Raising a Vegetarian Child

Thursday, 15 May 2008 09:29

Many families chose to observe a vegetarian diet and to raise their children as vegetarians. As with any diet, even ones that include meat products, making sure that your diet contains the proper nutritional elements is important. Vegetarians must eat alternatives to meat products that contain the right proportion of essential nutrients.

There are different types of vegetarian diets and each type has certain areas that will require particular care to ensure a complete nutritional profile for a growing child.

Replacing Animal Sources of Nutrients:

Vegetarians who eat no animal products need to be more aware of nutrient sources. Nutrients most likely to be lacking and some non-animal sources are

• vitamin B12: fortified soy beverages and cereals
• vitamin D: fortified soy beverages and sunshine
• calcium: tofu processed with calcium, broccoli, seeds, nuts, kale, bok choy, legumes (peas and beans), greens, lime-processed tortillas, and soy beverages, grain products, and orange juice enriched with calcium
• iron: legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains, and iron-fortified cereals and breads, especially whole-wheat. (Absorption is improved by vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green leafy vegetables, and potatoes with skins.)


• zinc: whole grains (especially the germ and bran), whole-wheat bread, legumes, nuts, and tofu



• protein: tofu and other soy-based products, legumes, seeds, nuts, grains, and vegetables

Source: Food and Drug Administration (fda.gov)