Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Services HEALTHY EATING FOR TODDLERS EATING AN ASIAN DIET Toddlers should eat a healthy balanced diet along with all the family. Good eating habits are established early in life and you should encourage your child to eat a variety of foods including fruit, vegetables, lean meat, fish, chicken, pulses (e.g. lentils, beans etc) and wholegrain cereals. Parents bringing up their children as vegetarians should make sure that the diet contains enough milk, cheese, yogurt, nuts and pulses - to provide what meat does protein and iron. Too much fat should be avoided as it can lead to a problem of obesity, weight gain and heart disease in later life. Too many sugary foods should also be avoided as these can lead to tooth decay and weight gain. Many children go through phases of not eating or being faddy eaters. Usually they grow out of it, but some of the following ideas may be useful: Offer food only at meal times / snack times Resist giving sweet food if savoury food is rejected Fatty foods such as pastry, sev and ganthia should only be included occasionally Don t offer sweets, chocolate, biscuits, crisps and sugary drinks e.g. coca cola, lemonade, fruit squash, especially between meals Give a drink after a meal, rather than before, but avoid giving tea directly after a meal, as this stops the absorption of iron Encourage your child to eat with other children, as they often copy each other Try to sit down as a family to eat If possible, the whole family should eat the same food at a meal time Avoid arguments over meals it will make the situation worse Lack of sleep may cause your child to be too tired to eat properly, so make sure that they go to bed early Finger foods can be useful if your child is refusing to eat conventional meals. Meals can also be more fun if food is colourful or made into shapes and pictures. IRON: This is an important mineral to consider at this age. During the first 6 months of your baby s life breast milk or infant milk provides all the nourishment needed. A toddler needs a varied diet to provide a balanced range of nutrients, particularly iron. Iron is essential for healthy blood and normal growth and development. Toddlers grow very quickly and insufficient iron may slow down these important processes. Iron and iron Absorption The sort of iron found in meat, fish and poultry (known as haem iron) is better absorbed than that found in other foods such as vegetables, pulses and cereals. So foods containing haem iron, particularly red meats are the best sources of iron.
Foods rich in vitamin C increase the amount of iron absorbed if taken during the meal. Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits, vegetables and fruit juices (dilute 1 part juice to 10 parts water). Try to have some at every meal. Some high fibre foods like unprocessed bran contain substances which reduce iron absorption, therefore high fibre cereals should only be given in small quantities. However, foods such as fine grain wholemeal bread are suitable. Tea and coffee reduce iron absorption too. They are best avoided at this age. Look out for foods that are fortified with iron: Breakfast cereals and rusks Tinned spaghetti shapes Toddler drinks (milk based) The best sources of iron in the diet are: Meat Fish Eggs Nuts and Seeds All red meals such as lamb, beef and pork, and particularly offal, liver, kidney and tongue. Because of its high vitamin A content liver should be eaten no more than once a week. Especially tinned salmon, sardines and pilchards (be careful of bones in fish). These may be given from 7 months of age and cooked until both yolk and white are firm. Especially cashew nuts, sesame seeds (see nut advice). Other good sources of iron are: Dried Fruit Pulses Vegetables Raisins, dates, apricots and prunes. Peas, beans, lentils, dhals, chick peas, hummous, baked beans. Especially dark green leafy vegetables e.g. spinach, broccoli, peas. Breakfast Many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron - Cereals check the labels on the cereal packet. Commercial Foods Look out for iron fortified foods, for example iron fortified pasta shapes, e.g. Thomas the Tank Engine, Moshi Monsters, Bob the builder and Peppa Pig. Try to include a variety of foods in your toddler s diet. Aim to include 2 servings of the best sources of iron each day, along with 1 or 2 servings of other good sources of iron. Remember to help the iron to be absorbed encourage vitamin C containing food or drinks at each meal.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEALS 1. SANDWICHES use a savoury filling e.g. meat, fish, egg or cheese. They can be made attractive by using 1 slice white and 1 slice wholemeal bread, and may be cut into shapes with different biscuit or pastry cutters. 2. KICHERI cook split mung beans until they are soft, then add rice, cumin and coriander powder and more water if necessary. Cook until soft. 3. RICE can also be mixed with various dhals chana, toor, mung masoor. Do not add salt, chilli, ginger, cloves or honey. 4. BREAD ROLLS OR CHAPATTIS OR SMALL PITTA BREAD can be filled with savoury foods e.g. chopped meat, grated cheese, egg or peanut butter. Small chapattis can be filled with dhal and rolled up. Rolls served in halves and chapattis can be decorated with grated or chopped vegetables to look more attractive. 5. PIZZA cut into small pieces or fingers. Children enjoy preparing food to us a pizza base, add tomato sauce, vegetables, grated cheese, chopped meat or flaked fish. 6. TOASTED FINGERS wholemeal toast topped with cheese, scrambled egg, tinned fish, baked beans, peanut butter. 7. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES chopped or sliced fruit and vegetables can be eaten as an accompaniment at any meal. 8. THALI try offering a dish of mixed foods e.g. small chunks or milk cheese, mild samosas, mild kebabs, small pieces of tomato, cucumber with pieces of bread, pitta bread or chapatti. 9. JACKET POTATOES filled with cheese and tomato or baked beans. 10. HOT OR MAIN MEALS Khima (mince) and chapattis/rice Potato curry and chapattis/rice Rice/potato/yogurt cooked together Do not add any hot spices to food such as chilli, ginger or cloves. Do not add salt, salt or honey FEEDING A TODDLER FOR A DAY BREAKFAST Cereal e.g. Weetabix or Ready Brek + milk AND/OR Toast fingers or naan / chapatti with egg, cheese or beans Milk or diluted pure unsweetened fruit juice MID-MORNING Diluted pure unsweetened fruit juice OR cup of milk LUNCH Savoury hot or cold dinner (see suggestions) Fresh OR stewed fruit OR milk pudding Diluted pure unsweetened fruit juice OR water
MID-AFTERNOON Diluted pure unsweetened fruit juice TEA TIME Finger foods (see suggestions) OR soup with grated cheese and pasta Fresh fruit OR yogurt OR fromage frais Diluted pure unsweetened fruit juice OR water BEDTIME Cup of milk TIPS Choose a quiet time to eat. No distractions such as TV, toys etc. Whatever happens, it is most important not to make mealtimes a battlefield the child always wins! If your child does not appear to want to eat food, make sure that he / she is not taking more than 1 pint milk. GENERAL GUIDELINES DRINKS All pure fruit juice should be diluted. One part juice to ten parts water is recommended. Avoid sugary drinks. Check labels glucose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, syrup, raw / brown sugar, honey and gur are all sugars. MILK You should only use whole milk (blue top). Semi skimmed (green top) can be used after 2 years if your child is growing well. Skimmed milk (red top) can be used after 5 years of age if your child is growing well. EGGS It is recommended that young children under 5 years of age should not be given lightly cooked or undercooked eggs or egg products. Eggs must be cooked until the egg yolk is hard (e.g. boiling for 7 minutes, poaching for 5 minutes). VITAMINS All children between 6 months - 5 years should have a daily dose of vitamins A, C and D. See your GP or health visitor. NUTS Whole nuts should not be given until 5 years of age because of the risk of choking. Finely ground nuts, i.e. peanut, and other nut butters can be used safely. Smooth not butters can be used from 6 months of age providing there are no allergies in the family. If there is a family history of atopy such as eczema, asthma, hay favour or rhinitis, it is recommended that the introduction of nuts and nut products be delayed until 3 years. SPICES Do not add hot spices (e.g. ginger, chilli or cloves) to food. Mild spices eg coriander, turmeric, mint, parsley, cinnamon etc are fine.
IDEAS FOR HEALTHY SNACKS Toast Pitta bread Chappati fingers Bread sticks Rice cakes Chopped fruit Vegetable sticks Small cubes of cheese Developed and produced by Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Services Reviewed August 2013 Crown Copyright Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust www.lnds.nhs.uk