A Healthy Plan For Your Vegetarian Toddler

A lot of people believe that putting a toddler on a vegetarian diet isn't healthy. But it can be perfectly safe as long as your child is getting all the proper nutrients.

Some of the advantages of a well balanced lifetime of vegetarianism include lower rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cardiac problems. If you raise your toddler on this type of diet, she won't be inclined to dislike them later on.

The number one concern with your toddler's nutrition on a vegetarian diet is to ensure that your child gets sufficient calories and nutrients. Your toddler needs enough calories to ensure that she has enough energy to grow properly and put in a hard day's play. This needs to take her not only through the important toddler stage but right through the more challenging adolescent years.

It can be difficult to plan a balanced vegetarian toddler menu that will give her sufficient amounts of iron and protein. Some toddlers are picky eaters as well as having smaller appetites, and it can be a real challenge to coax them to consume the amount of beans and vegetables that will ensure they get the nutrients they need. Therefore, if you have a vegetarian toddler, make sure you serve up food that is packed with as many nutrients as possible.

For adults and children over four, soybeans and tofu are excellent sources of protein. However, they should not be considered as the major source of protein for a toddler. Instead, soybeans or tofu should be acc

mpanied with soymilk that has been supplemented with minerals and vitamins. 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.

You will find iron in many vegetarian-friendly foods. Great sources of iron include kidney beans, green beans, spinach, and lima beans. However, iron from vegetables can be harder for the body to absorb properly than iron from animal products. This process can become easier if you serve a Vitamin C rich food with those beans or spinach. Some great sources of Vitamin C are oranges, red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and cantaloupe.

It will take quite a bit of effort on your part to bring up a healthy vegan child. You may have to supplement your toddler's meals to make sure they get all the nutrients their little bodies require.

Getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin B-12 may be especially hard for vegans. 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.

A meal plan that doesn't take calcium into consideration can also be harmful to your little one's health. Calcium is important for strong bones and assists in ensuring the body's normal development and growth. Give your toddler calcium-fortified soymilk, but check that it also contains other nutrients that your toddler needs for a balanced diet.

If you happen to see a gathering of vegans, you may notice that the children stand out. These little ones often provide glowing testimonies that vegan children can attain a certain level of health, grow normally, be very active and smarter than the average child.

Ashley King is the mother of an active toddler, and is a contributor to Toddlers Now where you'll find lots of great information to help you raise your little one.