A toddler who refuses to try a new food at least half of the time is considered a fussy eater. Is yours one?
If your child is a fussy eater, you know that their nutrition and food habits are major concerns in your household, and the focus of many dinner table battles.
It makes sense, therefore, to try to understand the child’s behaviour and interests related to food. Many toddlers go through a phase - at around the age of one to two - when they will only eat a few particular foods. This is a normal part of their development.
Picky eating usually peaks in the toddler and preschool years. At this time, toddlers are also learning lots of new skills such as talking, walking, running, climbing, and many more, and they become less interested in food. Also it is worth keeping in mind that a toddler’s stomach is approximately the same size as a clenched fist. Still, establishing healthy eating patterns is important to avoid problems such as obesity and eating disorders later in life.
Sneha Sanjay D, Senior Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru (Jayanagar), details some quick and healthy dishes to tempt your fussy eater – and you.
Nutri Muffins
Ingredients
1 egg
120 g finely-chopped vegetables (capsicum, onion, tomato, broccoli and coriander)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 pinches turmeric powder
Butter, to grease muffin try
Method
- Beat the egg.
- Add all the other ingredients. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into a greased muffin tray, and bake in a preheated oven or pressure cooker until set.
Rainbow Cutlets
Ingredients
10o g toor dal, coarsely powdered
50 g thick sooji
½ tsp salt
120 g vegetables (carrot, beans, grated cauliflower, amaranth, purple cabbage and peas), finely chopped
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp ghee or fresh cream
Method
- Mix the powdered toor dal and sooji.
- Bring water and salt to a boil in a pressure cooker. Add the toor dal-sooji mixture and the finely-chopped vegetables, and pressure cook to an upma-like consistency.
- Add the pepper powder, and mix thoroughly.
- Shape the mixture into cutlets.
- Heat the ghee or fresh cream on a tawa, and shallow fry the cutlets. Serve hot.
Dal Puris
Ingredients
50 g urad dal
¼-inch ginger
120 g whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
Oil, for deep frying
Method
- Soak the urad dal for two hours. Grind it to a thick paste with the ginger.
- Add the urad dal mixture to the whole wheat flour, along with the salt, and knead to a puri dough. Roll portions of the dough into puris.
- Heat the oil in a kadai, and deep fry the puris. Drain on kitchen paper, and serve hot.
Healthwala Pancakes
Ingredients
50 g dry fruits (figs, almonds, dates and sunflower seeds)
120 ml diluted milk
120 g multigrain flour
Butter, to fry
Honey, to serve
Method
- Soak the dry fruits in warm water for half an hour. Drain and grind to a fine paste.
- Add the dry fruit paste and diluted milk to the multigrain flour. Mix well to a dosa batter consistency.
- Heat the butter on a skillet, and fry ladlefuls of the batter to make thick, soft pancakes.
- Serve the fresh pancakes with honey.
Moong Paneer Rolls
Ingredients
120 g moong dal
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp jeera
60 g grated paneer
Oil, to fry
Method
- Soak the moong dal for two hours, drain and grind to a smooth batter using only a little water.
- Add the salt, pepper and jeera to the batter.
- Heat the oil in a pan, and make dosas, flipping on both sides until cooked.
- Remove to a plate, add the grated paneer in the middle of each dosa, roll up and serve.
Images: Shutterstock | for representational purposes only
Snacks To Tempt Your Fussy Eater – And You | Femina.in - Femina
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