How can I get Iron Rich Foods for my Toddler ?
17-07-2015 | Posted By: Admin | 1968 View(s)
The food habits of toddlers are a major concern for their parents. It sometimes becomes very difficult to include all the proper nutrients and essential minerals in their diet so that the child is nourished properly. Toddlers are themselves not aware of the required food substituents for maintaining a healthy body, so their consuming habits must be kept in check by their parents. They must include all the important elements needed for their developing body as at that age, the physical and mental ability gets affected, and hence it’s necessary that parents feed their toddlers properly and keep a check on some nutrients and minerals.
Iron is one of the essential nutrients which is required in ample amount in a developing toddler’s body for its growth and acquisition capacity. Iron is also found in generous amounts in lots of food items which we use in our mundane life and including them in the toddler’s breakfast, and lunch is very crucial since dinner tends to be in very fewer quantities than the other diets. Now the question that arises is, how can one make sure that the right amount of iron reaches the toddler’s tummy, which is quite a task. Therefore, primarily one needs to sort the food materials that have plenty of iron in them and how in alternate ways can those be included in their meals.
It is actually advised by doctors to at least include one item which must be of the vegetables category like spinach, kale, green peas, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, celery, beans, bock Choy, mustard leaves and broccoli or other green items like asparagus, fennels, artichokes, turnip greens, chard, leeks, okra etc through either making tasty salads or stuffing them with various dough’s. Toddlers even like these items if induced in soups or as juices in summers.
Food items like various pulses which include lentils, moong, massur, and chana seeds are enriched with iron and must be included through various means like in the original form of dal, or by boiling it and having it with whole wheat or atta which is again a really iron-rich food item. Some fishes are also very rich in iron like tuna and salmon though they are not so readily available if found they can be very helpful in making sure that the toddler gets them in the right quantities. Rajma and rice are one of the most favourite delicacies for many toddlers which are again a great option.
For raisins; dried apricots, almonds, and other dried foods can be great Tiffin options for the toddlers which are again full of proteins like iron.
Eggs, chicken and soybean, are excellent providers of iron. The egg must be a regular in the meal, and chicken can be cooked in various tempting and delicious ways to make it a hit among the toddlers. Making their meals interesting and colourful will make the toddlers finish it up easily without creating any fuss.
So Iron in Diet is much necessary for kids to be included by parents for their overall growth and development.
