Mrs. Shanmugaraj,
How often should i feed my 20 month old so that every day she can get complete food and nutrition?
Thank you,
Mr. Rahul Kala, Bangalore. |
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Hello Mr.Kala,
Thank you for trusting NutritionVista with your child's nutritional needs.
Before I talk about our recommendations, I would like to suggest you print this out and show it to your pediatrician, the next time you take your child for a checkup.
Every child has different needs based on their individual health, and we believe it's very important that your pediatrician approve of our guidelines for YOUR child.
Well, an average child of 20 months requires about 1100 to 1200 KCals per day
including 22 grams of protein, 400 mg of Calcium & 12 mg of Iron. (This according to Indian National Institute of Nutrition guidelines)
I will try and give you an idea of how many servings of each food group
should be given in a day to achieve the required nutritional needs:
1. CEREALS 3 servings a day.
[One serving can be either 1 cup cooked rice, or 1 Chapathi, or 1 Idli, or 1 big slice bread]
2. PULSES / MEAT 1 serving a day
[One serving is 1 cup cooked dal, or 1 boiled egg, or 1/2 cup
cooked meat]
3. VEGETABLES 1.5 servings per day
[1/2 cup boiled potato + 1/2 cup cooked green leafy vegetable +
1/2 cup any other cooked vegetable per day]
4. FRUIT - 1 small fruit per day
5. MILK - 4 servings = 600ml ( for a child who is being breast fed at least once)
6. Sugar - 5 tsp / day
7. Oil / Ghee/ Butter - 3 - 3.5 tsp / day
The frequency of feeding your child can be every 2 - 2 1/2 hours, excluding the child's nap times.
The child should also be given at least 4-5 cups of water / day.
I hope I have answered your query satisfactorily. Please don't hesitate to
contact us if you need any further assistance.
These are general guidelines for a balanced diet, but remember what we recommend and what your child actually eats will depend on her tastes.
Sincerely,
Ms.Padmashri Shanmugaraj |
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