What is a healthy balanced diet?

We all know Toddlers need a healthy balanced diet but what does it really mean?

Toddlers have different nutritional needs to us adults. Whilst we are using food as fuel to maintain the function of our bodies and give us energy, they need a special balance of nutrients to support their rapid growth as well. Plus, toddlers' stomachs are much smaller so they need to eat little and often. Generally, that means three small, well-balanced meals a day and two nutritious snacks in between.

Toddlers need to eat from each of the 5 food groups every day

This pyramid shows the types of foods that should make up toddlers' meals and snacks - and how often. The UK Departments of Health recommend that children aged between one and five years be given supplements containing vitamins A, C and D.

Toddlers are not mini-adults

What looks like a healthy balanced diet can still mean a toddler isn't getting enough of some nutrients. Toddlers have different nutritional requirements to older children and adults, to meet the needs of their rapid growth and development. Relative to their size they need:

Nearly three times as much energy from food compared to an adult
More fat than adults particularly, good fats from vegetable oils and oily fish
More iron, calcium, zinc and vitamins A, C and D in their diets than adults
Less salt in than adults

Plus, toddlers' stomachs are much smaller so experts recommend they need to eat little and often

Added to which, our busy lifestyles means less time to sit down as a family, less time to cook and prepare meals from scratch and less eating around a table - it makes it harder to make sure your toddlers gets a healthy balanced diet every day. Try to eat together as a family whenever you can, it's worth it for your toddler. Remember to keep trying with healthy foods and persevere with introducing new foods into your little one's diet too.

Does this look healthy to you?

Both of these menus look healthy but the menu on the left doesn't provide enough iron for a toddler. The menu on the right shows how switching cows' milk to Growing Up Milk can increase a toddler's daily iron intake.

Growing Up Milk is made from cows' milk enriched with key nutrients that toddlers need, like vitamins A, C and D, iron, calcium and omega 3 and 6.

We all know life can get in the way of your best intentions! Help with fussy and faddy eaters