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Low-carbin' It With Tots?

Preparing Meals for Toddlers While You're Dieting

By Lisa A. Goldstein

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Angela Torrez-Perez plans to have this conversation if needed. She and her husband tend to cut out carbs as a means of dieting and usually don't have much available in the house. Her son is 8 months old, but she already worries about his carb intake. The plan is to continue eating as they do until their son is old enough to notice. They will then discuss their eating habits with him.

"I would completely feel comfortable explaining to my child why Mom and Dad eat as we do," Torrez-Perez says. "I would welcome questions from my son about our eating habits because I would want him to ask us questions directly rather than make assumptions about it on his own."

Parents need to be well-educated. "We as adults are so involved in dieting and looking good that sometimes we neglect to be sure that our kids are getting what they need," Julien says. "Parents need to understand at all times that they are the providers for their children's nutritional needs. They must be served those healthy carbs, and sorry parents, you'll just have to pass [the carbs] up this time!"

A Toddler Diet

So what should a toddler eat daily? According to Ronni Julien, toddlers should be introduced to a variety of textures, colors and groups of foods. They should have three well-balanced meals per day: fruit, protein, starch, vegetable and calcium source, with two or three small snacks daily.

A quick guideline: For each year of the child's age, this should be their portion – in tablespoons – for each food group. So for a 2-year-old, this should be 2 tablespoons of protein or meat or beans, 2 tablespoons of fruit, 2 tablespoons of rice or potato, 2 tablespoons of a vegetable and so on.


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