Nutritional Requirements for your Toddler

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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.