Balanced diet for toddlers

My daughter and I are lacto-vegetarians (we eat diary products but not egg and meat). The major source of nutrition for us is from vegetables,fruits and lentils. For toddlers, for the amount of energy they spend, it is absolutely essential to eat a healthy, nutrition rich diet.

For her to stay strong and energetic, I always make sure I include every important nutrient in my cooking and in her diet. The important nutrients include protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, carbs, iron, folate, fiber, calcium and fats. As a vegetarian, it happens sometimes that we have to consume same food very often and it might in turn make our breakfast, lunch and dinner less interesting.

So I have to carefully curate my menu for the day in such a way that it is packed with nutrition and it should also be more inviting. We mostly cook Indian dishes at home and when I have ample time in the weekends, I try different cuisines. If the recipe is a hit, I make it a regular in our home.

I am planning to make a series of posts with nutritional and delicious recipes that will be helpful for mommies. I will also take care that the recipes don’t consume lot of time.

To make this post bit more informative, I am adding the sources of various nutrients that we consume regularly.

Proteins

1. Lentils
2. Beans
3. Yogurt
4. Cheese
5. Chickpeas
6. Nuts

Carbs

1. Whole wheat Bread/Chapati/Roti
2. Rice
3. Millet
4. Pasta
5. Potatoes

Vitamin A

1. Carrots
2. Spinach
3. Broccoli
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Pumpkin and squashes
6. Most green, leafy veggies

Vitamin C

1. Citrus fruits
2. Tomato
3. Broccoli
4. strawberry
5. cabbage
6. Cauliflower
7. Supplement

Iron

1. Beans
2. Spinach
3. Chickpeas
4. Tofu
5. Dry fruits and Nuts

Calcium

1. Black gram sabut (it is an Indian pulse and is loaded with calcium and other nutrients)
2. Dark green leafy veggies
3. Yogurt
4. cheese
5. Milk (rarely)
6. Finger Millet (Ragi)
   

Fiber

1. Certain legumes
2. Whole wheat bread/pasta/roti
3. Carrots
4. Beets
5. Spinach
6. Broccoli
7. Nuts

Folate (vitamin B9)

1. Legumes
2. Leafy greens
3. Beets
4. Citrus fruits
5. Banana
6. Nuts

Fats (healthy foods)

1. Nuts
2. Cheese
3. Yogurt
4. Coconut
5. Coconut oil
6. Avocado ( we are not a big fan of this buttery fruit, though)

Note: This post is just a glimpse of what we eat on most days and not dietary/nutritional advice

Image credit : Pexels.com

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