The balance is important in all aspects of life so does in the diet. It probably carries little more value as compare to other things since it impacts your health and ultimately your life. We were used to think that everything is fine at early age and one should be concerned about healthy diet in their 30s or 40s. However this is not supposed to be like that as eating too is a habit like any other habit so we will follow same routine as we develop in the early years of our lives. It therefore is of value to create and maintain in balance in your toddler’s diet from the beginning. You are allowed occasional violations to treat with some junk but a balanced diet is healthier and you can now easily access number of recipes over the internet to make your food delicious while it still remains healthy. Our focus in this post is more on the nutritional values and sources which can provide the nutrition.

By balance we mean that diet should have a required mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber.  

Proteins

Protein provides the building blocks for the toddler’s growing body. It is essential for healthy brain and is used to make muscles, skin and all the internal organs. Proteins play a vital role in strengthening immune system of your toddler to help him fight well against the bugs which he encounters in his daily life.

Sources of protein are listed below;

1.    Meat (Beef, Chicken, Fish)

2.    Eggs and Dairy Food (Milk, Yogurt, Cheese)

3.    Beans, Chickpeas, Lentils, Nuts and Grains (these though are lessor quality as compare to meat family)

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide body with energy. There are mainly two groups of carbohydrates; the simple form like glucose and sucrose (cane sugar) and the complex form which is commonly known as starch and is found in cereals, bread, pasta, vegetables and fruits.

Unfortunately most of the carbohydrates are refined as “white” like white sugar, white bread, white rice, white flour and the process that is being followed to make it white takes away almost all of its nutritional value and this does more damage by making people overweight.

It is better to use them in brown form like brown sugar, brown rice or as whole grain like whole grain wheat, oat, barley etc. However some people don’t like taste. You can develop taste from the beginning and this can be highly beneficial for your toddler’s health. In addition, you can use plenty of fruits in your toddler’s diet. Young toddlers don’t like vegetables much so you can try mixing them with beef or chicken or with noodles and pasta.

Raw fruit contains higher nutrition as compare to juices as in juices the fiber is filtered out during the preparation. Therefore use fruits in raw form as much as possible.

Fats

General impression about fat is that they are being bad for health. However it is not true. Our bodies need fat like other nutrition. Difference is that we need to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats. Fats also are divided in two broad categories as saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are mostly obtained from animals and increases cholesterol level so impact our health and can be called bad fats whereas unsaturated fats are found in seeds and nuts and are healthy so can be called good fats. We should therefore prefer to use unsaturated fats. The vegetables oils and bread speared in the market these days clearly describe the saturated and unsaturated fats used by them. Check label to make sure that you always buy items which have zero or low levels of saturated fats.

Saturated Fats

1. Meat (chicken, beef, lamb)
2. Commercial cakes, biscuits, pastries
3. Fried food
4. Full fat dairy food items
5. Coconut and palm oil

Unsaturated Fats

1. Vegetables oils (olive, rapeseed, sunflower)
2. Fish especially tuna, salmon and sardines
3. Nuts and seeds
4. Low fat margarines

Vitamins

Vitamins are required for energy, protection and healthy functioning of the body. However we don’t need large amount of them. Vitamins are found in vegetables and fruits, whole grains and fortified foods. Certain vitamins are also found in eggs, meat, fish and dairy.

Sources of Vitamins

1. Vitamin A (liver, eggs, yellow fruits and vegetables, whole milk, whole milk products)
2. Vitamin B1 (whole grains, brown rice, meat, fish, poultry, egg yolks, chickpeas, kidney beans, soyabeans, sunflower seeds, marmite)
3. Vitamin B2 (fish, eggs, dairy products, almonds, chicken)
4. Vitamin B3 (beetroot, turkey, chicken, oily fish, sunflower seeds, peanuts)
5. Vitamin B5 (egg yolks, whole grain)
6. Vitamin B6 (avocadoes, bananas, carrots, lentils, brown rice)
7. Vitamin B9 (spinach, asparagus, lentils, soyabeans, root vegitables, whole grain)
8. Vitamin B12 (beef, cheese, eggs, milk and milk products)
9. Vitamin C (citrus fruits (oranges), black currants, papaya, tomatoes, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, peas)
10. Vitamin D (Fish like salmon, sardines, tuna; fortified milk, egg yolk)
11. Vitamin E (cold pressed oils, eggs. Sweet potatoes, leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds, nuts)
12. Vitamin K (leafy greens, broccoli, egg yolks, safflower oil, cauliflower, soyabeans)

Vitamin these days are also available in the form of tablets. Natural form is best. The pills or chewable tablets may be necessary in some children due to any deficiency and shall only be given after proper tests and doctor’s prescription.

Minerals

Minerals are also essential but like vitamins small quantities are required by our bodies. The common minerals are iron, calcium and sodium. Iron is important for good balance of haemoglobin and calcium is necessary for healthy bones. Sodium intake must not be high as it increases blood pressure. The common source of sodium is salt.

Sources of Calcium

1. Milk and milk products (cheese, yogurt, ice cream)
2. Soya drinks
3. Salmon and sardines
4. Almonds
5. Broccoli
6. Leafy green vegetables

Sources of Iron

1. Liver, lean meat (beef, lamb, chicken)
2. Bran flakes and wheat bran based breakfast cereals
3. Baked beans
4. Leafy green vegetables
5. Dried fruit

Fiber

Fiber is the bulky part of fruits, vegetables and grains that we can’t digest and passes through our systems. It makes us feel full. Fiber keeps our bowel movements regular and not having enough fiber leads to constipation. So children must get fiber to keep their bowel movements regular.

With this information, we believe you can plan meals for your toddlers ensuring that they get all the nutrition which their growing body needs. You can now easily prepare a menu that suits your budget, life routine and your toddler’s choice based on information about sources of all nutrition.

Don’t forget water as we always need plenty of water to keep our system running well.