I am a dietician and a mother and I feed my child processed foods

• I’m a mom and a dietitian and I don’t mind feeding my baby processed foods.
• Processed foods exist on a spectrum, and some are better than others.
• When thinking about my child’s diet, convenience, balance and moderation are key.

I am a dietitian and have been feeding myself processed foods for 2 years. Yes, you read that right. Sure, I think a diet full of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains is the most nutritious way to eat. But the truth is that balance and moderation are essential in any diet, especially for young children.

As a busy working mom, I have to consider convenience, time management, and most importantly, fostering a healthy relationship with food. And part of that consideration means including some processed foods in my child’s diet.

Not all processed foods are created equal

Processed foods it exists on a spectrum, ranging from minimally to highly processed, otherwise known as ultra-processed foods. Very few foods are truly unprocessed. For example, frozen fruits and vegetables, canned beans, and plain Greek yogurt have been processed for preservation.

Some ultra-processed foods, such as sugary cereals, packaged pastries or candy, were associated with poor health outcomes. Experts say they should be limited in one’s diet to prevent chronic disease later in life.

I feed my child processed foods along with whole foods

Like a dietician and a motherI look for foods that are easy to prepare and nutritious for my child. Processed foods such as canned tomatoes, fortified cereals, cheese and whole grain bread are staples in my kitchen. They’re convenient and often pack a nutritional punch—canned tomatoes, for example, contain higher amounts of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh tomatoes because of this processing.

In our household, I serve processed foods alongside whole foods. The combination helps ensure that my the child receives a complete dietproviding plenty of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and also helps promote a healthy relationship with food.

I want to encourage a healthy relationship with food

We must remember that we eat for a variety of reasons, not just for nutrition. Food is a necessary component of tradition, culture, joy, pleasure and community. Think about your last vacation. Did your family serve only nutritious meals? Don’t you look forward to your Aunt Sally’s homemade peanut butter jam every Christmas? What about the cookies they serve each month during the book club meeting?

As a parent, it’s essential that I don’t focus on food. Look, based on my job, I know better than most how important nutrition is, but a hyper-obsession with nutrition can also be harmful, leading many to orthorexiaor an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating.

That’s why I intentionally offer my child a variety of foods, even highly processed ones. (I’m looking at you, dino nuggets!) By doing this, I’m doing my best to prevent the development of restrictive eating habits later and encourage a healthy, balanced relationship with food. This also keeps mealtimes realistic, providing foods that my child enjoys and that are easy for our busy family.

The goal is to teach flexibility and balance. When children are allowed to enjoy a variety of foods, they grow to understand this all foods can fit into a healthy lifestylerather than categorizing foods as “good” or “bad”.

Every meal doesn’t have to be perfect, and balance is key

At the end of the day, nutrition is the big picture. It’s about creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime, and that doesn’t mean every meal has to be perfect. Balance, variety and moderation are the keys to a complete diet for both children and adults. Healthy food doesn’t mean perfection, and there’s plenty of room for both fresh produce and your child’s favorite takeaways.

So for now, my son will enjoy Kraft mac and cheese on babysitting nights, and we’ll continue to bake chocolate chip muffins together on weekend mornings. Eating involves more than nutrition, and there is always room for foods that bring us joy.