Healthy side dishes: potatoes, pasta and rice

Side dishes as the main part of the warm meal

In general, they are often referred to as side dishes. Rice, potatoes and pasta are among our most important suppliers of energy and, together with vegetables, form the main component of a warm meal. In any case, they should not be missing from your child’s diet. Here are a few tips from the Research Institute for Child Nutrition (FKE) on the optimal use of side dishes such as rice, pasta and potatoes:

• Not too fat, please: fried potatoes are delicious, but also quite greasy. Ready-made potato products such as fries or rösti as side dishes will probably also go down well with your child. But there are also many fats lurking in them. They should therefore not be on the menu too often and are best prepared in the oven. Oven fries often have less fat than deep fryer products. It is best if you do not use any additional fat when preparing potatoes. You can easily achieve this by boiling the potatoes instead of frying them, for example. The situation is similar with sauces for pasta or rice. Offer your child sauces with a nutritious base, such as tomatoes, rather than cheese or cream.
• Better fresh than ready: If you want something quick, then instant puree or ready-made pasta sauces are definitely ok. But don’t let it become a habit and give priority to fresh potatoes as much as possible. Because finished products often contain hardly any nutrients or hide a lot of fat .
• Whole grain: Rice and pasta in the whole grain variety as side dishes are most valuable for your child’s diet. If your child doesn’t like them, you can try to slowly familiarize them with a rice or pasta mix made from “normal” and whole grain. Wholemeal pasta and rice do not taste that different from their light counterparts.

You can hardly combine pleasure and health more easily. With potatoes, pasta and rice as side dishes, you have numerous ways to make your child happy and still do something good for them.