Toddler nutrition: 5 tips for healthier kids

Here are five suggestions:

1. Encourage toddlers to eat fruits and vegetables as snacks by cutting them up into appealing morsels.
2. Don’t assume all prepackaged toddler meals or snacks are low in sodium. Check the nutrition facts label and strive for 210 milligrams of sodium or less per meal (and no more than 250 milligrams per meal) for a toddler, says nutritionist Lianne Phillipson-Webb of Sprout Right in Toronto.
3. Children under age four consuming 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day on average should limit added sugars to about four teaspoons a day, the American Heart Association recommends.
4. Look for whole rather than refined grains.
5. Instead of relying on boxed crackers or bread sticks for snacks, add fruit or melted cheese to plain rice cakes, popcorn or a batch of homemade pancakes.

src: cbc.ca