People who follow alternative diets, such as the many varieties of vegetarianism, are often very concerned when it comes to their children. Making sure that children receive all of the nutrients that they need can be an interesting challenge to the vegetarian.

Children have different dietary and nutritional needs than do adults. This is true regardless of whether a person or a child is a vegetarian. While it is certainly true that any person, child or adult, needs to have a well-balanced diet, this is particularly true for children and toddlers who are still in their growing and formative years. When an entire “food group” (such as meats) is dropped from the list, parents must make doubly sure that the nutrients provided by that food group are replaced elsewhere.

One of the most obvious areas of concern for the vegetarian toddler is the area of protein. As most vegetarians know, protein is not difficult to get while eating a vegetarian diet. Some vegetarians, who are able to eat fish, dairy products, and eggs have in those items a wide source of protein. Even for more strict vegetarians or vegans, grains and legumes can provide the necessary amounts of proteins.

Another area of concern is calcium. Here again, vegetarians generally know that tofu, fortified soy, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, beans, and a variety of other foods can provide the necessary calcium for a toddler, and that dairy products are not always a necessity. The same goes for other nutrients, such as zinc, iron, and vitamin B12.

In addition to the nutritional concerns about raising a vegetarian toddler, many vegetarian parents struggle with helping their child to understand why their diet is different than that of other children. The good news here is that most toddlers are still developing their eating patterns and preferences, and if a child has never had a hot dog, he probably won’t feel bad that he can’t eat one. As children get older, parents can help the children to understand the family’s eating philosophy.

Posted in Baby and Toddler

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