(NAPSA)—Momsworry about their toddlers not eating enough or not eating the right variety of fruits and vegetables—and for good reason—the most popular vegetable at 15 months is the French fry. Eating habits are learned early, so it’s important to teach your toddler the healthy habit of enjoying colorful e fruits and vegetables jo every day. According to the Start Healthy Pivonka ———™ Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers, which address nutritional needs of children under two, encouraging healthy eating habits from the start may help prevent childhood obesity and other related diseases later in life. The guidelines were developed by a panel of experts in pediatrics and nutrition assembled with help from the American Dietetics Association and sponsored by Gerber. Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters. The Start Healthy Feeding Guidelines suggest letting your toddler decide for herself whether to eat and how much;your job is to make sure to offer a variety of healthful foods. Be sure to include some favorite foods along with some new foods. It can take an amazing 10 to 15 exposures for a baby to accept a new food. More than half of surveyed moms give up after the baby rejects a new [7 How To Add Flavor, Color And Nutrition To Your Toddler's Diet Cottage cheese without fruit provides 0 vitamin C O Cottage cheese with Gerber Graduates Peach Dices provides 50 percent daily value (DV) vitamin C for toddlers @ | plain waffle provides 0 vitamin C and 10% DV iron O11 plain waffle spread with Gerber 3rd FoodsFruit provides 20 percent DV vitamin C, plus the vitamin C helps your toddler absorb the waffle’s iron w '/, cup pretzels provides very few nutrients Di Replace with Gerber Graduates Mini Fruits, Banana & Strawberry, for a great-tasting, easy-to-eat serving of fruit food three or fewer times. So try, try again—andthen keeptrying. Products designed specifically for toddlers can make addingcolorful fruits and vegetables to your toddler’s diet easy and convenient. Here are a few tips to boost the nutritional value of your toddler’s diet with colorful fruits and vegetables. Visit Gerber’s Web site www.Gerber.com for many more. Remember to set a good example. Most adults and moderately active teens need about five cups of colorful fruits and vegetables every day. For more nutrition information, tips, and recipes featuring fruits and vegetables visit www.d5aday.org. wanna nnn nee PTL one Note to Editors: Seventy-ninth in a series of monthly 5-A-Day columns. More stories ait www.napsnet.com and search: “Pivonka.”
