In the first few years, your child has specific nutritional needs for healthy growth. Toddlers aged 1-3 years are growing and developing quickly and it’s an important time to make sure they are eating well to get all the nutrients they need.
Give a balanced diet. These should include foods from at least three food groups: Carbohydrates like grain products, Vegetables and Fruits, Milk and Alternatives, Meat and Alternatives.
• A variety of vegetables and fruit. Include dark green ones such as spinach & sukuma wiki, peas, green peppers, courgettes, brinjals, broccoli; and orange ones such as pumpkin, carrots, cantaloupe and sweet potato. Fruits like oranges, pawpaw, avocado, pears, pineapples, mangoes, etc.
• Whole grains. Try oatmeal, pancakes, chapati, ugali, rice, whole grain cereals, porridge, bread, crackers and pasta.
• Vegetable starches like potatoes, sweet potatoes, arrow roots (Nduma), banana (Matoke).
• 500 ml (2 cups) of milk, yoghurt or mala (fermented milk) over the course of a day.
• Meat alternatives or lean meats. Try beans, lentils, chickpeas, eggs, lean meats trimmed of fat, fish and chicken with the skin removed.
• Iron-rich foods: red meats, poultry (the dark meat has more iron than white meat), beans, lentils, fish, dried fruits, enriched bread and cereals.
• Foods high in vitamin C help the body use iron. Most vegetables and fruit provide vitamin C.
• Some nutritious higher-fat foods: meats, cheese and peanut butter.
