Table of contents:
- Recommended portions of children's fruit and vegetables
- Age 1 to 3 years
- Age 3 to 5 years
- What if your little one refuses or has difficulty eating fruits and vegetables?
- Alternative sources of vegetable protein for children
Adhering to a healthy lifestyle means that you must always pay attention to balanced portions of food. It's no secret that portions of fruit and vegetables are an important part of your little one's nutritional resources.
For that, Mother must always try to provide the needs of fruits and vegetables every day for your little one. However, how much fruit and vegetable intake is recommended for your little one every day?
Recommended portions of children's fruit and vegetables
In consuming fruits and vegetables, the amount for each individual is different because it is based on several factors and one of them is age. Your little one will experience changes in weight and height until puberty. Your little one's growth occurs rapidly during toddlerhood.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that your little one's nutritional intake is adequate to support his growth and development. The following are recommendations for the portion of fruit and vegetable intake for children aged 1 to 5 years to compensate for the rapid growth.
Age 1 to 3 years
When you turn one year old, your job is to decide what foods to offer and determine when and where your little one will eat these foods. Let your little one decide what and how much food he will eat. Changes in appetite every day are normal. Most importantly, Mother must always be ready to serve food for your little one.
Your little one has started to be able to try new types of food. You can provide a variety of vegetable sources for your child with different textures, colors and flavors. You can start introducing vegetables, such as peas, carrots, and pumpkin to your little one. Because this may be a reference for children's vegetables and fruits that can be remembered until they are adults.
For fruit, you might not have too much trouble because your little one tends to like sweet foods easily. Poppet
Each portion of your little one's fruit and vegetables at the age of 1-3 years must consist of at least:
- One to two tablespoons of vegetables
- One to two tablespoons of fruit
Age 3 to 5 years
When entering this age period, of course your little one needs to increase the portion of fruits, vegetables and other vegetable proteins from the previous age phase. Additional nutrition is very important for your little one at this age phase because it is needed for growth and additional energy while doing activities. Your little one's eating portions should consist of nuts, vegetables, fruit, and processed soy products.
For vegetables, you can combine cooked and raw vegetables, such as salads or karedok. Make sure the food ingredients are washed thoroughly before eating.
If you don't want to give raw vegetables, you can process them by steaming or grilling them first as long as they are not fried. At least, as many as 5 of the total servings of fruit and vegetables for children he must get every day.
What if your little one refuses or has difficulty eating fruits and vegetables?
Don't worry, keep offering, and don't give up. It may take you 10 to 15 attempts to introduce a new food before your little one accepts it.
Never force your little one to eat food they don't like. Always encourage your little one to taste fruit or vegetable flavors by experimenting with how they are served. Always make sure that your little one's fruit and vegetable portions can be fulfilled every day.
Alternative sources of vegetable protein for children
In addition to nuts and legumes, you can take advantage of natural-based products such as fortified soy formula, as an alternative to meet the needs of vegetable protein intake for your little one. Soya formula, consumed in moderation (1 to 2 glasses a day) is a good alternative for children over one year of age.
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