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.

I

‘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!

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Introducing…

 



Now, not every toddler eats healthfully…in fact many do not.  So, when you think of a toddler’s diet, you may first think of a regime like the one I found online here.

It’s been pointed out to me many times that Sophia eats a very healthy diet.  That makes me so proud…and then I start to think about my own habits. 

It’s not that I eat badly.  I avoid treats as often as possible (okay…I avoid them at least once a day and give in more than that).  I try to eat a lot of vegetables (well…does 1/4 c. of spinach in my morning omelet and a side of broccoli at dinner count?).  I would eat more fruit, but I have somewhat of an allergic reaction to nearly all the fruits that I love so much, and end up not eating as many as I’d like.   I want to snack on a clementine, and I love them, but the carby snacks in the pantry call my name more loudly.

The more I think about Sophia’s diet, it really is the perfect balance of healthy with just enough indulgence to keep one happy.  If only I had someone who does what I do for her.  That is, do all the planning, prepping, cooking, etc. for me and then place it in front of me at the appropriate times.   I think what I’m really looking for is a nutritionist/personal chef (SO not going to happen!) because it’s not that I think I need to eliminate bad habits, it’s more like I need to work on getting more good habits in place.  Hopefully, this will help me be more likely to grab that clementine.

Anyway, toddlers generally have a great balance of healthy and fun foods.  Now, if your toddler eats at McDonald’s on a regular basis, I wouldn’t recommend mimicking their eating habits, but I suspect you feed yours a fairly balanced diet along with a few treats here and there. 

More details on The Toddler Diet tomorrow.  For now, it’s just something to think about.  I’m thinking of jumping into this experiment for about six weeks to see if I can get a few new healthy habits in place.  Feel free to join in!

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