How Much of What Foods Should Your Toddler Be Eating Everyday?
Serving Sizes and Daily Intake Recommendations for Toddlers
Grains
For grain products, six servings a day is recommended for toddlers. This sounds like a lot, but one serving for children this young is as small as four crackers or a half cup of cereal. A serving of bread for a toddler is one half to one slice. If your toddler is a carbohydrate fiend, a serving of rice or pasta is approximately half a cup. Make sure to choose whole grain products so that your toddler gets a sufficient amount of fiber each day.
Dairy Products
The recommended number of dairy servings for a toddler between the ages of twelve and twenty-four months is four per day. A serving of dairy for children this age is a half cup of whole milk, yogurt, or pudding. Do not switch to low fat products until your child is over two years of age. For toddlers, a serving size of cheese is about one ounce.
Vegetables
Toddlers should have three servings per day of veggies. A serving is one half of a cup of cooked, diced vegetables. A half cup of tomato sauce also constitutes a serving of vegetables. Make sure your toddler's veggie servings amount to a rainbow of colors each day so that he or she gets a variety of vitamins and antioxidants. Sweet potatoes, broccoli, and tomatoes are all nutritional powerhouses.
Fruits
Most toddlers have no problem meeting the two daily servings recommended for fruits. Toddler appropriate serving sizes for fruit are a half cup or chopped or diced fruit, or half of a medium piece of fruit, such as a banana. Four ounces of 100% fruit juice can also constitute a fruit serving, but try not to exceed that in a day. Your toddler will get the most nutritional benefits by consuming the fruit in its original state.
Protein
Protein is an important part of a healthy diet. Toddlers should consume at least two servings of protein per day. A serving size of cooked meat or poultry for a toddler is two ounces. A serving size for adults is three ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards. Use this visual guideline when preparing a plate for your toddler to ensure you serve them an appropriate amount of meat. Beans are also a great source of protein, and the recommended portion size for a toddler is a half cup.
Remember that these are just guidelines. Never force your toddler to eat, just continue to offer a variety of healthy foods each day in age appropriate serving sizes. Even if your toddler doesn't get the recommended number of dairy servings per day, if you examine your toddler's weekly diet, you will find that it usually evens out. Help your toddler establish healthy eating habits that they can carry with them for a lifetime.
Sources
USDA Food Guidelines Brochure: http://www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/Sharing_Center/RI/1-2yrs_foodguide.pdf
Dr. Sears, "Value Your Vegetables": http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t045300.asp#T045302
Published by Robin Kay
Robin is a wife, mother and student who lives in the Far North. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentI agree with Tony. You offered a lot of really good points. It's so sad to see the rubbish that many parents feed their toddlers nowadays and then they wonder why they turn their noses up at fruit and vegetables when they are older. Parents need to lead by example. My mum and dad fed us a really healthy diet as children (we weren't taken to fast food restaurants) and we grew up with a passion for fruit, vegetables and a variety of other healthy foods.
Sophie
Lots of good tips. I think it's important to not feed toddlers junk food and processed food all the time, but to give them more natural cereals, breads and make sure they are introduced to vegetables and salads as well, plus fruits.