[Kinguk]

I don't eat much meat, first of all I'm too broke, and second, the quality and ethical standards of meat in the stores just grosses me out. I lived in the high arctic where we hunted for our meat and then in northern Alberta where it was the same. Now, I'm back down south livin' in the city and I can not bring myself to purchase any meat from the store. My little one (17months) is still breastfed so I don't worry much about her lacking any specific nutrients at this point.

However, I have just started caring for a little guy (18months old) 5 days per week and have just realized that he's not getting any meat during the day. I give very healthy meals but I just don't cover all the "food groups" so really he's lacking certain proteins and whatnot during the day. I do give eggs and canned fish a few days per week but that's it. I don't know how much meat he gets at night (I know they're not vegetarian), if any -- I'll have to ask his parents.

Anyways, I hope I'm making sense. This little guy is here so much and seeing that his nutritional needs are met is a huge responsibility on my part -- I just want to make sure he's getting everything he needs.

I'm curious as to what other people's thoughts are on this and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[tinybutterfly]

I'm not an expert, but I would think if you are giving him fish and eggs he should be just fine. Those are both great sources of protein.

Cheese is good, too.

 

[Liquesce]

Does he eat grains and beans/legumes? If so he's not missing any proteins. Does he eat dairy?

Maybe try the vegetarian subforum for particular vegetarian baby and toddler meal ideas.

We're not vegetarians in my house so I'm not necessarily a wealth of resources on the subject myself these days, but there are a lot of mamas raising kids on totally vegetarian diets on here.

 

[Kinguk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liquesce Does he eat grains and beans/legumes? If so he's not missing any proteins. Does he eat dairy? Maybe try the vegetarian subforum for particular vegetarian baby and toddler meal ideas. We're not vegetarians in my house so I'm not necessarily a wealth of resources on the subject myself these days, but there are a lot of mamas raising kids on totally vegetarian diets on here.

What kind of meats do you eat? We definitely get a lot of dairy everyday. No beans or legumes. I'm going to be making bean dip this week as I know they're a great source of protein instead of meat. I've made them before; they're quite delicious...just so much effort! Well not really...but the blender drives me crazy

Tinybutterfly, that's what I was hoping with giving him eggs and fish throughout the week. I think if I add more beans/legumes then I won't have any worries.

 

[Liquesce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinguk What kind of meats do you eat?

In my home? Mostly chicken, beef/beef liver, lamb, and fish/shellfish.

If you really want to include meats other than canned fish in this child's meals, you might consider buying some grassfed ground beef, free range chicken, etc, from a local farm supplier where you can see yourself if the animals are living in decent conditions. It's a little more expensive, but a couple of meals per week for an 18 month old doesn't exactly mandate going through pounds at a time.