Today I saw a client, which the type is becoming more popular. A vegetarian family who are hoping to raise their most recent addition as a vegetarian too.
There are many advantages to being a vegetarian. Many of them are diet related, but some people choose to be vegan or vegetarian for moral or ethical reasons too. Often, when one member of the family is a vegetarian, then chances are they all are. This can be difficult when an infant or toddler comes into the equation. Since they are not fully developed, they need additional nutrients and vitamins that adults do not necessarily need. Since the toddler won’t be eating any meat, they can miss out on the vital nutrients needed to grow and develop properly.
The first thing that you should know is that, although vegetarianism is easy to ensure nutrients are met, it can be challenging without a plan. So seeing a Registered Dietitian is recommended. A planned diet is important for all vegetarians, and particularly so for babies and toddlers. Introducing meat is not encouraged if you wish your baby to become vegetarian children. If you never feed them meat, they will not know what it tastes like and they will never ask for it. For all they know, meat does not even exist. When they are older, you can explain to them what meat is and let them make their own decision. If they have been vegetarian their entire lives, there is a very great chance they will remain vegetarian. If you let your toddler or infant eat meat, they may find out that they have a liking for it and will bug you no end to have it again.
For the first six months of your baby’s life, you will not have to worry about what they eat, since they will only be consuming breast milk or formula. If you have stopped breastfeeding, continue with the most suitable formula. When you first start feeding them baby food, make sure the products you are purchasing them are free of meat (some of them are), there are many vegetarian options available. When you introduce solid foods, simply replace meat with a meat substitute such as tofu, legumes, lentils or beans, so the child will not know the difference. If you are going on the strict vegan route, ensure you work with a Registered Dietitian because veganism is much more difficult to achieve the required nutrients. If you are raising a vegan baby, it is recommended that you breast feed for at least 1 year, to ensure that the child is getting the proper amount of nutrients and vitamins.
After they have grown out of the baby stage and start eating the same foods as you, there are some certain vitamins and minerals that are at higher at risk of deficiency than non-vegetarians. They are listed below:
- Vitamin B12 – found in milk and eggs.
- Vitamin D – found in milk (breast milk is rich in Vitamin D)
- Calcium – dairy products or dairy alternatives will be the main source of calcium
- Iron – breast milk does not have much iron, but babies are born with enough for 4-6 months. Thereafter, they must eat foods fortified with Iron. Cereals and meat alternatives are usually fortified with iron, however it is best that you double check.
- Zinc
- Protein –Meat alternatives, dairy products and eggs are all suitable replacements.
- Fiber – Wholegrains, fruits, vegetables are all great sources of fiber.
These days there are many great vegetarian options, however the fundamental principles of ensuring vegetarians eat combined proteins to make sure they receive all of the amino acids they need is still important. In simple terms, legumes such as lentils or kidney beans should be eaten with wholegrains such as brown rice, wholemeal breads or wholegrain pasta.
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Soy milk is most often used in infants older than six months with cow’s milk protein intolerance, and since it does not contain lactose is given and the intolerance milk sugar.