Heathy or not? 17mo menu...

[tillymonster]

I try and offer as many fruits/veggies as I can but of course, most ends upon the floor! Do you think the list of "meals" for my toddler below is healthy, or should I make a change? She is still BF around 6-8 times a day.

Breakfast:
Cereal like cheerios, kix or homemade steelcut oatmeal
Banana
Raisins

Lunch:
Whatever I have, usually WG toast, butter, cheese, apple. Leftover pasta. I try to give her veggies from a salad but she usually won't touch them. Oh but she loves yogurt, I even caved and gave her yoplait!

Dinner:
Whatever we have, usually vegetarian. She hardly ever touches meat and usually won't eat cheese.

Snacks:
Raisins, canned peaches, fresh apple, banana, dried prunes, Fresh&Easy snacks like pirate booty and cheeseits (no preservatives), triscuts, WG bread with butter and honey.

She loves coconut milk and sometime has a bite of cereal with cows milk, has some juice very very dilute with water.

What do you think mamas? Any ideas on how to make it healthier?

[mommy212]

Well I think it sounds fine. You are obviously not making everything at home from organic local ingredients type crunchy, but there is nothing really wrong with this diet. My 18 months old eats a similar diet except he loves meat, which we have 2 or 3 times a week, and he drinks lots of milk, kefir and diluted yogurt in addition to BM. If you wanted to add some extra nutrition, mix in wheat germ and flax seed or oil to things, use purees to add nutrition to yogurt (LO's favorite is pear-blueberry-spinach yogurt) or cereal, grate apples and add to oatmeal with some crushed walnuts, or mix in other fruits. 

[tillymonster]

Oh no, sadly I would be that crunchy but alas, living on a budget means it's pretty hard. Trying to incorporate more unprocessed crap, I've never had this many types of crackers! But she just loves them. Kefir... Hrmmm haven't tried that. Oh and I am waiting to intro nuts until 18mo or might even wait till 2. Thanks for the tips!

[Chloe'sMama]

My DD loved lentils and beans at that age, I would give them to her as snacks.  Also humus and veggies (snap peas, small tomatoes cut up, soft carrots and broccoli).  Especially when the weather is getting nicer like it is, watermelon, grapes cut up, peaches!

I have gotten alot worse since she was that age, but I always try and keep foods as fresh as possible.  DD loved broccoli, so she had it every day, sometimes for lunch and dinner.  

[Drummer's Wife]

I think it's fine for a 17 month old who still nurses pretty frequently.  I'd maybe offer a little more protein as time goes on - especially if nursing tapers off.  

snap or sugar peas are a great idea my kids love those, and that would give her a little green in her diet.  Would she drink a smoothie with fresh spinach in it?  you could add yogurt and/or bananas and it would taste pretty sweet.