A child is expected to triple its birth weight by his/her
first birthday. At this stage, specific nutrients are needed for the child's optimal
growth. Protein, fats, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals should be provided from
a variety of food sources. It is expected that a child's meal should contain at least
4 kinds of nutrients at suitable proportions before it can be said to be adequate. An adequate meal contains lots of different foods, offered in a variety of combinations to ensure a toddler gets all the necessary nutrients he needs to grow, explore and develop. Offering a variety of meals to a toddler helps him learn about new
flavours and develop healthy eating habits.
Providing an adequate diet for a toddler at every meal can be challenging. As long as he eats most of what is offered, he would likely get the necessary nutrients his body
requires. One does not
have to stick to a particular food to provide a certain
nutrient. If a toddler refuses a particular food (as they are wont to) due to its
texture, taste or flavour (especially vegetables), the food item can be blended
or mashed, and added to his favorite food. A toddler should learn to get used to new textures, tastes and more regular meal times. Toddlers will be able to meet
their nutritional needs if they are offered a variety of healthy family foods at
regular times.
A toddler should be offered a variety of
healthy fruits and snacks (banana, pear, apple, smoothies, etc). Toddlers are known to be picky eaters so creativity in the preparation and presentation of their foods can go a long way towards improving their feeding habits.
Important nutrients for toddlers
Almost all healthy toddlers get enough protein, fat and
carbohydrate in their diets. The nutrients most likely to be low in a toddler’s diet are
calcium and iron, both of which are very important for the toddler’s growth and
development.
Good sources of iron include: meat, liver, kidney beans,
and green leafy vegetables. Some
toddlers do not like eating meat as they find it hard to chew. Such toddlers should
be offered well cooked, soft or semi mashed
meat , so they could be easily chewed.
Giving your toddler Vitamin C rich foods such as strawberries,
citrus fruits, and vegetables increases the amount of iron that is absorbed
from other plant-based foods like bread, Peas, spinach, and legumes. So aim to offer
your toddler a Vitamin C rich food or drink at every meal to improve his body’s absorption of dietary Iron.
Good sources of calcium include egg, seafoods such as
crayfish and fish, legumes such as beans, groundnut and soybeans, milk, yogurt,
and other dairy products. It is
important a toddler gets at least a portion of these each day.
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