More than a quarter of a century of research supports the positive link between eating breakfast and mental alertness. A balanced breakfast may help children (especially younger children, like toddlers) to do better in school by improving:
- Memory
- Test grades
- School
- Attendance
- Psycho-social function
- Mood
Meal Planning Ideas
Choose one option per meal and one mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack.
| Breakfast | v Wholewheat Pronutro with milk and half a small pawpaw
v Boiled or scrambled egg on toast with a small glass of orange juice v Baked beans on toast with a small banana v Peanut butter on toast with a glass of milk v Smoothie: blend low-fat vanilla yoghurt with fruit, milk and a handful of ice |
| Snacks | v Small tub of yoghurt, drinking yoghurt or a carton of flavoured milk
v Few pieces of dried fruit, nuts or peanuts and raisins v Fruit kebab made with melon, pineapple and strawberries v Home-made popcorn or a muffin v Crackers or bread with peanut butter or cheese wedges v PnP mini rice bites |
| Lunch | v Small roll with peanut butter and sliced banana / chicken mayonnaise / ham and cheese, with baby carrots and an apple
v Meatball and salad sticks with a bread roll and an apple v Quick pita nachos with avocado v “Pasta please” packed lunch v Cheese fingers wrapped in ham slices with a bran muffin and strawberries |
| Dinner | v Pilchard and potatoe fish cakes with crudités
v Beef stroganoff with rice and a carrot and pineapple salad v The “Twits wormy pasta” with grated cheese v Spaghetti Bolognese with steamed baby vegetables v Optional dessert: fruit salad jellies |
Healthy diet tips for your toddler
- Swap cold drinks for milk, flavoured milk or drinking yoghurt to increase dairy intake.
- Include fish in children’s meals by serving fish fingers, fish cakes or steamed fish flaked into rice.
- Prepare baked beans on toast with grated cheese.
- Serve raw vegetables (carrots, baby tomatoes, cucumber) with a flavoured dip like mashed avocado.
- Add pureed carrots to tomatoe-based pasta sauces or finely chop vegetables and hide them on home-baked pizzas, soups, mince dishes and casseroles.
- Vegetable kebabs, bananas in their skins and mealies are great for braais.
- Blend fruit into a smoothie by mixing banana with some frozen mixed berries and a dollop of yoghurt – a nutritious drink for children of all ages.
- Remember to monitor water intake – freeze a bottle of water or diluted juice the night before packing their lunch – it should stay cold for most of the day.
Use fats and sugars sparingly: children shouldn’t have a very low-fat diet, they need the same balance of fats as adults. Restrict animal fats and choose plant oils such as olive or sunflower oil, tub margarines, avocado, peanut butter and nuts. Sugar can be part of a balanced eating plan, but in moderation. Restrict sweets and chocolates to after-meal treats and provide milk, water or diluted fruit juices rather than soft drinks.
About the Author: Advice, tips and meal plans provided by Pick n Pay’s resident Dietician who can be contacted on the Health Hotline. Visit http://www.picknpay.co.za/healthy-recipes for recipes and more.
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