How to bridge Nutrition Gap for a Fussy Eater
Nov 18, 2021, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Nutrition plays a vital role at this stage. During the second year, the weight of your toddler would ideally grow four times and their height would also go up by 7-8 cms. During the subsequent years, the weight gain could be between 1.5-3 kgs every year coupled with about 6-7 cms of height gain. Hence during this growth phase, your child would require energy-rich foods, body-building foods, and protective foods to grow, develop and stay away from infections. Ideally, your toddler needs 1000-1400 calories every day.
Here’s the list of the various food groups that are necessary for your child’s growth and their respective portion sizes:
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Grains, cereals, millets: Grains are a rich source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. These comprise of wheat, ragi, oats, and rice. 2.5 cups (small katori – 30 gms per serving) of grains in a day is recommended.
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Milk and milk products: Milk and milk products are a great source of protein, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B1, and Vitamin B12. Calcium is required for strong bones and hence consumption of dairy products is important for your toddler’s growing years . A 2-4-yr old child needs 2 cups of milk and a 4+ years-old child needs 2 - 1/2 cups of milk daily.
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Fruits and vegetables: Fruits are vegetables are a good source of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Add grated or pureed vegetables in parathas, curd, khichdi, pulao, upma, dosa, idli or chillas. 2-3 servings (4-6 tablespoons) of fruits and vegetables a day is good for your toddler.
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Healthy fats: Your toddler requires healthy fats for organs to function and vitamins A, D, E, K to protect important organs. Nuts and dry fruits like walnuts, almonds, olive oil, flaxseeds, and fish are laden with omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which foster brain development and cognitive skills development. You can give one handful of nuts and seeds daily.
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Meat, poultry, fish and beans: Meat, eggs, poultry, fish, beans are a great source of protein. Proteins are required for wear and tear of muscles and to strengthen the immune system. Meat is a good source of Vitamin B12. You can give 2 boiled eggs or 2 half katoris of fish/poultry in a week . In case your toddler is a vegetarian, then soya, beans, milk, yogurt, nuts, paneer, tofu, seeds and sprouts are good options. You can give 1-2 half katori a day of any of these.
Join this workshop with Nutritionist Huda Shaikh to learn how can you bridge the Nutrition gap of your fussy eater.
Huda Shaikh, Clinical Nutritionist
Huda Shaikh is a Nutritionist, clinical dietitian, health blogger, motivational speaker, healthy recipe designer and the Founder and Director of Nutribond. She has extensive knowledge about weight loss and has designed many healthy recipes.
| Nov 17, 2021
My daughter is 1 year old. I started introducing semi solids foods like Dal, porridge, mashed potato and carrot, fruit purees, ragi porridge from six months. She ate well till 8 months, after which she is refusing all foods, even her favorite foods. He prefers breastmilk over the other foods. Her weight is only 6. 3 kg now but very active. What should I do? I am really worried.
| Nov 17, 2021
Hello Ma'am ! Hope you are doing well! My son has recently turned 3 years old. His weight is 10 kgs and birth weight was 2. 8 kgs. He won't demand food the entire day, if I do not serve him on my own. Just eats a few bites and then seals his mouth. He is very weak and falls ill often. Everybody comments about him being frail and I just don't like to hear that again and again. It feels I'm not doing enough for him. Please give some useful tips to help him gain weight. Thanks in advance!
| Nov 17, 2021
Hello Ma'am ! Ma'am my daughter who is 5 years old, doens't like milk at all. Kindly suggest some options to incorporate calcium rich food other than milk in her diet. Also please suggest different ways to incorporate seeds in a child's diet especially flaxseed. Thank you 😊
| Nov 17, 2021
My son age 4yrs is fussy eater n always keeps food in mouth and doesn’t chew at all ( watch YouTube while eating ) ...daily per meal I have to sit for 1-1. 5 hrs that too by giving water to every feed he just swallow . I am very much irritated with this and don’t understand what should I do . Even snacks I should sit n make him eat he will never have food on his own . Pls pour some suggestions Mam. Thanks Mam.
| Nov 17, 2021
Hello Ma'am 👋 My son is 20 months old and weighs 10. 5 kgs He is so active and take all the nutrition through every food item. I don't give him any type of junk food, sometimes his Nana, nani ,mama and mausi gives him chocolates(only sometimes) But from his birth he is very lean, he is not gaining muscle weight. Even day by day his height is increasing but not body muscles Plz suggest me what should I do?
| Nov 17, 2021
Mam mera baccha mostly junk food like karta hai 3 saal ka December mein complete ho Jaega. Usse ghar ka khana bilkul pasand nahi hai main joint family mein rehti hun abhi 1 month pehle usse spectacles bhi lage hain.. main kaise health ka dhayan rakhu meri madad karein. ?
Please complete the form to send your question to Huda Shaikh
Hello Huda mam, I always follow ur session it was very usefull for my daughter. Mam my big problem is my daughter is refusing to take food and her weight is 8. 5kgs and she is 18months old. Pls mam suggest me how to increase her weight by different foods. Thanks in advance😊