Given the freedom to choose from nutritious foods on their own, toddlers tend to eat a variety of foods and achieve a balanced diet-as long as it is provided to them. A balanced diet should include a combination of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, and fiber in appropriate proportions.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are starches and sugars found in fruits, vegetables, and starchy foods such as pasta, whole-grain bread, legumes (dried beans, peas, and lentils), brown rice, and potatoes. Carbohydrates are the body's best source of energy and they should make up about half of the calorie content of your child's diet.

Protein

A child's body requires protein for growth and development and for maintenance and repair of muscles, skin, and other tissues. Protein should make up about 15 percent of your child's diet. Good sources of protein include milk, lean meat, cheese, eggs, nuts, legumes, and fish.

Fat

Fat is an especially important part of the diet during the first 2 years of life. Because children grow at such a rapid rate during this time, they need the concentrated source of energy and nutrients that fat provides. Fat supplies substances that are essential to a child's growth and development and are especially important for the development of the brain and nervous system. Don't introduce a low-fat diet until your child is between 2 and 3 years old. Until that age, give your child whole milk and don't worry about limiting his or her intake of other fats, except those in high-calorie junk foods. (Once you start giving your child junk foods, it will be hard to eliminate them later.)

If your child has a family history of heart disease before age 55, or if someone in your family has a high cholesterol level, your child's doctor may suggest testing your child's cholesterol level at age 2. If the level is found to be unusually high, your child's doctor may recommend a special low-fat, low-cholesterol diet for your child.

Fiber

Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. These foods make up the largest portion of the Food Guide Pyramid. Fiber provides important health benefits throughout life, including promoting normal bowel function and helping to reduce the risk for some diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. It's important to provide a variety of fiber-rich foods to your child each day because there are different types of fiber in foods and you want to be sure that your child gets a balance of them. Avoid foods such as white rice and white bread, which have been stripped of their fiber.

Vitamins and minerals

The body needs vitamins and minerals to function. Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins that your child's body your body needs. These are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate). Your child can usually get all your vitamins from the foods that they eat. Each of these vitamins has a specific job.