|
Because they are growing so fast, children have special nutritional diets. Parents who are raising their children as vegetarians need to be extra careful to meet those requirements.
Make every bite count. To get the same amount of protein contained in mere bites of chicken, you have to eat nearly a cup of rice and beans. So you have to make sure children don’t fill up on empty calories or sugar before they get their necessary nutrients. Most children, especially toddlers, have delicate appetites and won’t eat when they’re not hungry. You can’t force them to eat if they’ve already filled up on junk food.
Watch their protein intake. For vegetarian children who eat dairy products and eggs, it isn’t difficult to meet protein requirements. But for vegan children, who don’t consume any animal products, getting enough protein can be very difficult. Protein is necessary for growth, so it’s extremely important that protein intake doesn’t fall short. Soy protein is complete enough for adults and children over the age of four, but it’s methionine, so tofu and soybeans shouldn’t be used as a child’s sole source of protein.
To make a complete protein for a toddler, combine one of the following with a serving of whole grains or legumes:
2 Tbs. Cottage cheese
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs. Nonfat dry milk
1/6 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup yogurt
½ egg or 1 egg white
1/3 ounce hard cheese (such as Swiss or mozzarella)
1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
Supplement with B12 as needed. As with protein, vegetarian toddlers who eat dairy and eggs shouldn’t have a problem with vitamin B12, but vegan children likely will because vegetable sources of B12 are few and far between. Vegetable sources of vitamin B12 include some seaweeds (nori and spirulina), but children don’t absorb these sources very well. Most children’s multivitamins don’t contain vitamin B12, so ask your child’s physician for a supplement.
Take care with the iron. Most children get the majority of their iron from meats, although there are vegan sources of iron. To get the most out of the iron in your child’s diet, serve a food rich in vitamin C with foods containing iron. Also, ask your child’s doctor if she recommends an iron supplement.
More calcium, please. It’s nearly impossible to get enough calcium from a vegan diet. Most doctors recommend giving milk to vegan children at least through the teen years because calcium is so important to growing bones and teeth. If you aren’t open to this option, then calcium supplements in some form will need to be considered. Soy milk that is fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D may contain enough calcium, but read the labels carefully. Orange juice fortified with calcium is another option, but most orange juice doesn’t contain vitamins A and D, and the protein content is negligible.
Provide a vitamin-mineral supplement. A variety of vitamins and minerals (such as riboflavin and vitamin D) may be missing from a vegan diet, so giving your child a vitamin-mineral supplement is good insurance.
A well-managed vegetarian diet can be a boon to your child’s health, but you must be diligent in maintaining adequate levels of vitamins and minerals.
| 
