Active, growing toddlers need great nutrition to help them power through their day – and create the foundation for a long, healthy life.
Dealing With Fussy Toddlers
Feeding toddlers can be tricky – you might decide what foods they can have access to but they will decide how much they eat and when. To reduce the frustration, try not to get stressed. Rather than tally up their nutritional intake over the course of just one day, try looking at what they put in their mouths over the course of a week and, if you are offering healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains and cereals and proteins from lean meats or legumes, you’re off to a great start.
If you have any concerns about how many vitamins and minerals your toddler is actually taking in, talk to your doctor or maternal and child health care nurse about adding supplements to give them an added nutritional boost. Oz Farm Kid’s Care or Toddler Formula is a great way to increase both nutrition and fluids.
The reality is that toddlers’ appetites can vary from one day to the next but one thing that does not change is their daily need for water. Although marketing campaigns for fizzy soft drinks, sports & energy drinks, sticky cordials, sugary packaged juices and flavoured milks will, no doubt, catch their attention, parents need to stick to offering water, milk and better still, nutritionally enhanced milk drinks - to ensure the best nutrition for their toddlers. This will also be a great way to reduce the intake of unnecessary fats and sugar.
A Balanced Toddler Diet
Being busy can be stressful but parents should always be able to find time to provide their children with some nutrition basics.
To help your toddler find the ideal balance in their daily diet, make sure they have access to these important nutrients and help set them up for life.
Protein
To help build healthy cells in your child’s growing body, protein is essential – adding energy, helping fight infection and carrying oxygen through their blood.
Foods with high protein levels include:
- Meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Beans
Carbohydrates
In many adult diets, the trend is towards saying goodbye to carbs but for your toddler, carbs are an important energy source. Carbohydrates in your child’s growing body help their body use fat and protein that builds and repairs tissue.
Foods with high levels of carbohydrates include:
- Breads
- Cereals
- Rice
- Pasta
- Potatoes
Fats
Not all fats are bad. Good fats provide a great source of energy for toddlers and are easily stored in young bodies. They help your child’s body use some of the other nutrients it needs. Foods that contain high levels of good fats include:
- Cooking oils
- Meat
- Fish
- Nuts
Calcium
As well as helping your toddler’s body grow strong teeth and bones, calcium is also important for nerve, muscle, and heart function. Foods that contain high levels of calcium include:
- Milk
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Tofu
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Ice-cream
- Egg yolks
Iron
Healthy blood that carries oxygen to cells all over your child’s body is an important part of your toddler’s great health.
Foods with high levels of iron include:
- Red meats
- Poultry
- Shellfish
- Whole grains
- Beans
- Nuts
Folate
It’s important for pregnant women but it’s also vital for young bodies too. If your toddler lacks this B-group vitamin they are at risk of anemia.
Foods with high levels of folate include:
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Asparagus
- Spinach
Other important nutrients your toddler needs include Vitamin A and Vitamin C – important nutritional building blocks that can be easily found in lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and boosted, if they need to be, with a quality nutritional supplement like Oz Farm Kid’s Care or Toddler Formula.