A Good Vegetarian Toddler Diet Is Safe and Healthy
A lot of people believe that putting a toddler on a vegetarian diet isn’t healthy. But it can be perfectly safe as long as your child is getting all 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 primary concern with vegetarian toddler food is to make sure that your child gets enough calories and nutrients. Toddlers need enough calories to ensure that they have energy to grow properly and put in a hard day’s play.
It can be difficult to plan a balanced vegetarian toddler menu that will give them sufficient amounts of 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 have a vegetarian toddler, make sure you serve nutrient-dense food.
For adults and children over four, soybeans and tofu are excellent sources of protein. For toddlers, though, these foods should not comprise their main source of protein. For your littlest ones, complement the tofu or soybeans that you serve with soymilk that has been fortified with vitamins and minerals. This will not only help to provide some protein, but it will be a boost to your toddler’s nutritional intake by providing Vitamins A and D and calcium, which can often be hard to get in a vegan diet.
You will find iron in many vegetarian-friendly foods. Great sources of iron include kidney beans, green beans, spinach, and lima beans. 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. 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 there are B-12 vitamins in certain vegetables, they are not easily absorbed by the body. Your toddler’s pediatrician can help you decide on a B-12 vitamin supplement that is suitable 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. 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 diet to make sure they get all the nutrition that their little bodies need.