Extra Nutrition for Toddlers

For the next several Wednesdays I’ll be posting about what we eat around here!

In weeks to come: how to make homemade yogurt, toddler super foods and how to prepare them, favorite easy meals (including crock-pot recipes), excellent whole grain porridge, easy and nutritious sprouts, and favorite bread machine recipes.

For today, here’s a list of the extras I add to my 14 month-old boys’ diets (and how I add them) to boost their nutrition – everything works for older children and adults as well!

1. Brewer’s Yeast . Excellent source of amino acids, protein, B-complex vitamins, and minerals. I add a tablespoon to the boys’ morning porridge. Available in powder and flakes at health food stores.

2. Ground Seeds and Nuts. Packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. I grind mine in the blender just before the boys’ dinner and add a tablespoon on so to whatever food I am spoon-feeding them. (Serve immediatelyafter grinding to maximize nutritional content and make sure to buy them fresh!)

3. Liquid Vitamins. I add a shot of generic liquid toddler vitamins to their morning milk – they drink out of a sippy cup so it’s easy to shake the milk to disperse the vitamins.

4. Flaxseed and Olive Oils. I add a teaspoon or so of flaxseed or olive oil to the boys’ spoon-feeding food a couple of times each day (flaxseed for sweet foods such as yogurt with fruit and olive for savory foods). I use Udo’s Choice Oil Blend and any cold-pressed extra virgen olive oil.

5. Sprouted Seeds and Nuts. I finely chop sprouted seeds and nuts and add them to the boys’ spoon-fed food a few times a week (whenever I have sprouts ready). I’ll be describing how I sprout in a couple of weeks!

I add these things into my boys’ diet for several reasons:

• Jonah is still quite small for his age and we’re trying to fatten him up
• He’s getting better, but still a bit of a finicky eater, so every bite counts nutritionally (and if he eats a lot of porridge with sprouted seeds one day, I don't have to worry about one of his meals being just strawberries and milk!)
• I still feel a twinge of guilt that they got so little breast milk and am attempting to make up for it
• ….but mostly because I’m just into healthy eating

Except for the vitamins, these ideas came from the excellent book: Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. Find other tips at Works For Me Wednesday!

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And speaking of food…..how does one occupy a restless Benjamin in the grocery store?

I gave the apple to him as a toy and a few minutes later realized he was munching away.

And how does one make Benjamin shriek like there’s no tomorrow? Try to take the apple away because you’re afraid he’ll choke on the peel.

The apple didn’t leave Benjamin’s hands – we even forgot to pay for it.