Many toddlers nowadays are suffering from obesity because of the prevalence of fast food and sweets among other “junk food”. So as much as you want to give anything your toddler wants to eat, it’s important to give him a balance diet.
Surprisingly, obesity is a common problem not only for adults but also for kids as well, so planning and controlling what your toddler eats is a serious matter. As your baby toddler advances, a period of intense physical and emotional development happens, and it’s your job to ensure a healthy growth and development for your toddler. And a balance diet is one of the essentials.
A balance diet for a toddler is different from adults primarily because they have different nutritional needs. The basic nutrients toddlers need include iron, Vitamin A, C, and D, and calcium. Iron is the most important nutrient for a toddler since children in this age group often suffer from iron deficiencies due to low dietary intake. This happens because of low or no meat intake, which is common for toddlers since meat is not much appealing to them because it’s hard to chew and swallow.
Below are some of the things you need to do in order to ensure your toddler has a balance diet:
Below are some of the things you need to do in order to ensure your toddler has a balance diet:
• To get the exact balance of energy and nutrients, your toddler needs three small balanced meals a day with regular nutritious snacks in between. Keep in mind that your toddler’s tummy is five times smaller that yours so he needs to eat small amounts of energy and nutrient rich food more frequently all throughout the day.
• Milk is still an important part of your toddler’s diet so make sure to give him 350-600mls a day.
• Schedule meals at times when your toddler is neither too tired nor too hungry.
• Make sure that there is a wide variety of food available during mealtime and be creative as possible. Make food look interesting by making them in different shapes and colors.
• Keep sweets and desserts out of your toddler’s sight until he’s done with the main course.
• Salt should be avoided or keep at a minimum level. Instead use herbs and spices to season and don’t forget to check the salt content in pre-prepared food.
• Milk is still an important part of your toddler’s diet so make sure to give him 350-600mls a day.
• Schedule meals at times when your toddler is neither too tired nor too hungry.
• Make sure that there is a wide variety of food available during mealtime and be creative as possible. Make food look interesting by making them in different shapes and colors.
• Keep sweets and desserts out of your toddler’s sight until he’s done with the main course.
• Salt should be avoided or keep at a minimum level. Instead use herbs and spices to season and don’t forget to check the salt content in pre-prepared food.
Maintaining a balance diet of your toddler will help him eat healthy food and not look for process food that is very unhealthy and can cause sickness. Eating healthy food is a lifestyle that you should impart you toddler at an early age. It takes a lot of effort but is definitely worth it to eat healthy at all times.