Moms' Burning Questions: Pasta with Sweet Peas

My girls (4 and 2 years old) are pasta addicts. Every night, pasta is all they want to eat. Even when I don’t make it, they ask for it (well, whine for it)!  I have spoken to several other parents who say the same thing is going on in their homes, too. I know too much pasta is not good for them. Is this just a phase? Should I stop giving them pasta? How worried about this should I be?

Kids love pasta!  I certainly did as a child, so your girls are definitely normal eaters!  I’m all about celebrating the foods that kids are eating, which means not taking away choices or sneaking stuff into their meals.

Here are two important tips for your pasta girls:

1. Serve whole grain pasta.  Barilla Plus or whole wheat varieties get a thumbs up from kids, while also adding dietary fiber and other nutrients to their diet.
2. Add good nutrition to the pasta.  Instead of plan old pasta with tomato sauce or butter in many cases, try kicking that pasta up a notch with Spinach Pesto Pasta or Pasta and Sweet Peas.  These are two favorite recipes from Appetite for Life that will give the girls the noodles they love, as well as good nutrition that gives you peace of mind.   

- Stacey Antine, MS, RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, co-host, Family Food Expert Internet Radio Show, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitian magazine for her work with HealthBarn USA.

What puzzles you about keeping your family healthy?  Tell us what’s on your mind by emailing info@healthbarnusa.com.  Stacey will answer those questions here weekly.