What does your 2-3 yo eat if you have a really good diet?

[Ozziegirly]

This is sort of a thread about a thread re eating.

I was making my 2.5yo lunch today for a park trip and realised that I was putting quite a few packets of stuff in. I feel I should give him better quality stuff for lunch, to firstly avoid him being overweight when he's older and mainly to just make sure he has the best diet possible.

So, if your 2ish yo has a really good diet, what kind of things do you have? Some of the things on the other thread which I had considered healthy (like rice cakes) came out as not healthy at all and I would like some alternatives.

So he has a bowl of fruit first thing (normally grapes, melon, strawberries etc) followed by a slice of seeded bread with nut butter or butter and vegemite.

Lunch is crap - a squeezy yogurt, a museli bay, some crackers with hummous or cream cheese, some carrots and cucumber. He doesn't eat much of it anyway.

Dinner is ok, he has bolognaise with lots of veg, home made fish cakes, pasta, fish fingers with veg, rice, beans and veg, pork chop and veg, then sometimes some fruit or a yogurt and a cup of milk before bed.

We have crisps at the weekend and sometimes share a kit kat. Sometimes make biscuits at the weekend and he has a couple.

He's seriously active, we are out every day and he is running etc the whole time, plus scooting, swimming etc, I have no concerns and he is on 50 centile for weight (has been since day 1) but it's more making sure he's setting up good habits for life really.

So if you are "in the know" about healthy eating, can you suggest where his diet could be improved. The only thing he can't have are eggs.

Bollocks, I meant to put this in chat. I'm not sure how to get it moved.

I think it sounds pretty good. I would just tweak lunch. Use full fat natural yogurt and add a little fruit, fruit purée or honey. Ds3 (6) likes the Greek one. Could you home make flapjacks or similar. I do banana muffins and add dried fruit but they contain eggs!

Ds also likes an oatcake with cheese or smoked salmon and homemade soup for lunch. A homemade pizza slice. Will he eat cherry tomatoes (cut in half - anxious mother syndrome) and strips of pepper. Ds likes using Hummous as a dip. Mini pitta bread, cut into strips to dip or filled (cream cheese, tuna, ham, chicken)

report it to get it moved :)

this sounds like a great diet - much healthier than my nearly 3 yo

i'm not overly concerned - they have just grown 2inches in 2months, so know they are doing plenty of growing and she just never stops moving

she would have cereal and yogurt for breakfast, mid morning snack of fruit/toast, lunch will be a healthy dinner, and she will have something again about 5pm - boiled egg type thing and possibly cereal before bed

she will snack of fruit or a biscuit but would eat chocolate/sweets all day if she had her way :)

I think you report your own post and they move it but not really sure.

Oops x post

Thank you - pita bread, yes! Good suggestion. He doesn't like pepper, raw tomatos or (oddly) pizza but I will look out for oatcakes.

to be honest, it sounds like you are doing a great job and he is getting a brilliant diet. below is what i aspire to-some days the packets come out a LOT in my house-so don't fret before reading!

i recently read it's good to include protein in every meal to help them grow so now try to add lentils with evening meal (easy to throw some into a stew/spag.bol.), a can of kidneybeans/chickpeas with every salad, and try slicing some cheese to take with lunch
try including more fish for omega3 eg. canned tuna with natural yoghurt or cold salmon mashed up with fresh basil + a squeeze of tomato purreee is a good pitta filling too.
good idea with the oatcakes; i will be stealing that one!