Coming up with healthy snack ideas for your toddler is easy and really doesn’t take a lot of planning, work, or money. Starting healthy eating habits early in a child’s life, you will be setting him/her up for a healthy, active lifestyle later. Obesity is on the rise around the globe, especially in the U.S. It would behoove us, as parents, to include superfoods such as berries, whole grains, and fish into our youngsters’ diets as soon, and as often as possible. In my opinion, the basic food groups have a new superfood category (unofficially), and it should be the focus of your young child’s daily diet.
Whole grain snacks for your toddler
Whole wheat, corn, rye, oat, etc. should be incorporated into your toddler’s diet (and yours!) as often as possible on a daily basis. Try these fun whole wheat toddler snacks that do not require a lot of preparation, and will make him smile and give him the energy he needs to keep on playing and learning!
3 cups of popcorn (for ages 4+)
1/2 cup of whole grain pasta or brown rice
1 serving of whole grain goldfish crackers
1 slice of whole grain bread, tortillas, or muffin
1 cup multigrain grain cheerios or other whole grain cereal
Healthy fruits for your youngster
Strawberries, blueberries, and rasberries are all great sources of vitamin C and antioxidants. And they are colorful, seasonal, and yummy for kids. As long as you watch for choking issues, these fruits are a great way to add a little bit of color and flavor to cereals and yogurt, or can be eaten plain, or mixed up into a delicious fruit salad. Try serving a half-cup of any or a mix of all three with breakfast or as a mid-morning snack.
Introduce fish into your toddler’s diet
Most people think that kids will not eat fish, but actually, the younger you start them off, the more likely it is that they will become life-long fish eaters. Even if you are not a fish-eater yourself, you owe it to your toddler to give them the chance to enjoy fish. It is healthy, easy to cook, and offers a great variety. You can start them off with fried fish, but you don’t even have to do that. Why not try the following:
Cod, flounder, haddock, or tilapia (whatever is fresh) sauteed in a little bit of oil
Poached salmon
Cold tuna, plain or with some low-fat mayo mixed in
Boiled shrimp with a tasty dipping sauce or salad dressing
Tags: healthy foods for kids, Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas, Introduce kids to fish, Superfoods For Toddlers, whole grain snacks for toddlers
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