Healthy Eating

 

 

 

 

 

Children (1-3 years)

 

By the time babies turn 1 year old they should be starting to eat mostly solid foods. Children this age should also be starting to feed themselves with a spoon and drink out of a cup. Parents can support their children as they practice their new eating skills by providing them with healthy food choices and being patient and positive at meal times.


The Basic Parts of a Healthy Diet

As children get older (2-3 years), they should eat 3 healthy, well balanced meals and 2 to 3 snacks each day. This means a total of:

Whole Grains

3 servings of grain each day. A slice of bread (35 g), ½ pita bread (35 g), or 125 mL (½ cup) of pasta or rice makes up 1 serving.

 

a

Fresh Vegetables and Fruits

4 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. A piece of medium fruit, or half a cup of fresh, frozen or canned vegetables makes up 1 serving.

a 

Milk and Alternatives

2 servings of milk products (250 mL or 1 cup) or fortified soy beverages each day. 175 g (¾ cup) yogurt, or 50 g (1 ½ oz) of cheese makes up 1 serving. Rice or nut drinks are not recommended before children are 2 years old.

a

Meat and Alternatives 

1 serving (75 g or 2 ½ oz) of meat or alternatives each day. 125 mL (½ cup) of meat, fish, poultry, 175 mL (¾ cup) beans or tofu, 2 eggs, 30 mL (2 Tbsp) peanut butter makes up one serving.

a 

Oils and Fats

2 to 3 Tbsp (30 to 45 mL) each day. A small amount of unsaturated oil used for cooking or in salad dressings, or mayonnaise on a sandwich makes up 1 about half a serving.

a 

To make mealtimes and eating healthy and positive:

  • Decide what foods to give your children, as well as when and where they will eat.
  • Let children decide which foods (of those chosen by you) they want to eat, as well as how much they want to eat.
  • Offer children a variety of nutritious foods more than one time so they have a chance to get use to new tastes. Expect children’s likes and dislikes to change, as well as their appetites. This is normal!
  • Offer children water, not sugared beverages, between meals and snacks to quench thirst.
  • To avoid choking and burns:
  • Make sure children sit down while they eat and that an adult stays with them and watches while they eat.
  • Cut food into small pieces and remove pits from foods that have them.
  • Cook hard vegetables until they are soft.
  • Make sure cooked food isn’t too hot. Let food cool down before serving it.

For more information on child safety and how to avoid choking in the home visit the Children’s Physical Safety at Home and on the Move section of this website.

Think carefully about and avoid:

a

Giving children “junk food” or “fast food.”  These are foods that have a lot of artificial ingredients and too much fats, sugar and salt (sodium) to eat on a regular basis. These foods include things like pop, chips, french fries, instant packaged soups and snacks, chocolate, and candy.

Giving in when children try to pressure you into letting them eat junk food whenever they feel like it. Even though children may like these kinds of foods best, junk food or “treats” should not be given on a regular basis, or in place of healthy, fresh foods.

Forcing children to eat if they don’t want to.


For more information on daily recommended amounts of nutrients and vitamins for children 1-3 years visit the Vitamins and Supplements section of this site.


For more information on healthy serving sizes for children visit the Nutrition Labels section of this site.


For healthy, kid and mom friendly recipes visit the Healthy Recipes section of this site, or visit the websites below:


B.C. Health Guide            
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile69e.stm

Canada’s Food Guide
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html

 

 

Source:

Healthy and Active Living: For your 1 to 5 year old. Province of Alberta. http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/public/NT0048_1to5.pdf
BC Health Files. Meals and Snack Ideas for Your One to Three Year Old Toddler. Child Nutrition Series – HealthFile # 69e, June 2007. http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile69e.stm