This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Top 5 Healthy Foods to Feed Your Family

Here are five foods that you can feel good about bringing home to your kids. They're minimally processed, free of preservatives, and good for your body and the environment.

After writing a column on five foods parents may think twice about feeding their kids, a follow-up with five healthy and kid-friendly foods was clearly in order.

Straight out of my kitchen, here are five foods you can feed your little ones without worrying about MSG, colorings, flavorings, and other often unprounouncable junk nobody wants to have in their bodies.

1. Mountainside Farms Whole Milk
  • Serving size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 150
  • Sodium: 130 mg (5 percent DV)
  • Some ingredients include: Milk, Vitamin D3
  • Why it's good: This milk doesn't contain hormones or antibiotics. The fact that it's sourced in the Catskills means it's local, and for the sake of your wallet a half gallon only costs about 50 cents more than the store brand.
  • Who owns it: Mountainside Farms is a subsidiary of Queens-based Elmhurst Dairy, Inc. The farms that produce the milk are located in Roxbury, New York.
2. Local and/or Organic Produce
  • Locally-sourced produce from farms that don't use pesticides and herbicides. You can ask your local farmers market vendor what types of farming practices they use. Right now, fare like apples, pears, leafy greens, peas, beans, strawberries and garlic are in season.
  • Fresh produce is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which keep kids healthy. Moreover, buying local keeps jobs in our backyards and reduces use of fossil fuels in transporting items. Organically sourced produce is certified to be grown without pesticides and herbicides and many organic farms grow produce using sustainable methods.
3. Nature's Promise Organic Long Grain Brown Rice
  • Serving size: ¼ cup
  • Calories: 170
  • Sodium: 20mg (1 percent Daily Value)
  • Some ingredients include: Rice. That's it!
  • Why it's good: Rice is a staple of a healthy diet. It's versatile, a good source of fiber, high in carbohydrates while low in sugar, and because it's organically-sourced, you can feel good about eating it.
  • Who owns it: The Stop and Shop Supermarket Company

Find out what's happening in Ryewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

(Note: I discussed Stop and Shop in last week's Green Living column here on Rye Patch because the company is, as of yet, unwilling to divulge their organic produce sources, as are other grocery stores like A&P. However, when buying items unlikely to be sourced in a healthful and sustainable way within New York or the Northeast, your second best bet is to buy organic items like those on the Nature's Promise line.) 4. Arrowhead Mills Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter
  • Serving size: 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 190
  • Sodium: o mg
  • Some ingredients include: Organic, roasted, and unblanched Valencia peanuts
  • Why it's good: High in protein, organically sourced, and no added salt or oils. Organic crunchy peanut butter on toast: enough said!
  • Who owns it: The Hain Celestial Group. 
5. Envirokidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
  • Serving size: 3/4 cup
  • Calories: 130
  • Sodium: 140 mg (6 percent DV)
  • Some ingredients include: Organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanut butter, organic soy oil, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E).
  • Why it's good: Two peanut butter foods on one list? I guess you can tell my family likes our peanut butter! Anyway, this cereal is delicious and great for people whose diet is gluten-free. Panda Puffs don't have the artificial, overly sweet taste of Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs. The peanut butter flavor is subtle and the puffs don't dissolve quickly when you pour in milk. While they're a bit pricier than most cereals, the company donates a portion of its proceeds to helping protect endangered pandas in China.
  • Who owns it: Envirokidz is a part of the Nature's Path Foods organic cereal company, which is based in British Columbia. 
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?