How bad is my 2 year old's diet really?

[AugustSeptemberOctober]

I have twins and one will eat whatever healthy food I give to her. However the other one is getting more and more fussy, and her average daily food intake has slipped to this:

Breakfast - cup of milk and a bowl of cereal (I try to buy the lowest sugar cereal I can get, like own brand shredded wheat)
Her sister has a bowl of porridge or Weetabix

Lunch - toast with either butter or peanut butter, though she's even started to leave that. A handful of toddler crisps and a piece of fruit, though she usually leaves that too.
Her sister loves avocado, tomato etc but she won't touch it.

Dinner - will eat it if it's fish fingers, chicken nuggets etc, but won't eat any of the healthier meals I give her 5 days per week. She tends to keep refusing and I resort to giving her a slice of plain toast.

She also drinks an Ella's kitchen fruit pouch and has something like an Organix oaty bar most days.

I feel like all she is eating is junk. I do try to get the low sugar and organic snacks, and she does have vitamins in her milk before bed. But it's not great is it? Shall I just keep offering the healthy stuff alongside what she does eat, or should I be doing more?

Just to add, there are no concerns about her weight and she never says she's hungry.

It's not terrible OP. OK chicken nuggets aren't the healthiest but plenty of kids eat them (including mine!). The rest sounds OK. Obviously she could do with more veg but I know it's not easy getting veg in to a fussy 2 year old. My son is now 9 and it's still a real struggle to get him to eat veg. He will have some homemade soup now and then (whilst complaining). I'm still giving him baby fruit purees with plain yogurt because he refuses most fruit! All you can do is keep trying to gently introduce new things. Every now and then she'll surprise you by liking something!

I have a 2.5 year old and I try not to worry too much. Sometimes he eats something that resembles a veggie. Sometimes his diet is entirely beige. I vowed never to get in arguments or stand offs with him and I just keep persevering and make no comments about what he does and doesn't eat. The only thing I would say is that your DC doesn't seem to be eating a huge quantity but some children are just less hungry than others!

Just keep offering her the same food as the other twin. They have to try foods a lot of times before they like it apparently.
im not a person who thinks children should go to bed hungry but I also wouldn’t offer an alternative straight away.
DD is 3, if she won’t eat her meal I say that’s ok and take it away. Then will offer toast, cereal or fruit a couple of hours later to make sure she isn’t hungry but also to make sure she isn’t not eating her meal hoping I’ll offer something else at mealtime.
ivw found her eating habits change too, one minute she won’t eat anything the next she’ll eat everything I give her.
My opinion is as long as they are eating something it’ll do for now

I have a very fussy 4yo who eats only a handful of not-great foods like chicken nuggets and chips. But she's tall and skinny (25th percentile for weight) so not worried about her weight. I do give her a daily multi-vit as I'm worried about nutrition but ho early if she doesn't have her chicken nuggets/fish fingers/buttered toast, she wouldn't eat anything at all so I have to choose my battles on this one.

My autistic DS eats either macaroni cheese or a pizza every night for dinner

Fit as a fiddle and probably slimmer than average

I wouldn’t really describe those foods as junk! I’ve found kids go through fussy stages at different ages. Mine wanted only plain foods for a while. Will they eat potatoes? Or pasta? Breadsticks, crackers? I often do a picnic style, with lots of different bits separated. I have a veg dodger but will eat most fruit so I feel like that’s ok for now! I feel like its worse to make meals a battle.

Some of that sounds OK to me. I never understand why people buy chicken nuggets though and complain when children like them! If you don't buy it, they won't get a taste for it.

It is all processed food. I think that would be my main concern. Would she eat an egg for example? Boiled, scrambled, omelette or anything? What about carrot sticks, or even cucumber (although it's mainly water)? I think I would just try and offer more fruit and veg, maybe in smoothie form if that's easier. Most kids I have know who has grown up on beige food tend to keep eating just that, whereas people who grew up eating more colourful food had a more varied diet once grown up as well. Dipping apple slices in almond butter or peanut butter is better than toast and peanut butter for example. I would also completely stop offering crisps, especially since she doesn't even like it much.

I wouldn't worry about breakfast - it sounds fine and cereals & bread are often fortified with useful vitamins and have fibre.

The thing is, at this age, there's still a lot of room for you to steer her diet.
I know quite a few five year olds who will only eat freezer food as the main thing on their plate and I doubt that'll change for some years now but at 2 you still have a bit of control. If the food is in the house the kids will want it so every time you bring in a new processed food to introduce them to, you are making your life more difficult if it's something they're going to think is delicious (probably because it has dextrose in it), that's not good for them and that you don't really want them having often.

DD doesn't have the option to only want chicken nuggets and only drink juice because neither are in the house at all (not saying she has the perfect diet but by only ever giving her meals cooked from basic ingredients like meat/veg/rice/pasta that's all she's known for her main meals).

Parents end up feeling like they don't have a choice but to give their DC chicken dippers and oven chips if that's all they'll eat but if these things were never in the house in the first place, kids wouldn't form the habit of only eating those things.

It's not bad but I would maybe thing of a vitamin supplement or something. My DD is very fussy and struggles with iron levels.

lots of people will tell you their kids just eat nuggets and they’re perfectly healthy and slim but I think that’s disingenuous. We now understand how important gut health is for overall health. With a very limited diet of processed food the gut will be really suffering.

^ this is what I think too.

It's not terrible, you can make your own fish or chicken nuggets pretty easily though just with white fish or chicken breast coated in breadcrumbs. Chop up potatoes, spray with an oil spray and bake in the oven instead of frozen chips.

Same with the oat bars - it's actually really easy to make your own and you can put grated carrot and apple in them.

I'd keep offering the same foods as her sister even if she doesn't eat them at the moment. Maybe just offer greek youghurt and fruit as a pudding rather than more toast.

I know how you feel. My son is autistic and eats porridge, nut butters, wraps, toast, fruit and yoghurt. It's so basic. It can be really worrying.

Not sure if this will help you but I do try to do the best versions of these eg there's a big difference in salt content between different nut butters.

And I keep offering other items, that's all you can do.

Do they take a multi vitamin?

I know how you feel. My son is autistic and eats porridge, nut butters, wraps, toast, fruit and yoghurt. It's so basic. It can be really worrying.

Carbs, protein, dairy and fruit - sounds like you are doing pretty well!

@thebabynanny
Thank you, I just constantly worry because he won't eat a "proper meal" I'm quite a healthy person who eats loads of veg so it can be frustrating.... but same as OP it's not through lack of trying!