The organization and planning is key when solving family meals in a healthy way, therefore, as we did for children between 6 and 12 months of age, today we show you a healthy menu for children between 1 and 3 years old It can serve as a guide to create our own menu at home.
The feeding of children after the first year
WHO recommends starting at 12 months of age to integrate children to the family table, since from that moment the children can consume almost everything, except for foods that when tested for tolerance have caused an allergic reaction.
At this stage, unlike the previous one in which infants were just beginning to feed, breast or formula milk will cover 40% of daily calories and non-breastfeeding foods will begin to cover most of the energy that babies children need to be situated in more than 1000 Kcal daily.
It is already advised to perform four daily intakes and if the child demands it, one to two more small intakes both in the afternoon and in the morning, although solids continue to be the complement of breastfeeding (or artificial) that WHO recommends until 2 years of age.
The amounts will always be request of the little ones, although a volume of 250 grams or the equivalent of one cup is recommended at each meal, it is never advisable to force the child to eat.
Menu for the whole family
As we said, children join the family table, which forces us to make healthy dishes that we recommend basing on fresh foods and avoid the processed and ultraprocessed that although they are intended for children, may have a lot of sugar, poor quality fats and excess sodium.
Of course, we advise vary the preparations we make and if so far we had not given more than porridge to our children, start with pieces and gradually bring them closer to the use of cutlery so that after three years the children eat with us, without difficulties.
Thus, we offer the following healthy menu what can we give to our children between 1 and 3 years old:
Monday
| Breakfast | Papaya boats with yogurt and cherries + milk |
|---|---|
| Food | Grilled beef steak with pumpkin and baked zucchini. Nectarine. |
| Snack | Whole wheat toast with avocado puree + milk. |
| Dinner | Cod (or any other fish) with steamed potatoes (without chilli pepper). Cantaloupe. |
Tuesday
| Breakfast | Fresh peach in pieces with cornflakes and crushed nuts + milk. |
|---|---|
| Food | Baked rice with tomato with turkey breast tacos. Apricot. |
| Snack | Oatmeal and apple cookies without eggs, sugar or dairy + milk |
| Dinner | Broccoli omelette with vegetable salad to taste. Plum. |
Wednesday
| Breakfast | Grated apple with oat flakes + milk. |
|---|---|
| Food | Salmon Marmitako (or any other fish). Peach |
| Snack | Whole wheat toast with olive oil and tomato + milk. |
| Dinner | Rice and lentil salad with avocado and tomato. Watermelon |
Thursday
| Breakfast | Glasses of mango, yogurt and chia seeds + milk |
|---|---|
| Food | Picanha (or any other meat) baked with potatoes and peppers. Banana |
| Snack | Pear smoothie, apricots and crushed flax seeds + milk. |
| Dinner | Vegetable and egg pan (without chili). Plums |
Friday
| Breakfast | Energy bars of dried apricots + milk |
|---|---|
| Food | Baked hake sticks with bean salad and carrots boiled in pieces. Nectarine |
| Snack | Prunes chopped with cornflakes or other crushed cereal + milk. |
| Dinner | Steamed asparagus with poached egg. Kiwi. |
Saturday
| Breakfast | Sugar free cookies + milk. |
|---|---|
| Food | Roasted chicken breast with potatoes and carrots. Apricots |
| Snack | Apple compote with cornflakes + milk |
| Dinner | Avocado salmorejo (without white wine) and fluffy artichoke frittata. Watermelon |
Sunday
| Breakfast | Banana pancakes with two ingredients + milk. |
|---|---|
| Food | Red lentil paste with sauteed cherry tomato (without chilli). Plum. |
| Snack | Whole wheat toast with fresh cheese + milk. |
| Dinner | Round turkey and apple in pressure cooker with pumpkin puree and sweet potato. Nectarine. |
As you can see, after the year it is already possible to incorporate dairy It is always advisable to choose milk or yogurt without flavor or added sugar, as well as fresh cheese because of its lower concentration of sodium and fat.
Whenever possible, we will avoid the addition of sweets and goodies in children's diet, as they displace other healthier and more nutritious foods. Also, it is not advised to offer fruit juices to children but rather, the piece of fresh fruit.
It is possible to make all the menu meals or vary the number of intakes as well as the recipes proposed according to the demand and preference of each child, because this menu is not to follow to the letter but it serves as a guide to create our own healthy weekly menu for children between 1 and 3 years.
