Thrilling Tiny Tastebuds

When it comes to feeding toddlers and preschoolers, parents generally have two questions – “Is my child eating enough food?” and “Is the food nutritious?” Their concerns are sometimes frustrated when their children do not seem to want to eat or are choosy about their food. If you’re one of those parents, take heart. There are ways and means to overcome these problems. A good start is to consider the way you select and serve up your child’s food.

Here’s what we mean.

Colour and Variety

• Turn the dining table (or feeding bowl) into a palate of colours. Vegetables are a great help here as there are greens, deep yellow, red and brown varieties (and all the shades in between) to choose from.
• You can also create variety by serving different foods from the same group of the Food Guide Pyramid (see illustration below) at every meal and using different cooking styles. For instance, fish, meat and poultry belong to the same group so you can whip up fried fish today, braised chicken tomorrow and a pot roast the day after.
• If your children simply refuse to eat a specific food (eg a certain type of vegetable), try combining it with a vegetable that he does like. Use a different cooking style, if need be – for example, stewing or putting them into a soup. If all fails, temporarily replace that ‘offending’ food with another from the same food group and restore it a few weeks later. “Nice to see, good to hold, and yummy, too”.
• Younger children enjoy experiencing their food, not only by tasting it but also holding it in their hands. Celery or carrot sticks and other handy-sized food bits are ideal for this purpose.
• Besides ‘feeling’ the food, children can be thrilled by the sight of food if it’s presented in a novel way. Turn meat, fruit vegetables and vegetables into simple shapes such as circles, squares, triangles or stars. If you’re feeling more artistic, try ‘building’ objects, like a house, car, boat, animal or tree.You can make those shapes by cutting, arranging and mixing.

“Too Hot, Too Cold”

When serving food, make sure it is not too hot or too cold. In summary, nutritious food can taste good and be easy to prepare at the same time. With a little creativity and planning, it is possible to make mealtimes with children a time to look forward to.

The BRIGHT START Nutrition

Food Guide Pyramid

The Nutrition Society of Malaysia and other experts on the BRIGHT START Nutrition Advisory Panel developed this Food Guide Pyramid to help you ensure that your children get optimum nutrition from their daily diet.

The Pyramid is full of variety. Almost all food types are represented inside it. If you were to let your child try a different food type from each level each day, his diet will be very varied. Not only will it keep eating interesting, he will also get the complete nutrition that only a varied diet can provide.

Here are some other Pyramid pointer to keep in mind.

1. The lower the level, the more of foods it contains should be eaten each day. In other words, your child should:

Eat More from Level 1

• Foods in this level are sources of carbohydrates that provide energy for your child.
• The different types of foodshere include rice, noodles,bread, other cereals and cereal products, tubers

Eat More from Level 2

• Foods grouped here are good for vitamins and minerals that help maintain good health by ensuring proper bodily functions.
• The foods include fruits and vegetables

Eat Moderate Amounts from Level 3

• Fish, lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans and bean products are important for supplying protein to your child.
• Milk and dairy products should not be neglected as they are the best source of calcium for strong bones and teeth.

Eat Least from Level 4

• Fats, oil, salt and sweets have a place in your child’s diet. However, they are to be taken in minimal quantities because excess can lead to a host of health problems, ranging from dental caries (in the case of sweets) to obesity that can give rise to heart diseaseand stroke in later life.
2. Water is not shown in the Food Guide Pyramid but you still need to ensure that your child drinks sufficiently throughout the day. It helps prevent dehydration (especially in our hot and humid climate) while maintaining the balance of chemicals in his or her body.

Draw Up Your Own Yummy Kiddie Menu

Running out of ideas for what to serve up? Don’t worry. It’s really not that hard to please your child if you equip yourself with a list of yummy ideas. Here are some well-loved kiddie delights for you to pick and choose for your own yummy kiddie menu.

Beat Boring Breakfast Blues

• Porridge with meat, chicken or vegetable
• Sandwich or bun with tuna, sardine, egg or cheese as fillings
• Toast with half-boiled egg or baked beans
• French toast
• Toast spread with margarine, peanut butter or jam
• Thosai or iddli with a little dhall curry
• Putu mayam with a little bit of brown sugar and grated coconut
• Breakfast cereals with milk
• Fried rice, meehoon, mee or kway teow with lean chicken and vegetables, cooked using less oil
• Pau with meat, chicken, vegetable or red bean filling
• Sweet corn custard
• Curry puff, served occasionally
• Egg custard tart
• Stuffed tofu with tomato sauce
• Banana pancake
• Sponge cake
• Fruit pudding
• Fruit and milk-based jelly
• Bubur chacha with milk
• Appam kukus or appam balik
• Popiah basah
• Pengat pisang or pengat made with sweet potatoes (use milk instead of coconut milk)
• Cream crackers or oatmeal crackers
• Barley and fuchok, red bean or green bean soup

Marvellous Main Meals

Dishes that go with rice and vegetables:

• Chicken cooked in light soy sauce or tomato sauce
• Chicken kurma
• Chicken, meat or fish soup with carrots and potatoes
• Chicken, fish or egg curry (non-spicy)
• Sweet sour fish
• Steamed tofu with minced meat
• Fishballs stir-fried with vegetables
• Egg fuyong
• Ikan masak lemak without chilli, using small amounts of coconut milk
• Ikan masak pindang

Quick ’N Easy All-In- One Meals

• Fried noodles, pasta or rice with vegetables and chicken
• Rice porridge with minced meat and carrots
• Porridge with ikan bilis and spinach
• Noodles in soup
• Steamed chicken rice

Tutti Fruity Fruits and fruit-based desserts help to end the meal on a sweet and nutritious note as they are rich in vitamins and minerals.You’ll find papaya, banana, starfruit, watermelon and ciku highly versatile as they can be served up freshly cut, or added to jelly and pudding.