Bledidoc Answers
Is providing regular meals and snacks essential for your toddler?

The National Health Service and other organizations tend to recommend offering snacks to young children between 3-5 years of age.1

If the right snacks are offered at the right times, they can play an important role in managing kids' hunger and boosting nutrition.2

 

At this age, kids may need to eat five or six times a day — three meals and two to three snacks.2

 

Healthy options include:

  1. Fruit salad
  2. Yogurt
  3. Sliced or chopped veggies
  4. Whole-grain crackers topped with cheese
  5. Fruit smoothies

 

On the other hand, establishing eating routines is crucial. Children who eat regular meals tend to have better diets and be closer to a healthy weight than those who "graze" throughout the day. Family meals are an important time to share and discuss the day's events. They also teach children what balanced meals look like.3

 

Dr. Chawki Hammoud

Pediatrician, neonatologist

 

1 Snacks for Toddlers and Young Children
 https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/2019/10/snacks-for-toddlers-and-young-children
2 https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/snacking.html
3 https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/tn9312



Other Drs' Advices

What Different kinds of proteins do we know and where can we find them?

There are two main sources of proteins, animal and plant based. The main difference between animal and plant proteins is their amino acid profile. Most animal proteins are complete proteins, meaning…

Read More

The Role of vitamin A and where to find it

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, important for normal growth, healthy skin and eyes, immunity, and tissue and bone repair. 1 Vitamin A can be found in two categories of food sources: animal…

Read More

What is malnutrition? What are its effects?

Malnutrition refers to imbalances, deficiencies or even excesses of certain nutrients and/or energy in an individual’s intake. In all its forms, it mainly includes undernutrition, mineral and…

Read More