7 tips to better nutrition

How do you help your child develop good eating habits? Here are seven tips that will help you lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy independent eating.

1. Mix it up. The key to a balanced diet is to serve a variety of foods from all of the food groups (whole grains, fruit, vegetables, meat and beans, and dairy) every day. Make sure to include foods with nutrients that your child may be lacking: iron, zinc, potassium, vitamin E, and fiber. This variety will help make sure that your child gets an array of nutrients for healthy growth and development.
2. Serve a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. A variety of colors throughout the day expands your child’s tastes and provides a variety of nutrients for her tummy. Continue to introduce new fruits and vegetables from all of the color groups: blue/purple, red, yellow/orange, white, and green. Introducing new foods with old favorites may improve acceptance. For example, if she likes corn, try adding small red pepper dices.
3. Let your child decide how much to eat. Your child’s tummy is much smaller than an adult’s, so he needs smaller meals and snacks of nutrient-rich foods. Serve three small meals and two to three snacks a day, offering nutritious choices. Teach your child to respect his appetite by letting him decide what and how much to eat. If he’s hungry, let him eat heartily. But if he’s full, let him stop. Teach him to regulate his own intake.
   
   Watch for your child’s hunger and fullness cues:
   Hungry
   • Combines phrases with gestures such as “want that” and pointing
   • Can lead parent to refrigerator and point to a desired food or drink
   
   Full
   • Uses words such as “all done” and “get down”
   • Plays with food or throws food
4. Snack smart. Because toddlers and preschoolers typically get 25% of their calories from snacks, make sure to offer nutritious choices for every snack. Be wary of foods high in calories but low in nutrients. These “empty-calorie foods”—including chips, cookies, and sugary drinks—don’t leave much room for more nutritious choices. So save them for an occasional, but certainly not everyday treat.
5. Drink healthfully. Beverages are important for hydration, but too many beverages can make your child too full to eat. Make sure your toddler gets his two cups of whole or 2% reduced-fat milk every day unless he’s still breastfeeding. He can have four to six fluid ounces of 100% juice each day for one fruit serving. Offer water and avoid sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages.
6. Offer better fats. Healthy eating for toddlers and preschoolers doesn’t mean a low-fat diet. In fact young children need calories from fat for growth and brain development. Data show that more than a fourth of toddlers aren’t getting enough fat on a given day. And more than a third aren’t getting enough alpha linolenic acid—an important essential omega 3 fatty acid.
   
   Breastmilk and formula are important sources of essential fatty acids for infants. But once you make the switch to whole milk, prepare foods with one tablespoon of soy or canola oil or use salad dressing as a dip to provide these essential fats.
   
   Toddlers are also not getting enough vitamin E that’s found in fats and fortified foods. However, avoid foods with lots of saturated and trans fats.
7. Choose foods lower in sodium. You may think that your child's foods taste too bland. However, your child doesn’t need all the salt that tastes right to you.
   
   Most toddlers and preschoolers consume too much sodium. Sticking to the first principle of eating a variety of unsalted or lightly salted foods from the main food groups (whole grains, fruit, vegetables, meat and beans, and dairy) throughout the day will automatically keep your toddler’s diet lower in sodium. Also limit salty foods such as chips, and adult foods such as meals and soups. Look for claims on food labels such as “less sodium” rather than “unsalted” and “lightly salted.”