Raise Your Vegetarian Toddler With Confidence
While some parents have the belief that feeding toddlers a vegetarian diet is detrimental to their health, as long as they make certain that all the required nutrients are received, it’s really quite healthy. 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 bring your toddler up with these foods, chances are he or she will not balk at them later on.
The major concern with vegetarian toddler food is ensuring your child consumes adequate nutrients and calories. Adequate calorie consumption is essential to make certain your child has the energy he needs to play hard and grow well.
It may be somewhat of a challenge to develop a well-rounded vegetarian toddler menu that will give them enough iron and protein. Some toddlers are already finicky at this stage and have such small appetites that it can be hard to get them to eat enough vegetables or beans to receive all of their nutrients. 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 the age of four, soybeans and tofu are great sources of protein. For toddlers, though, these foods should not comprise their main source of protein. Serve tofu or soybeans with soymilk that has been fortified with minerals and vitamins. 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 can be found in many vegetarian foods. Green beans, kidney beans, spinach, and lima beans are all excellent sources of iron. However, iron from vegetables can be harder for the body to absorb than iron from animal products. But serving food high in vitamin C along with those beans or spinach can make the iron easier for your toddler to absorb. Tomatoes, oranges, broccoli, red peppers, and cantaloupe are all good sources of vitamin C.
Vitamin B-12 may be especially hard for vegans to get enough of. While vegetables contain some B-12 vitamins, the body does not easily absorb them. Your toddler’s doctor can recommend a B-12 supplement that’s appropriate for toddlers.
Calcium is another important consideration for your vegetarian child’s nutrition plan. Calcium plays a role in making strong bones and facilitates normal growth. Choose soymilk that is calcium-fortified, but make sure it is also fortified with other nutrients that your toddler needs for good nutrition.
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.
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