4 essential food groups for toddlers

Baby nutrition is always the top concern of parents. Here are four food groups you should consider including in your baby's daily meals.

1. Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. It's good to offer your baby a variety of fruits and vegetables from a young age, whether fresh, frozen, canned, or even dried, fruit or vegetables. Make sure that fruits and vegetables are present with every baby meal.

Different types of fruits and vegetables will contain different vitamins and minerals, so it's better to offer your baby a variety of fruits. Do not worry when your baby only likes to eat one or two fruits or vegetables because children's eating preferences at this age often change.

You can often feed your baby a small amount of different fruits and vegetables so they can learn how to taste each type. Some babies do not like to eat cooked fruits and vegetables but like to sip raw vegetables while you are preparing the meal.

2. Starch-rich foods

Starchy foods provide energy, nutrients and fiber. Whether it's bread or cereal, potatoes or sweet potatoes, rice or sticky rice, pasta or pasta, most babies are quite fond of eating the foods in this group.

You can also offer foods such as rice, porridge, whole grain flour, such as whole wheat bread, pasta or brown rice. However, it's not always a good thing for parents to feed babies under the age of two, especially when your child is picky about eating whole grains. They will fill your baby with fullness before being converted into calories and essential nutrients. Just when your baby is two years old, should you offer him more whole grain foods than before.

3. Milk and dairy foods

Whole milk and dairy products are good sources of calcium to help babies develop and keep their bones and teeth strong. They also contain vitamin A to help children with resistance to infections as well as good for their skin and eyes.

When your baby is one year old, you can switch your baby from breast milk or formula to cow's milk or continue to breastfeed. Try to give your baby milk three times a day, whether it be in the form of milk to drink or in the form of dairy foods like yogurt or cottage cheese.

You can give your baby skim milk when he is two years old, he can eat well and develop better than before. Skim milk or 1% fat milk does not contain the required amount of fat for your baby, so children under the age of five are not recommended.

4. Meat, fish, eggs, beans and non-dairy proteins (proteins)

Very young children need iron and protein to mature and develop. Try to give your toddler one or two servings of this food group each day.

Meat, fish, eggs, beans (such as chickpeas, lentils, peas) and legumes (such as tofu, soy beans) are excellent sources of protein and iron. . Nuts also contain protein, but should not be given to babies under five years of age in order to avoid possible suffocation.

Boys can take four servings of fish oil (such as mackerel, salmon, and sardines) a week. But if your baby is a girl, give her less than two servings of fish oil a week because fish oil can contain a low level of pollutants that easily build up in her body. Do not stop giving fish oil to your baby because the benefits from fish oil still outweigh the risks posed by them, as long as your child is not eating more than the fish oil dosage allows.

Above are four essential food groups for your child's development. If you still have questions regarding toddler nutrition, please consult your doctor or a dietitian for timely advice.