Vegetarian and vegan children

Parents often worry that their vegetarian or vegan offspring will not get enough nourishment from their diets. Is there cause for concern?

A healthy balance

Cucumber sandwichVegetarian and vegan diets can be a healthy way of eating for all age groups – provided that enough thought is given to balance youngsters’ diets. There are potential pitfalls (getting adequate amounts of B12 and iron, for example, is likely to require planning) but provided that parents (and teenagers) understand how to balance their requirements, vegetarian and vegan diets can be healthy and adequately nutritious.
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Toddlers and pre-school children

The diet of growing toddlers is vital to their well-being, their ability to play and to learn, as well as to their future health. This is the age when food tastes are learned, so giving children the chance to explore a variety of tastes and textures is important to future likes and dislikes.
Milk

Jug of milkOne of the major components of a toddler’s diet will still be milk. Full-cream milk provides extra calories and vitamin A and vitamin D, which are both essential for health. Children following a vegetarian diet should be given whole milk up to the age of two years when semi-skimmed milk can be introduced. From the age of five years, fully skimmed milk can be substituted if desired.

For those following a vegan diet, soya milk provides a good substitute for cows’ milk, but be sure to choose those that are supplemented with extra calcium. Likewise, if rice, oat or potato milk is chosen as part of a vegan diet, the toddler will need to be given extra calcium and vitamins as a supplement. Be certain to discuss this with your doctor.

SagoFood-wise, desserts such as homemade rice, tapioca and sago puddings are popular with children, as are custards to accompany fruits. These can be made with either full-cream, semi-skimmed, skimmed or soya milk. White sauces made with any of the different types of milk can be used to enhance dishes such as cauliflower cheese, macaroni cheese and chickpea and pasta bakes using a selection of vegetables such as mushrooms for flavour.
Iron

One of the deficiencies to which toddlers are more prone is iron deficiency anaemia. There are two types of iron: haem, which is the type found in meat; and non-haem, which is the type found in non-meat items such as eggs, cereals, vegetables, peas, beans and lentils. Non-haem iron is not as well absorbed by the body as haem iron is. However, the absorption of non-haem iron can be enhanced by vitamin C, which is a good reason for giving vegetables and fruit at the same time.
High-fibre foods

For toddlers with a small appetite, high-fibre foods can be too filling, so for this age group keep to white varieties of pasta, bread and rice. Breakfast cereals fortified with iron and vitamins can be a useful addition.
Nuts

Nuts are very nutritious, providing protein and vitamins A and E, as well as minerals such as phosphorous and potassium. Nuts can provide protein in meat-free diets, but in those children where there is a family history of allergy, peanut butter is best avoided until after two years of age. Whole nuts are not suitable for young children as they can cause choking.

by Dr Mabel Blades