Healthy Food for little fingers

I think being able to narrow in on what is healthy for you and your children, for me has helped me understand how to regulate what my son eats and also teach myself how to provide a balanced diet. I have read a lot about preservatives, artificial coloring and processed foods. I generally try and provide food for my toddler that is...

1. In it's natural form
2. Natural preservatives/colors only, trying to steer clear of anything artificial (i.e.. ingredients with lots of numbers)
3. Variety of shapes, texture and color
4. Being mindful of how much protein, sugar, carbohydrates, vitamins and not letting one food group just stand out.

Foods I give to my little man...

Breakfast options
Milk with Milo - Milo has a low GI index (that release energy slower), for those with kids who are fussy, chocolate flavored drinks like this are helpful as it contains essential vitamins, minerals. Other health food shops can provide a vitamins and minerals in a malt or vanilla shake to encourage a more balanced diet which I have just bought and I am slowly alternating this with Milo. Iron is very important in the cycle of having a healthy appetite, as it is the important mineral responsible for building muscle, the less iron and protein you get the less hungry you get and it can start a downward spiral. Water also is extremely important for hydration and  metabolism. Providing water  with a sippy cup when ever my son's needs it, I have found to help regulate his eating patterns and be hungry at the right times.

Foods that I have found Codi likes for breakfast...

• Raisin toast with a fruit platter of pears, oranges and a small bowl of dried bran cereal. OR

• Marmite/Vegemite toast with strawberries, watermelon and apple.
  

I try to only have one citrus fruit at a time, as Codi can get to much of it in his system and gets a mild reaction. He doesn't like anything gooey in a bowl for breakfast, only finger food.

Morning Tea options

• One sliced apple and a few dry crackers

• Water

Sometimes to add variety I change this to, one sliced pear.

Lunch Time Options - Cooking styles
Crumbed: You can buy natural cornflake crumbs that contain no added preservatives, flavors or colors. This I have found give a covering that is very close to what breadcrumbs and batter creates and I have found that Codi loves them.

Slow Cooked: You place the meat in natural stock to marinate a bit in the fridge then boil and reduce to low and slow cook the meat in the stock for an hour and half before dinner. Drain and slice into finger food portions.

Mini Meat balls: "Finally meat: Recipe"

Components of the meal ingredients:
I pick a meal choosing a meat and alternate this for variety, but making sure I have one food representing each healthy food group. If I don't and be naughty giving Codi fries too much in one day or over the week,  then I need to even this up with more veges, no carbs over the next day or week...

Meats (I chose one or two for the meal)

• Fresh salmon (high in omega 3 oils)
• Fresh (free range) organic chicken
• Fresh white flesh fish
• Fresh lamb or veal

Veges (Place all on the plate - only sometimes potato)

• Broccoli (I have called them little trees and it's a hit)
• Cauliflower (he became a little fussy with this, so I lightly sprinkled salt for flavor)
• Decorated cucumber - star shape, zig zag shapes etc
• Shaved carrot.
• Boiled potato, home made potato fries

Fruit (place all on the plate)

• Watermelon or pineapple or pear (contains iron)

On the side

• rice crackers or  a friend of mine gives non-salted popcorn (both are also a great thing to hand out, when my son is begging for food before I've had the chance to get his plate on the table)

Afternoon tea options
I buy little healthy mini cookies from the natural section at the supermarkets as a little treat - only one or two....

• Sliced apple
• Sometimes crackers or sultanas (most natural ones)
• Water
• Sometimes 100% fruit juice mixed with water to diluted it down (50:50)

Other treats he has occasionally, are what everyone else has, like crisps, fruit box or jelly beans, but I make sure it is only a treat and in small quanities and only if he is in "credit" of lots of veges, meat, fruits and water, as well as exercise running around the park to burn off the naughty foods I let him have from time to time.

Dinner options
The same format as lunch, but I add in steamed white rice or wholemeal bread, salads and changing the meat to egg or spring rolls. Generally cooking so the whole family can eat health as well. I only offer water, but sometimes he has sparkling fizzy water. If I give juice I only give half a cup and it is still watered down (to make sure he's not filling him self up before a proper meal).

Now this is all great, lunch and dinner at home, what happens when I go out?

Well, I have become clever at sussing out a menu pretty quickly, especially looking at what "sides dishes" are on offer and if I can mish mash items together from my meal like chicken or from my husbands meal, like braised lamb. I am getting pretty good at knowing how to cover most of the healthy food groups. As a family my husband and I have become more health conscious for Codi not just for ourselves. Mind you I haven't had a drop of coffee for 5 years (and I was previously a 10 cupper a day addict).    But I will be very honest and say that I also have been a visitor at McDonalds, Hungry Jacks (Burger King), Red Rooster, Fish and Chip places and ice-cream shops. But I think the major keyword here is...only a TREAT...and not only is it a treat, I think about what Codi has eaten for the day and week, so I can put it into perspective and think, "yeah go ahead you ate so many of your veges, meat and fruit..have a some sugar or carbs!!!"

I also every now and then, introduce new things like Yum Cha or Dim Sum, roast or new veges or fruits, just to mix things up, but always being responsible for being the food, drink moderator and regulator.

Summary
I have found Codi's appetite to be healthy, because I think I have aimed at trying to offer a wide variety of healthy foods and not stress too much if a few days he doesn't eat hardly anything as I use the "even up" method and in these cases I do give him carbs. He prefers fruit over chocolate and natural over processed and he only gets fussy with things that are new or he wants a change. I ride the waves of obsessions with one particular food item and work on evening up. For me sticking to natural forms of food, providing veges, fruits, water and meats provides a good base, so when he is out and about, having a naughty treat isn't so bad when I look at the grand scheme of things.