When it comes to the nutrition of adults, a lot of controversy arises. What then to speak about children vegetarians? Many people believe that the concepts of “vegetarianism” and “child” are incompatible. The fact that the child does not eat foods of animal origin is explained by the principled position of his parents and nothing else. Read what the child vegetarianism is, what its pros and cons are, and what the menu of a child who does not eat meat or fish consists of, is in the article. At the very end there will be some useful tips on how to grow a vegetarian. Let us dwell on each question in more detail.
Nutrition for children in a vegetarian family
In our society it is accepted that starting from the age of eight months, meat must be present in the child’s diet. If the parents deviate from the established norms for introducing complementary foods, then “stones” begin to fly in them. Most people believe that a child who does not receive animal products will necessarily grow up underdeveloped, weak and sick. But every year all over the world there are more and more parents of vegetarians and children who follow the principles of nutrition inherent in the family.
In fact, the documents of the World Health Organization and the American Association of Pediatrics confirm that the vegan and vegetarian diet is suitable for people of different age categories: pregnant, lactating mothers, the elderly and children. The main thing that needs to be done is to plan the food correctly and correctly compose a menu for your baby.
Vegetarians from birth: research
Often children refuse meat intuitively and start eating it only under pressure from their parents. In our society, this is not considered the norm, and after all there are peoples who for hundreds of years have not consumed animal products. First of all, these are the inhabitants of India, professing Buddhism and Hinduism.
Studies by American nutritionists have shown that vegetarian children grow stronger and more resilient than their peers from birth. They are at least a year ahead of them in terms of mental and physical development.
Scientists have proven that children and adolescents who follow a vegetarian diet get more healthy vitamins and minerals from their food and eat much less fatty and high-calorie foods. In their diet there are a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, which is an excellent prevention of vitamin deficiency and children's fullness.
The benefits of vegetarian food
The facts listed below provide an exhaustive answer to the question of whether a child can be a vegetarian. They list the main advantages of such nutrition for children :
- In girls who do not eat meat, the risk of developing breast cancer is reduced by 4 times. This is explained by the fact that in children of vegetarians puberty occurs later, which favorably affects the state of the body.
- In people who eat vegetarian foods from birth, the risk of heart disease is reduced by 10 times.
- Children who do not eat meat are less susceptible to viral and intestinal infections. This is explained by the fact that the toxins contained in meat are not neutralized up to 7-8 years, but accumulate in the body, which leads to a decrease in immunity.
- Vegetarians are less susceptible to stress, their character becomes more balanced.
- Plant foods are an excellent source of protein, iron, calcium and vitamin D. And this means that children who do not eat fish and meat grow healthy. They get all the substances necessary for the growth and development, but only from products of plant origin.
Cons and consequences of child vegetarianism
An adult can choose what kind of food and what kind of life position to adhere to him. But children whose parents adhere to vegetarianism have no such choice. Is it correct? What do vegetarians get from birth?
Among the shortcomings of such nutrition, the following should be noted:
- Trace elements such as iron, zinc and selenium are much worse absorbed from products of plant origin than from animals.
- In children of vegetarians, iron deficiency anemia develops more often than others. This leads to lethargy and fatigue.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency in the body. Its main source for people is meat products. For children who do not receive this vitamin, characteristic fatigue, weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath. Parents who are vegetarians believe that vitamin B12 can be obtained from brewer's yeast. But, you must admit that this is not the best food for children.
- The products of plant origin do not contain all the essential amino acids that are necessary for the normal growth and development of the child.
Does the child need dairy products?
The American Association of Pediatricians does not recommend giving milk to children who are not yet 12 months old. This product often causes allergic reactions, indigestion, and sometimes even contributes to the development of diabetes. According to statistics, about 20% of cows in the United States are carriers of the leukemia virus, which is resistant to pasteurization.
According to the famous American pediatrician Benjamin Spock, cow's milk is an excellent food for calves, but for children it is often dangerous. Animal proteins have an adverse effect on the immune system, causing chronic runny nose, bronchitis, and inflammatory processes in other organs. Vegetarians do not consume cow's milk for at least 1 year and grow healthier than their peers. The best protection for their immunity during this period of life is breastfeeding.
Dr. Komarovsky’s opinion on the problem
A well-known pediatrician in many countries is one of the few representatives of official medicine who speak positively about the permissibility of a vegetarian diet for children.
Theoretically, the doctor suggests that when eating exclusively plant-based products, a child may lose some of the vitamin and minerals found in meat and fish. To fill the deficiency, Dr. Komarovsky strongly recommends using synthetic vitamins. In addition, parents need to constantly monitor the level of hemoglobin in the blood in order to prevent the development of anemia.
For full growth, vegetarians should receive protein. He can take it from soy, legumes and other plant products.
There is no need to force-feed a child with any product, including meat. If the baby refuses it, but at the same time consumes eggs and dairy products, it means that he will not have a deficiency in protein and other vitamins. There is nothing to worry about in this situation.
Beginning of feeding
Most mothers of vegetarians support breastfeeding until at least two years of age. But what to do with complementary foods? Can a child under two years of age eat exclusively breast milk? In fact, complementary foods for a vegetarian baby are introduced from the age of 6 months, as for regular babies. But the acquaintance of crumbs with adult food occurs in a slightly different way:
- Lure begins with vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli or zucchini. At the request of the mother, vegetables can either be mashed or boiled longer than usual, and then offer them to the baby in pieces. So it will be easier to accustom the baby to eat solid food.
- The next product that the child meets is porridge. For the first feeding, buckwheat made from ordinary cereals is ideal. Later, the child can be offered rice, corn porridge, wheat, quinoa. Oatmeal in the diet of crumbs appears after a year.
- Closer to 7 months, the baby should be introduced to the taste of apple, pear, banana. Fruits are recommended to be given fresh so that the child receives more vitamins from them.
Vegetarian diet at 8-12 months
Gradually, the child gets acquainted with other products, which will subsequently form the basis of his adult table:
- By the year the baby should eat all the cereal, except semolina and oatmeal. They are introduced into the diet of crumbs after 12 months. From cereals, the child receives the majority of B vitamins.
- Dairy products are introduced into the diet from 9 months. At this age, crumbs can be offered cottage cheese and kefir in its pure form or with fruit additives. It is not recommended to drink milk for up to a year.
- There is no sugar in the diet of a vegetarian child. It is replaced by honey, stevia, natural coconut sugar.
At 1 year old, a vegetarian baby’s menu includes almost all the dishes his parents eat. The only difference is the amount of servings. Little vegetarians get to know beans, nuts and mushrooms faster than their peers, while there are fewer allergy sufferers and children with digestive problems.
Weekly Young Vegetarian Menu
Within 7 days, the child can be offered the following dishes:
Monday:
- 8.00 - immediately after waking up - a smoothie of banana and water (milk) with the addition of chia seeds;
- 9.30 - breakfast - oatmeal on the water with sesame or butter ghee;
- 11.30 - snack - an apple or carrot;
- 13.00 - lunch - pumpkin soup puree with beans;
- 16.30 - afternoon snack - compote and a handful of nuts;
- 19.00 - dinner - buckwheat with linseed oil.
Tuesday:
- 8.00 - a handful of dried fruits (dates, dried apricots, raisins);
- 9.30 - pancakes with cottage cheese;
- 13.00 - puree soup made from green peas;
- 16.30 - smoothie from apple juice with the addition of spinach, chia seeds and banana;
- 19.00 - pasta with spinach, mozzarella and tomato.
Wednesday:
- 8.00 - pudding with kiwi, chia seeds and a drop of vegetable oil;
- 9.30 - oatmeal;
- 11.30 - nuts;
- 13.00 - vegetable soup;
- 16.30 - a glass of carrot juice;
- 19.00 - brown rice with steamed vegetables.
Thursday:
- 8.00 - apple;
- 9.30 - apple pie without eggs with sunflower seeds (raw);
- 13.00 - lentil soup with vermicelli;
- 16.30 - rye or whole grain bread with peanut butter;
- 19.00 - buckwheat with linseed or sesame oil and seaweed salad.
Friday:
- 8.00 - pudding of chia, banana, cinnamon and rice milk;
- 9.30 - millet porridge with raisins and prunes;
- 13.00 - mashed soup of cauliflower and potatoes with olive oil and bread;
- 16.30 - a glass of orange juice and homemade oatmeal cookies;
- 19.00 - barley with vegetables.
Saturday:
- 8.00 - apple;
- 9.30 - syrniki without eggs;
- 13.00 - soup made from green peas, broccoli and celery;
- 16.30 - carrot cake;
- 19.00 - rice porridge and vegetable salad.
Sunday:
- 8.00 - banana;
- 9.30 - a sandwich of rye bread with butter, spinach leaves, tomato and mozzarella;
- 13.00 - homemade vegetable pizza
- 16.30 - apple, carrot;
- 19.00 - fresh tomato salad with avocado.
The vegetarian baby menu is also suitable for ordinary children. It is complete, diverse and balanced, and just what a growing body needs.
Green pea soup for children
For lunch, small vegetarians can offer the following first course:
- Pour 1 liter of water into the pan and bring to a boil.
- Put peeled and diced potatoes (3 pcs.).
- After 10 minutes, add sweet pepper and frozen green peas to the pan (1 tbsp.).
- Let the soup boil, then cook it for another 10 minutes.
- At the next stage, add salt (1 tsp. Without a slide), thyme (1 tsp.) And other spices as desired.
- Remove the finished green pea soup from the heat and grind with a hand blender.
The recipes for children of vegetarians do not include meat broths, but from this the dishes are no less complete, tasty and nutritious.
Sweets and desserts
For children of vegetarians, you can cook delicious, and most importantly, healthy sweets:
- Soak chickpeas (100 g) overnight. In the morning, transfer the peas to the pan, pour clean water and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Fold the ready-made chickpeas into a colander, and then put them on a towel to dry it.
- Sunflower seeds (3 tbsp. L.), Chickpea and 100 g of roasted almonds, grind with a blender to a friable consistency.
- Add honey (2 tbsp.), Vanilla sugar (1 tbsp.) And cinnamon (1 tsp.).
- Beat the mass again with a blender. As a result, it should acquire the consistency of shortcrust pastry.
- Hands to form candy. Roll them in cocoa or sesame seeds.
For dessert, children can enjoy vegetarian ice cream. For its preparation, cashews (1½ tbsp.) Soak for 2 hours. After a while, beat the softened nuts with a blender along with a banana (2 pcs.) And maple syrup or honey (3 tbsp. L.). Transfer the homogeneous mass into a container and put it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, the ice cream will be ready.
How to grow a vegetarian?
The task of parents is to give their child all the best, including health. To do this, you need to know which products will provide the baby with the maximum amount of nutrients and make a vegetarian diet successful. To raise a child healthy, it is important to adhere to the following principles:
- Sources of protein should be present in the baby's diet daily. The child must be given eggs, dairy products, tofu, legumes and cereals. Most pediatricians recommend introducing nuts into the diet no earlier than 18 months, so as not to provoke the development of allergies.
- When compiling the menu, you should choose dishes rich in iron. This trace element is found in foods such as peas, buckwheat, bread, pomegranate, spinach and other dark green vegetables. For better absorption of the glands, it is recommended to use it together with vitamin C.
- As a source of vitamin B12, it is necessary to include milk, eggs, yeast extract and cereals with an enriched composition in the child’s diet.
- The diet of the child should contain foods rich in selenium: nuts, sunflower seeds, egg noodles, rice. Instead of whole nuts, babies can be offered nut paste to eliminate the risk of suffocation.
- The nutrition of a vegetarian child should be high-calorie and multiple. Since the baby will not eat meat, hunger will attack him more often. There should be a minimum of 6 meals per day.
The baby's nutrition should be balanced and include all the necessary vitamins and elements. Only then the baby will grow up healthy, regardless of whether he wants to be a vegetarian in the future or not.