Are noodles healthy??

The boys I look after all have severe reflux so their diets are also limited. They LOVE pasta so we cook fusilli (twirly pasta) and add basil pesto to the cooked pasta and they LOVE it. Sometimes I add a little bit of grated cheese so it melts and coast the pasta. You can also add veg or a sauce made from puree veg etc. Don't forget that toddlers are usually finikity in what they will eat and I have never yet (in over 10 yrs working with young children!) met a child who will starve themselves. Children go through 'stages' and growth spurts and often will eat what they feel their bodies need for the next growth spurt.

HUGS

bulelwam:I never thought of that & 4 minutes its nothing compaired to the benefit that one gets.I think I should buy those normal noodles & mixed veges & see if Bo will like them.She's a fussy eater but since she is used to the 2 minute ones,I dont think it will be much of a struggle.

flowergirl:I usually do my own vegetable sauce (boil frozen vegetables the puree everything in the blender then add tomato sauce) & Bo loves eating that with mashed potatoes.I will try adding that in the noodles.Unfortunately she hates cheese but loves cream cheese on bread so maybe I can use that for flavour.

Thanks ladies for this eye opening advice.I used to eat them every other day & I dont anymore cause I'm trying to loose weight so I've replaced them with whole-wheat pasta & spagetti

FLY

2 Minute noodles is not a nutritious meal and should not be given as a regular meal. If you do give them as a quick alternative once in a while, then do not use the flavouring that comes with it, rather grate some cheese over for flavour. Also good to add some mixec vegatables, although sadly, most children will probably just eat around the veg. You can also make a vegatable sauce and put that over the noodles instead of the flavouring then it becomes a nutritious meal.

Hi Wildcat, noodles can be a healthy snack. However the 2 minutes noodles that are sold have preservatives and flavour enhancers which are not good.

As an alternative, you can buy normal noodles from the pasta aisle, they take 4 minutes to cook. Try to look for a pack with as little preservatives as possible. You can cook them in homemade stock, which is much healthier and you can finely chop up some mixed veg and add to them making them really healthy.

B

My daughter is like your son,still at 2 years she still doesnt eat much of the food we eat at home but there's progress & she now has variety.

Noodles are also one of her favourites & I've never really checked their nutritional value or how healthy they are for kids.I think they are okay as long as you dont give too much or too often.You know the things they say about pasta, carbs & starch and all dietary info about processed foods etc.I think twice or 3 times a week is okay & also make sure that he is full as he might like them but not get any satisfaction from them.

Let see what other ladies say.

FLY

Hi ladies,my 13 months old son wont eat anything,i have tried veges,fruits,cereals,i have run out of ideas,he loves oranges,mashed potatoes,banana,and because he has "GERD"he cant have most of these foods he soo loves,so recently my baby sister was eating noodles and gave him some,he loved them soo much,and now noodles are the only thing he wants to eat