Ask Katie Archive

Katie Elwig is a state registered paediatric dietician and a consultant to Little Dish. We get Katie's nutritional input on every Little Dish recipe. She makes sure we use the right ingredients to address the needs of children aged 1-5 years old. You can read more about Katie here.

Katie also writes interesting articles for us about children’s nutrition. Nutritional Guidelines for Under 5's

Butter or margarine, which should you choose for children?
Simon, Dad to Max, 3 years

Butters, margarines and oils can be made from different fats. It’s the type of fat that you choose which is essential to a child’s long term health.

Fats can be classed in 3 categories:
• Saturated Fats (animal fats) – found in butter
• Polyunsaturated Fats (sunflower, corn) – found in margarines
• Monounsaturated Fats (olive, rapeseed) – found in margarines

Some butters and margarines have a combination of all 3 types of fat. In the long term, saturated fats are the most damaging to our health when taken in quantity over time. However, healthy alternatives to saturated fats are based on the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

When choosing a butter or margarine it would be sensible to choose one that contains poly or monounsaturated oils and no trans-fatty acids. It is important to remember that children under the age of five need calories from fat to provide them with much needed energy for growth. A little bit of butter or margarine every so often will do no harm as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Do you have any tips to get my 15 month old daughter to eat from the bowl with cutlery as opposed to her hands?
Julian, Dad to Amaia, 14 months

Infants enjoy eating food with hands and it is a great way for them to learn and experiment - although it can get very messy. Always offer a spoon with every meal, even if she chooses not to use it. When possible try and eat with your daughter so that she can copy how you eat and see you eating with cutlery. Babies eventually get the hang of self feeding but don’t be in a rush to stop the messy play - its all part of their development.

My two year old daughter won’t eat any vegetables. She’ll only eat peas. She screams if anything like broccoli or carrots even touch her plate. I’ve tried sneaking more vegetables into her food. Any tips?
Jo, Mum to Amber, aged two

Don’t get too concerned. Your daughter is displaying typical toddler behaviour around food and refusing to eat vegetables is extremely common. If she enjoys fruit then you can rest assured that she will be getting the majority of her vitamins, minerals and fibre needed for her age.

You could try serving the vegetables in fun ways to entice her to tuck in. Try making crudites and dips with miniature vegetables such as baby sweet corn and cherry tomatoes. Alternatively, puree sweet vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, red and yellow peppers and add to pasta sauce.

Create funny faces on pizzas with vegetables or even try making a mini mountain of mashed potato and sticking broccoli into it to look like trees. These phases don’t last forever and so long as you remain calm and ignore it she will eventually start eating more vegetables again.

Can the Little Dish Meals be frozen?

All Little Dish savoury Meals and Sauces can be frozen. It is important to remember that all frozen dishes should be properly defrosted and heated before consuming.

Do the Little dish Meals, Sauces and Desserts have an indicator of the carbohydrate values for each meal, broken down into the sugar component? I am interested related to the suitability for children with diabetes.

Yes - all Little Dish Meals, Sauces and Fromage Frais have the same labelling which includes carbohydrate content information. This is then subdivided into the sugar component.
All the Little Dish products are suitable for children with diabetes and can be eaten as part of a balanced diet. It is important to note that there is no added sugar in any Little Dish product.

My partner and I enjoy spicy foods, in particular curry. Is it alright for my children to eat the same spicy foods as we do?

Encouraging our children to eat the same foods as everybody else in the family is an excellent way of developing good eating habits for the future. There are many cultures where infants are brought up on spicy food and have extremely healthy and balanced diets. Be careful that the food is not too spicy hot and opt for mild versions whilst their young palettes are adjusting to the flavours.

How many portions of fruit and vegetables per day should a 2 year old be eating?

Healthy eating guidelines recommend that we should all be aiming to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. A portion is a fruit and vegetable serving that can fit into the palm of your child’s hand. Obviously the portion size grows as they do. Many young children have strong likes and dislikes and commonly fruits and vegetables are among them. Although it is best for your child to have a variety of fruits and vegetables to meet their nutritional requirements, it is still better for them to eat just one variety than none at all. Try and make fruits and vegetables exciting such as trying fruit smoothies, fruit puree added to yoghurt or ice-cream, fruit shakes, frozen fruit lollies, vegetables hidden in pasta sauces, vegetables as pizza faces or make fun of vegetables such as broccoli trees and carrot smiles.

Hello Little Dish!
My child doesn’t like drinking milk and I am concerned that he is not getting enough calcium . What should I do?

This is a very common problem that most parents come up against at some point during those early years. It is comforting to know that over the age of 1 years, children only need about 300mls (10oz) of milk or milk based products per day along with a regular and balanced diet to meet their nutritional requirements.

The majority of children can enjoy getting calcium from products such as yoghurts, fromage frais, cheese, ice-cream or milk based puddings e.g. custard or rice puddings.

It is also important to remember too that dark green leafy vegetables e.g broccoli, oranges, soft boned fish e.g. mackerel and white flour based products e.g. bread (the flour is fortified with calcium) contain some calcium. If you are still concerned that your child is not eating a balanced diet containing some of these products then speak with your GP, dietitian or health visitor for further advice.

How much should my 1 year old be eating at each mealtime?

During those early years it is important to be led by your child as they will have a far better appetite control than older children and adults. It is important however to ensure that every child is offered regular mealtimes e.g. breakfast, lunch and supper containing a balance of all the essential nutrients for growth. At lunch and supper it is important to offer a savoury meal first followed by the pudding. Some infants will graze all day and eat small meals or snacks throughout whereas others prefer to eat only 3 times a day and have more at each meal, both ways of feeding are ok to follow. Try to limit high fat and sugar snacks as these will alter a childs appetite and eating pattern. Encourage at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day but be careful not to give them too much as their tummy’s are quite small and fibrous food will fill them up quickly. Remember they still need calories from other foods (Protein, carbohydrates and fat) in order to grow.