Are you worried about your underweight toddler? Have you tried everything but nothing seems to work? Well, your food choices matter, and perhaps it’s time to consider healthier options. How you cook your food is crucial. It will determine whether the nutrients disappear from the cooking pan or reach the dinner table. Your choice of fats also matters, and healthy fats will improve your child’s health and weight.
What are the best foods for underweight toddlers?
Your child needs adequate nutrients, and your food choices should be healthy. Therefore, consider carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats in your child’s diet. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Similarly, avocado, nuts, olive oil and meat will supply all the needed nutrients and are excellent foods to help toddler gain weight. For good fats, consider foods like; avocado, fish, dairy and peanut butter. Complex carbs are also handy and will supply your child with the needed carbohydrates.
Cooking tips for underweight toddlers
1. Incorporate protein-rich foods& cook well
Proteins are bodybuilding foods and will ensure healthy growth and development.
Protein is an essential macro-nutrient and is vital for promoting satiety and building muscle mass. A rich protein diet is crucial in maintaining a healthy weight. Therefore, incorporate more protein-rich foods like meats, fish, eggs, milk and poultry into your child’s diet. Also, consider lentils like beans, peas, soya and more.
Cook eggs and poultry adequately to avoid food poisoning that can result from undercooked meats and eggs. Cook meats at high temperatures of 145°F and 160°F for fish and whole cuts of beef and pork. F or ground beef and egg dishes 165°F would be ideal.
2. Smoothies will go a long way.
Smoothies are a great way of feeding your child. Mix various foods and fruits to make your smoothie as nutritious as possible. A good way of doing this is to create a smoothie for a breakfast snack. Use avocado since it’s packed with nutrients and calories.
Mash it with other foods like banana and peanut butter to make a nutrient-dense smoothie. You can also mix it with peanut butter and apply it to your child’s toast. Don’t add honey to a child’s food if they are below 12 months. It may contain Clostridium botulinum spores.
3. Focus on what your child loves
If your child is a poor eater, they will likely refuse to eat most of the time. They may also end up not eating if you insist on feeding them foods they dislike. There’s a trick, though! Give more of what they like and combine this with what they dislike. Always have something they love, and keep introducing new foods until they get used to them.
Final thoughts
Cooking for an underweight toddler isn’t as difficult as many people think. Your options are endless when it comes to food choices, and you can always get nutrient-dense foods to add to the list of baby food. Consider fresh, healthy food and incorporate healthy fats.
Cook until tender to retain nutrients. Examples of foods to focus on include; meats and poultry, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter and lentils.
Gourmets Food 