Guidelines For A Healthy Vegetarian Toddler Diet

Guidelines For A Healthy Vegetarian Toddler Diet

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While some parents have the belief that feeding toddlers a vegetarian diet is detrimental to their health, as long as they make certain that all the required nutrients are received, it's really quite healthy. 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 bring your toddler up with these foods, chances are he or she will not balk at them later on.

The major concern with vegetarian toddler food is ensuring your child consumes adequate nutrients and calories. Toddlers need enough calories to ensure that they have energy to grow properly and put in a hard day's play.

It may be somewhat of a challenge to develop a well-rounded vegetarian toddler menu that will give them enough 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. For this reason, it's essential that vegetarian children are served nutrient-dense foods.

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 provide some additional protein, but it will give your toddler's nutrition a boost with Vitamins A and D as well as calcium, which can sometimes be hard to get enough of in a vegan diet.

Iron can be found in many vegetarian foods. Green beans, kidney beans, spinach, and lima beans are all excellent sources of iron. Unfortunately, unlike iron originating from animal products, the iron in vegetables can be tough for the body to process. You can remedy this situation if you serve a Vitamin C rich food with those beans or spinach. 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. Although vegetables contain some B-12 vitamins, they are not easily absorbed by the body. Your toddler's doctor can recommend a B-12 supplement that's appropriate for toddlers.

Calcium is another important consideration for your vegetarian child's nutrition plan. Calcium helps make bones stronger and aids in proper growth and development. Choose soymilk that is calcium-fortified, but make sure it is also fortified with other nutrients that your toddler needs for good nutrition.

While it's possible to raise a healthy vegetarian toddler, it can take a lot of work. It might be a good idea to add a vitamin supplement to your toddler's diet to ensure that they get all the nutrients they need.

About the Author:
Candace writes for a number of websites dedicated to children and parenting. If you enjoyed this article, you might like to read her recent work regarding the pros and cons of a toddler backpack harness.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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