I’m a dietitian and mom. Here’s why I feed my 2-year-old processed foods.

Kristen Carli (not pictured) is a dietitian and feeds her child processed foods.

I’m a dietitian, and I feed my 2-year-old processed foods. Yep, you read that right. Sure, I believe that a diet filled with whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains is the most nutritious way to eat. But the truth is, balance and moderation are key in any diet, especially for growing toddlers.

As a busy working mom, I need 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 toddler’s diet.

Not all processed foods are created equal

Processed foods exist on a spectrum, ranging from minimally to heavily 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 all have undergone processing for preservation.

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

I feed my toddler processed foods alongside whole foods

As a dietitian and a mom, I seek foods that are easy to prepare and nutritious for my toddler. Processed foods like canned tomatoes, fortified cereals, string cheese, and whole-grain breads are staples in my kitchen. They’re convenient and often pack a nutritional punch — canned tomatoes, for instance, contain higher amounts of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh tomatoes due to this processing.

In our household, I serve processed foods alongside whole foods. The combination helps ensure that my toddler receives a well-rounded diet, offering plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and also helps foster a healthy relationship with food.

I want to encourage a healthy relationship with food

We have to 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 back to the last holiday. Did your family serve only nutritious fare? Don’t you look forward to your Aunt Sally’s homemade peanut butter fudge every Christmas? What about the cookies they serve each month during your book club meeting?

As a parent, it’s crucial that I don’t fixate on nutrition. Listen, as a function of my job, I know better than most how important nutrition is, but the hyperfixation on nutrition can also be harmful, leading many to orthorexia, or an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating.

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

The goal is to teach flexibility and balance. When kids are allowed to enjoy a diverse range of foods, they grow up understanding that all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle, rather than categorizing foods as “good” or “bad.”

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

At the end of the day, nutrition is about the bigger picture. It’s about creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime, and that doesn’t mean every meal needs to be perfect. Balance, variety, and moderation are the keys to a well-rounded diet for both children and adults. Healthy eating isn’t about perfection, and there’s plenty of room for both fresh produce and your toddler’s favorite packaged snacks.

So for now, my son will enjoy his Kraft mac and cheese on babysitter nights, and we’ll continue baking chocolate chip muffins together on weekend mornings. Eating involves more than nutrition, and there’s always space for the foods that bring us joy.