Now that your infant has had his first birthday, he’s now officially a toddler! Yay! This means he gets superpowers to unlock more variety in his food! Here’s a quick look into what food you can introduce to a one year old.

One year olds typically need around 3 meals and 2 snack per day to meet their energy, growth and nutrition needs. Of course, we cannot count our toddler to always eat like that though. Most one year olds have unpredictable and erratic eating habits, varying with their whims. And wait till they learn to run, that’s when the real story begins! Here are 10 great food you can offer your little one to keep them healthy even with half-finished bowls.

EGGS

While we adults tend to run away from fat, it is essential for toddlers and babies. Ideally, toddlers should get about half of their calories from fat until their second birthday to facilitate healthy growth and development. Eggs are nutrient dense and full of healthy fat. They can be served in different forms each day and not become boring at all, making them one of the most favorite sources of healthy fat for a toddler. At one year old, your baby is ready for whole eggs. You can boil, scramble or add them to curries as a meal every day.

GHEE

Ghee is a yummy golden elixir that we’ve cherished for years. Ghee is one of biggest sources of butyric acid in our food, the acid that our colon loves for energy. It is also rich in Vitamin D, E and A, and Omega 3s. Adding ghee to your toddler’s every day diet will help strengthen the intestinal walls. You can add ghee to rice, lentils and vegetables in your baby’s diet every day.

Here is where to get them

NUTS

Even though many mommies begin introducing nuts like almonds and cashews around 8 months, you can full on include walnuts, pistachios and other nuts now. Nuts are brain food. They promote satiety and stamina. If your toddler isn’t yet adept at chewing them, you can make nut butters to go as spreads.

Dry Fruits

Here is where to get them

SEAFOOD

Fishes and seafood are a powerhouse of Omega 3 and other Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), also vital for the development of brain and nerve cells. Fishes like salmon, anchovies, tuna, barracuda, and sardines can be steam cooked for toddlers. Shrimp is another excellent seafood you can introduce to your toddler.

GREEN VEGGIES

Green leafy vegetables carry almost every mineral and vitamin you can think of. People who include healthy servings of greens in their diet regularly are linked with lower health problems. Leaf for leaf, calorie for calorie, these greens are densely packed. How do you make your child love veggies? Start young! Kale, spinach, green beans, peas and greens can be served boiled, pureed, fork smashed or cut into bites. If you begin early and continue offering regularly, your little one will grow up to be a person who often reaches out for those healthy greens.

SOFT FRUITS

As your toddler is mastering his pincer grasp, maneuvering food on fingertips, trying to self-feed, it’s a great time to introduce finger food. Fresh, soft fruits are the best option. They not only give your toddler a host of needed nutrients, but also help you instill good eating habits in them. Bananas, apples, peaches, mangos and strawberries are ideal for one year olds.

MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS

As your child moves on to solids as main meal with breastmilk / formula as supplement, this is a good period to introduce cow’s milk. Milk, curd, cheese, yoghurt and cream are amazing sources of bone developing calcium, which also builds healthy teeth. While you continue to breastfeed your toddler, whole milk can be incorporated into meals. Oatmeal with milk, yoghurt with fruits, and fruit milkshakes are a good start now. Including milk will give your toddler a good protein support as they wean off you.

HONEY

Mothers are usually wary of giving babies honey because of the risk of pollen infection. As your kiddo is one year old now, the risk fades away. Made of sugars, amino acids, minerals and vitamins, honey helps protect liver and heals wounds faster. It can soothe your child’s throat, ease digestive issues, is anti-bacterial, boosts immunity and has anti-oxidant properties. If you wish to sweeten your little one’s food and drinks, pick honey to harvest the maximum benefits.

MEAT

If you are a family who consume meat, you can go ahead and include your little one in the feast spread now! Your baby’s digestive system is now well developed to handle soft cooked, non fibery pieces of meat, like shredded and mincemeat. To get that wholesome goodness, you can use chicken stock and broth into purees for your baby. If you don’t eat meat – you can serve proteins in the form of almonds, tofu, peanut butter, chickpeas, eggs, flaxseeds and beans.

GRAINS AND LENTILS

Up until now, you would have kept grains and dals low key to help your baby’s gut mature. The doors of multigrain, whole grain and dals is now open for your toddler. Whole grains deliver gut friendly prebiotics to your child, and are a rich source of minerals, vitamins and fiber. You can make multi grain dosas and rotis, and top them with dal to add extra protein. You can whip your own mix of multigrain flour or buy premade mix.

The main thing in feeding your one year old is selecting food that are easy to chew and nutritious. As you go through this phase of growth, it is a good practice to slowly introduce them to new textures and tastes. With each new introduction, watch out for any allergies or adverse reactions. It usually takes around 10 exposures for a child to accept a food into their ‘like’ list. It is nothing to worry if your child’s appetite is varying like the wind, it is all a part of their natural toddler-ness!

Keep us bookmarked for easy references and delicious kid friendly recipes!