Superfoods for toddlers

"A ‘superfood’ isn’t a scientific term but it is taken to mean foods that are rich in nutrients which have the potential to improve health and help combat disease.

"When appetites are small, there are certainly some foods that give us good ‘bang for our buck’ so to speak in terms of how good they are for us.

"Rich in nutrients that are known to be good for health, we can celebrate the small wins if these foods appear in our toddlers’ diets sometimes."

10 superfoods for toddlers - as recommended by Dietitian Laura Clark

1. Oily fish: a popular fish with children is salmon, but you could also try trout and sardines. Full of omega-3 fatty acids which are vital for brain function and development. As our children’s brains grow at such a fast rate in the first 2 years of life, omega-3’s are really important. 

2. Kale: it’s richer in calcium than broccoli and spinach and is also a great source of vitamin C. Get creative and whizz it up and add it to popular dishes such as stir-fries and bolognese without them really noticing. 

3. Milk: milk and dairy provide most of the iodine in the UK diet, which is needed for thyroid function. Milk is also rich in bone minerals such as calcium and phosphorus as well as the B vitamins needed to release energy from our food. 

4. Kidney beans: a great source of protein, iron and soluble fibre and count towards your child’s 5 a day. Baked beans may be a childhood favourite but try to encourage other sorts of beans that mix into stews and chilli. These are also a good meat substitute for vegetarians. 

5. Blueberries: packed full of antioxidants and vitamin C they are true heroes. Their consumption has also been associated with improved memory function and evidence suggests they may even boost mood.

6. Quinoa: this ancient grain is actually a seed and brings with it plenty of minerals, protein and fibre. It’s a nice alternative to rice and pasta when you feel like it for an extra nutrient boost.

7. Kiwi: packed full of vitamin C, these help to protect your toddler’s immune system and helps their body absorb iron. Including vitamin C with a meal will double or even triple iron absorption.

8. Prawns: shellfish is a great source of minerals such as zinc and selenium which are really important for our immune system. It can be cooked from frozen and comes in lots of sizes.

9. Avocado: a wonderful source of healthy fats (monounsaturates). Avocados also provide potassium needed for growing muscles and many other vitamins together with fibre.

10. Almonds: all nuts are nutrient powerhouses, although they should be given in ground form until the age of 5. They will also help your child’s healthy gut bacteria grow. Try adding to bakes like flapjacks.

Why superfoods are important

"By the very nature of a food being labelled as 'super' is it usually high in certain vitamins and minerals known to have health benefits and be low in fat, sugar and salt," explains Laura.

But she also stresses that it is important to not get too hung up on the actual term 'superfood'.

"While superfoods can help us to nourish our children, it’s important to put them in context as behind the scenes the term ‘superfood’ is really more of a marketing term than a scientific definition," explains Laura.

So it’s not about saying that your toddler needs a certain number of superfoods each day, but the more they have the better.

The most important thing is to support children to eat a varied diet which includes sources of carbohydrates, protein, fat and fibre. Five portions of fruit and veg a day for example will support their vitamin and fibre requirements and is a great target to aim for.

Lots of mums on our forum are enjoying trying different superfoods with their toddlers.

"Mackerel is a good oily fish to give - lots of Omega 3 for little one’s growing brain!" says d1ydiva.

"For a dinner I boil pasta stars and quinoa (together in the same pan) and mix this with cream pasta sauce and pork from the freezer," says Maenad_.

"We make smoothies and my 2 year old loves them! It’s such a treat way to get more fruit and veggies in. We are experimenting with adding in veggies like kale, which little man doesn’t seem to mind," says SW2.

Achieving a balanced diet with superfoods and other foods

As our top 10 superfoods list illustrates, your toddler needs a variety of food from different food groups to stay healthy.

Laura explains that, as a guide, toddler tums need (per day) approximately:

• 5 portions of carbohydrate to support their energy needs
• 2 portions of protein food to support their growth (ideally 3 if vegetarian or vegan)
• about 3 portions of dairy (or suitable, plant-based alternatives)
• at least 5 portions of fruit and veg.

And if some of these are superfoods then all the better.

Mums on our forum try to add the odd superfood into ‘regular’ food as a way to get more nutritionally dense foods in.

"Wraps are good as you can put all manner of things in them," says proudmummy2010.

"You can get wholemeal ones now too - and cut them to make small toddler sized ones. Try filling with chicken and avocado, or tuna and cheese."

Dealing with fussy eaters

Of course, talk of giving your toddler healthy food and doing the best for them nutritionally is a given but what if, like many children, yours is a little on the fussy side?

"My little one used to be such a fab eater but a few months ago at around 19 months she become so fussy! She likes what she likes and that's it. She's stopped eating most veg when she used to love it!" worries TheLittleJewelleryBox.

"We can only seem to get potatoes into him in the form of oven chips or potato waffles and other than the veg mixed in his soup he will only pick at veg,” worries mum -kia- on the forum. “He is a bit better with fruit although I doubt he gets his 5 a day."

"Toddlers in particular are tricky to feed as they begin to have an opinion on what they will and won’t eat!” acknowledges Laura.

A phase of so called ‘fussy eating’ is normal and a way in which toddlers are exerting their control.

"The trick is to ride this wave, acting like you don’t care and always making them feel in control by not pressuring them to eat and offering them the opportunity to self- serve wherever possible.”

Mum claire-abelle, whose son was fussy when he became a toddler agrees:

"Don’t offer anything else - toddlers won't starve themselves and will eat when they are hungry," she says.

"Keep a diary for a week or too and you'll probably find their diet isn't as bad as you think. Also if your child doesn't eat his food take it away without comment but when he/she does eat something then pile on the praise."

Take the pressure off at mealtimes

"Most of all don’t put pressure on yourself to achieve nutritional perfection every day," says Laura.

"Looking at their diet over a week is a good guide and enables you to judge if they are eating something from all the food groups across a few days.

"If this is the case they are highly likely to be meeting their nutritional requirements."

One great tip is to try to ensure your little one has some control over what they eat.

"I often give my little boy options when I'm cooking e.g. broccoli or carrots or mash or wedges," says sparklyblue

"He's more likely to eat it if he's chosen it, and I let him choose one type of fruit, and one veg in the supermarket each week too.

"I've also started doing main meals at lunchtime when I'm not at work and he does seem to be more open to trying new foods."

And of course if you can get some superfoods in this way - all the better. And also remember the more healthily us mums eat, the better for our children.

As Laura says: "Appetites vary greatly depending on growth spurts and remember - children learn a lot through modelling, so including plenty of nutrient rich ‘super’ foods in your diet will help too."

Pics: Getty

Read more

• Why are some kids fussy eaters?
• How to encourage independent eating
• Tasty (and healthy) snacks for your toddler

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