What to feed your toddler?

Posted by Shaheen Shaikh on June 25th, 2019

Once your toddler hits the ‘terrible twos’, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that your toddler is on the right nutritional diet. The food that your baby eats now is what determines their future health and steady development. Apart from the nutritional perspective, it is crucial that your child gets the right balance of essential nutrients and minerals. This will help them get in the habit of consuming healthy foods.

What should your baby’s food chart include?

A healthy and well-balanced diet is made of foods that necessarily fall under the category of the broadly classified food groups. It cannot always be achieved in all meals, and at all times; however, it is crucial for the proper growth and maintenance of your toddler’s health.

Here are some the categories that you should include in your baby’s food:

• Starch:

One of the important groups to adhere to, especially during the growing period of your toddler. All you have to do is, include at least five toddler-sized portions per day, e.g. bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes. These starches are a great source of instant energy as well as vitamin B and calcium, all of which is required for proper body structuring of your toddler. However, these foods should be included in your baby’s food chart gradually. You can even add brown rice or whole grains that offer extra nutritional value to the entire meal.

• Protein:

Two portions of proteins included in your baby’s food. This protein could be in any form either fish, meat, eggs, nuts or even pulses. Beans and lentils too can be included in their meal plans, but, gradually. These foods are known not only to provide proteins but also essential minerals that eventually support the overall growth and development of the toddler. Oily fishes contain zinc, iron, and Omega-3 fatty acids that help the development of hormones in the body. So, including fishes such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and fresh tuna either once or twice a week can help your toddler’s overall growth and development.

• Fruits and vegetables:

One portion of each in your toddler’s daily diet will help them go along way when it comes to their health. Try and include as many colours as possible so that your toddler gets the most of the fruits and vegetables. They are a great source of vitamin C, minerals, and other essential nutrients that are required for the overall growth and development of your toddler.

• Diary:

Your baby’s food must include the right amount of dairy and dairy products. The primary reason to do so is to help your child build immunity and healthy bone, teeth, nails, and eyesight. So, feel free to include foods such as yoghurt, cheese, milk, paneer (Indian cottage cheese), etc. in your toddler’s diet. Incorporate full-fat milk for toddlers instead of skimmed or canned milk. Full-Fat milk is nutrition packed and plays a vital role in the overall growth and development of the child.