrition, and food science from the University of Vermont. She is an avid
runner and aspiring blogger/ dietitian. You can follow her on Instagram @WickedNutritious.