So Easy Toddler Food: Survival Tips & Simple Receipes For The Toddler Years

So Easy Toddler Food Survival Tips & Simple Recipes for the Toddler Years 1st edition, Copyright ©2009, Fresh Baby LLC All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Published by Fresh Baby LLC 202 Grove Street, Petoskey, MI 49770 www.freshbaby.com ISBN: 9780-97-272273-5 Authors: Joan Ahlers and Cheryl Tallman Cover and Book Design: Dylan Tallman, Creative i Photography: Roger Tallman, Creative i Editor: Jillian Lieder Nutritional data and images courtesy of www.NutritionData.com Special thanks to: Katherine M. Klumpyan, RD and Lisa S. Hamlett, MS, RD, IBCLC, RLC Common Food Weights & Measures Dry: Liquids: Dash = Less than 1/8 Teaspoon 1 Ounce (fl oz.) = 2 Tablespoons 1 Tablespoon = 3 Teaspoons 1 Cup = ½ Pint 4 Tablespoons = ¼ Cup 2 Cups = 1 Pint 8 Tablespoons = ½ Cup 2 Pints = 1 Quart 12 Tablespoons = ¾ Cup 4 Cups = 1 Quart 16 Tablespoons = 1 Cup 4 Quarts = 1 Gallon Six Tips for Developing Healthy Eating Habits When toddlers begin to eat “grown-up” food, they can develop “grown-up” eating habits. Some of our habits don’t make us healthy, for example, too much junk food and too few vegetables. It’s never too early for children to develop healthy habits. They can last for life. These simple tips will help you and your whole family to make healthy food choices. Be a good role model It’s simple. Children learn by watching you and they want to be just like you. You can’t expect to raise a child who eats healthy foods if you don’t eat them yourself. Here are some tips to help you become a role model of healthy eating: • Keep fruits and vegetables on hand and ready to eat. • Select lean meats and low-fat proteins, such as eggs, nuts, tofu, and beans. • Avoid deep-fried foods. Healthier cooking styles include broiling, grilling, roasting, and steaming. • Limit how much processed food you eat. As a rule, buy products that have common ingredients found in your kitchen, not in the chemistry lab. Avoid buying frozen or canned entrees (such as TV dinners, pasta in a can, etc.) • Make€fast food and junk food “once-in-a-while” foods. These foods are very high in fat, salt, and calories. They’re just not healthy to eat all the time. • Don’t keep soda or sugary drinks in your house. Limit the amount of 100% real fruit juice your kids drink, too. Be Positive! As a first step, talk about how good healthy foods are. Let your child know what foods you are eating and how important they are to growing stronger and bigger. This information can help your toddler understand how important it is to choose healthy foods. Offer variety for a balanced diet Take note of eating patterns. The key to a balanced diet is variety. Different foods provide different nutrients (substances that are needed for growth and health). Your children should eat many different foods in order to get all of the nutrients they need. A varied diet will help them stay healthy and build strong bodies. Don’t feed your children the same foods every day, but change what you make for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Every day, your toddler should eat: • Vegetables • Fruits • Whole grains (for example, whole-wheat bread, pasta, brown rice, or oatmeal) • Proteins (for example, beans, fish, or lean meats) • Dairy products