Many people have the idea that feeding a toddler a vegetarian diet isn’t safe. But the fact is that it’s perfectly healthy, as long as your little one is getting all of the proper nutrients. Some of the advantages of a lifetime of well balanced vegetarianism include lower rates of common diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cardiac problems. If you raise your toddler on this type of diet, he or she will embrace it willingly later on.
The major concern with vegetarian toddler food is ensuring your child consumes adequate nutrients and calories. Your toddler needs enough calories to ensure that he has enough energy to grow and play.
It’s not easy to come up with a well-balanced vegetarian toddler menu that provides an adequate amount of protein and iron. Some toddlers are picky eaters as well as having smaller appetites, and it can be a real challenge to coax them to consume the amount of beans and vegetables that will ensure they get the nutrients they need. Therefore, if you are raising a vegetarian toddler, make sure you serve up food that is packed with as many nutrients as possible.
For adults and children over four, soybeans and tofu are excellent sources of protein. However, they should not be considered as the major source of protein for a toddler. For your littlest ones, complement the tofu or soybeans that you serve with soymilk that has been fortified with vitamins and minerals. In addition to providing some protein, it will also improve your toddler’s diet by providing calcium and vitamins A and D, which can frequently be hard to get in a vegan diet.
Iron is a component of many vegetarian-friendly foods. Green beans, kidney beans, spinach, and lima beans are all excellent sources of iron. However, unlike iron derived from animal sources, iron from vegetables can be hard for the body to absorb properly. But serving food high in vitamin C along with those beans or spinach can make the iron easier for your toddler to absorb. Some great sources of Vitamin C are oranges, red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and cantaloupe.
Vitamin B-12 may be especially hard for vegans to get enough of. Although vegetables contain some B-12 vitamins, they are not easily absorbed by the body. Your toddler’s doctor can recommend a B-12 supplement that’s appropriate for toddlers.
A meal plan that doesn’t take calcium into consideration can also be harmful to your little one’s health. Calcium plays a role in making strong bones and facilitates normal growth. Give your toddler calcium-fortified soymilk, but check that it also contains other nutrients that your toddler needs for a balanced diet.
It will take quite a bit of effort on your part to bring up a healthy vegetarian child. You may have to supplement your toddler’s meals to make sure they get all the nutrients their little bodies require.
