The Toddler Diet: In detail

So, without investing too much of my time analyzing how to set up this diet plan I think I’ve figured out a basic outline.  The idea of all of these principles is flexibility.  I’m sure that if you have a toddler, you have basic “rules” of what they can and can’t have, but there are always exceptions when necessary (a treat on a bad day), but always with limitations (one treat on a bad day, not treats all day long).

The best part of this “diet” is that it’s more of a way of thinking and getting into a healthy balance of eating good foods, but allowing yourself to eat things you enjoy too.

1. Produce:  I make fruits and veggies a major part of Sophia’s diet, and since this is where my healthy eating is lacking the most, this is going to be the biggest focus of The Toddler Diet.  I know that starting slow is going be get me the most success, so I thought I’d start with 4-5 a day.

2. Good liquids:  Sophia is only allowed milk or water.  I thought I’d try to go with that rule with one major exception.  Coffee.  I refuse to give that up, so coffee, water and milk.  And of course, since this whole plan is about allowing for a little treat here and there I’m going to let myself have 1-2 Diet Cokes each week.  I did eliminate them completely for nearly two weeks, but depriving myself completely led to a two-a-day habit.  Whoops!

3. Proper Portion Size:  Our kids automatically have us to tell them that “yes, eating a third piece of pizza is too much,” especially considering the size of their stomachs.  When you stop and think about just how much you really need at each meal, follow the same rule of thumb you’d use with your kids – don’t let them eat more than they really need.  Unless it’s chocolate, that’s a whole other thing…

 

4. The Fun Stuff:  I always let Sophia have something fun at the end of her dinner and a few snacks throughout the day.  The trick is that her snacks are fun because they’re extras, even if they’re healthy (craisins, etc.) and her dessert is fun because it’s something special, usually a small handful of chocolate goldfish or something like that.  For me it would be a little bit of chocolate (that candy from my stocking will come in handy here) or even a little glass of wine, if I’m lucky.  :)

5. 174:  I read recently that the average number of steps that a toddler takes EACH MINUTE is 174.  While I’m not sure I can get that high, I can do my best to get to the gym three times a week.  Again, I’d love to say I will get there five times a week, but keeping this realistic means being honest and more than three times a week with my schedule just isn’t very likely.  I’ve been averaging twice a week, so hopefully it won’t be too difficult to bump it up.

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‘m planning on starting this on New Year’s Day.  I have high hopes for developing a few better habits and am going to make a BIG effort to put this in place for a good six weeks, maybe longer.  I’d love to have a friend or two for accountability – let me know if you feel like joining in!