vegetarian toddler

[geminijen]

my ds is 20 mo., and I believe he has a good diet. we eat from scratch, mostly rice and bean combos and some pasta dishes with soy products. being a toddler, he eats very selectively at times and on some days I look back at what he actually ate (versus food offered) and wonder if he has gotten enough protien. We do dairy products, and he gets whole organic milk almost every day, and yogurt about every 2 days. I really do not want to have meat in the house, so I am wondering about other high protien ideas. He is very good about eating beans, but sometimes just gets tired of them (I can't blame him there) and is very off and on with nut butters and soy products(tofu, smart dogs, tempeh).

[khrisday]

My daughter is three, and has just decided to become vegetarian. I share the same concern about her getting enough protein. We were eating dairy free, but have gone back to dairy to give her more options to get protein- she will not eat beans and has not been fond of any of the tofu products we have tried. She will eat fish, though.

[DreamWeaver]

ok, maybe it's similar, but what abt lentils? And various nuts?
Have you also tried quinoa? It's a high-protein grain, very easy to cook.
I find that toddlers tend to be on and off with their eating. I've been thr' phases when I think dd will never eat, and then a period when I think "Wow! she's been eating really well!" and a few days later, she goes on "eating strike" again. I've learned to relax abt this, becoz I realise a healthy child will not starve herself. If she wants to eat, she searches for food, or asks me for smth to eat.

[Erin Pavlina]

Getting enough protein is generally not that much of a concern for veg toddlers. All foods contain protein. A potato gets 11% of it's calories from protein. Even fruit gets 4-6% of its calories from protein. As long as she is getting enough calories each day, she is probably getting enough protein.

Of greater concern for vegetarian toddlers is iron. Be sure she's getting a healthy dose of iron and zinc and calcium. Although dairy products do contain calcium, the high animal protein content of dairy products can actually leach calcium from the bones. Instead of relying on dairy products for calcium, give her other foods high in calcium like tofu, broccoli, spinach, and some nuts.

Foods high in protein include nuts, beans, legumes, tofu, soy products, and whole grains. Keep junky stuff to a minimum so you don't waste calories.

It sounds to me like he's got a fairly varied diet. Have you tried tofu scramble? You can get the mix in a box and just mix with mashed tofu, then stir fry for a few minutes. My toddler will eat an entire block of tofu if I'm not careful.

[cathe]

I eat a mainly plant based diet and have sometimes had trouble getting enough protein so I think it is a valid concern.

If you eat eggs, they are a great, great source of protein and other vitamins and minerals. Get free-range, organic which are more nutritions, and are allowed to roam and do not get shot up with hormones, etc. We have our own chickens and if you can do it - they are the most run pets ever . . .

Anyway, not to get off the subject. Here are a couple of tips I use to get more protein into my kids meals who don't eat much animal products. Also, I agree with Erin that iron is a concern. I became severely anemic on a vegan diet. Nuts and seeds, sea vegetables, legumes are good sources of iron as well as protein.

I keep a coffee grinder on my counter and every morning on our hot or cold cereal or on yogurt, I grind almonds (high in calcium, iron as well as protein and good fat), sunflower or pumpkin seeds (protein and iron), flax seeds (omega-3 fatty acids), and sesame seeds (calcium and protein). This can be added to rice, sprinkled over veggies, almost any meal.

Also, smoothies are great - you can add tofu, nut butters, yogurt, soy or dairy milk) almost anything can be hidden in a smoothie.

Nutritional yeast flakes are a good source of protein. They can be added to smoothies, sauces, rice, almost anything. Also millet and quinoa are high protein grains. Millet is also high in iron.

I just started seeing a natural practioner for my tiredness and he recommends I eat a lot more protein, especially in the morning, since my mostly plant diet is pretty grain/carb based.

[MamaMonica]

cathe- what kind of coffee grinder do you use to grind nuts? I had a little Braun one (from a garage sale) but it was so hard to clean. Is there an easier way?

[cathe]

I recently melted the top to my little electric grinder. I found another one at Trader Joes near their coffee beans - I think it was about $10.00 Very small and easy to clean. Just wipe it out with a dry cloth. The brand name on the grinder is BOSCH.

[MamaMonica]

Thanks! I'll look for one!

[teachma]

Great idea about tofu in smoothies. My family are not vegetarian, but my son does not llike to eat meat, and aside from dairy (which he LOVES) and black beans, I worry that he hasn't enough protein in the diet. I'll try to sneak him some tofu...