Every parent wants to ensure that their child is healthy. How do we do this? By making sure that they eat from each food group each day.
Healthy Eating for toddlers is about a balanced diet. To ensure that the diet is balanced, your toddler should eat from the following 4 groups:
- STARCHY FOOD: this includes bread, pasta, rice , cereal, sweet potato, potato.
- FRUIT AND VEGETABLES: Any of these including frozen or canned-five times a day!
- PROTEIN: meat, fish, egg, tofu, lentils, pulses, nuts and nut pastes (*like peanut butter).
- DAIRY: cheese, yoghurt, Fromage Frais, milk.
Let her eat as much or as little as she likes at mealtimes-as long as any in between snacks are healthy too.
Snack ideas
- wholemeal bread and butter
- banana or other fruit
- carrot and cucumber sticks
- whole milk (unflavoured as flavoured contains too much sugar)
Toddlers have small stomachs, so they need to eat little and often. So don’t cause them and yourself unnecessary stress by forcing them to eat large portions for lunch and your evening meal. Don’t try to over complicate things. Your toddler with be happy with healthy eating as long as you keep it simple.
I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.
