Vegetarian Baby - protein sources?

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  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    Bean, legumes, quinoa, greek yogurt with fruit.

    I like quinoa because its a complete protein and you can vary it in many ways. I sometimes add a bit of brown sugar, almond milk and dried cranberries for a breakfast cereal and then add cucumbers, tomatoes and a bit of balsamic vinegar for a lunch salad.

    This site may help, just swap out the items you don't want her to eat.
    http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm
  • CoachMaritova
    CoachMaritova Posts: 409 Member
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    Quinoa
  • seventieslord
    seventieslord Posts: 59 Member
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    Holy lick! Quinoa is bloody amazing. We had it for dinner tonight. She didn't have any... but man, I love it. It's going to be a staple food in this house going forward.
  • DanceYogaRun
    DanceYogaRun Posts: 373 Member
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    We eat lots of quinoa here. Yummmmm!
  • DanceYogaRun
    DanceYogaRun Posts: 373 Member
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    http://www.thescavenger.net/health/raising-children-as-vegan-a-healthy-alternative-731.html

    This is a great article refuting many of the links and misinformation in this thread. A good read for all.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    My children were both vegetarian until they were old enough to decide for themselves. My oldest (5) is now mostly veggie, though he eats meat at school, he doesn't like to. The younger one is a total carnivore, but I don't give either of them meat at home. They get plenty of protein from cheese and milk, which they have in some form every day. They also eat lentils, a lot of quorn, eggs, tofu and yoghurts, so there's no danger of having too little. I don't think they are meant to have quorn or soya under 2 years, though. Red lentils are very easy to mix into baby food.

    If you are worried about iron, spinach and apricots are both very high in iron.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    Oh, and anyone suggesting there is anything wrong with a child having a vegetarian diet is uneducated and a bit dim. There is plenty of evidence that vegan children are on average the healthiest of all, followed by vegetarian ones. I would be infinitely more concerned by those freak parents who think hamburgers, chips and coke are suitable foods for infants. Before you start bashing the people who are making an educated choice about their child's nutrition, take a look at all those who take their children to KFC and McDonalds. Which children do you think are going to grow up with a healthier attitude to food?


    Some people make me so livid with their bigotry.
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
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    I've been a vegetarian for 20 years. My husband has been vegetarian for 12 years, and we have 2 kids (ages 22 months and 5 years) who are life-long vegetarians. Both of my kids are above the curve on their growth charts, and we've never had an issue with protein. Some of my suggestions:
    --scrambled eggs
    --yogurt
    --cottage cheese
    --hummus
    --whole grain carbs (w/w pastas, brown rice, quinoa, etc.)
    --beans and lentils (look for Happy Baby brand baby food in the frozen section of your grocery store to find some already prepared, particularly the Mama Grain and Baby Dahl variety)

    I'm sure there are more, but those are the first things that came to mind.
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
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    Holy lick! Quinoa is bloody amazing. We had it for dinner tonight. She didn't have any... but man, I love it. It's going to be a staple food in this house going forward.

    I'm glad you like it. It's really one amazing, versatile food. You can make it a million different ways.

    PS Loved you serious answer to my silly question haha.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    When I was a baby, I outright refused to eat anything meat. I spit it all out and got grumpy, mom says. My parents worked around that issue by feeding me mashed beans and grain porridges (I'm sure you can find gluten free grains). I did consume dairy and eggs, though. Are eggs an option for you?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    When I was a baby, I outright refused to eat anything meat. I spit it all out and got grumpy, mom says. My parents worked around that issue by feeding me mashed beans and grain porridges (I'm sure you can find gluten free grains). I did consume dairy and eggs, though. Are eggs an option for you?

    just FYI, its a zombie thread....
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited August 2018
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    When I was a baby, I outright refused to eat anything meat. I spit it all out and got grumpy, mom says. My parents worked around that issue by feeding me mashed beans and grain porridges (I'm sure you can find gluten free grains). I did consume dairy and eggs, though. Are eggs an option for you?

    just FYI, its a zombie thread....

    Oh man. Didn't notice. Read the first two pages without looking at the dates.

    ETA: Glad to hear that, OP!
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
    edited August 2018
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    Oops, missed the date.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
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    littleveg wrote: »
    hey!! i have tons of recommendations....SEEDS! unlike nuts, they are usually well-tolerated by most... Sunflower, pumpkin, hemp....all great sources for protein and healthy fats. Def look for RAW, unroasted....Also, how about sunflower seed butter or hempseed butter spread on gluten-free bread or crackers, or apple slices? all kid friendly foods. As mentioned with the rice & beans thing, two or more protein sources can be combined to make them "complete"... Same goes for protein powder. Look for ones that combine rice, hemp, flax, chia, & pea protein. Straight rice or pea protein may not contain all the essential amino acids, thus "incomplete". It is said that Hemp on its own is actually a complete protein, but i like to combine with other sources.
    Another great choice: SPIRULINA. Ounce for ounce, it is actually more protein-dense than meat or any of the above sources, and you only need a little bit of it to reap the tremendous benefits. It is also safe for kids...and an awesome bright blue-green color, how cool is that?! Use it in green & fruit juices or smoothies, sprinkled on salads...or my fave way... mixed into guacamole to make it EXTRA green!! yum!!
    i would avoid too much of the processed soy stuff because there is a lot of questionable info out there on possible health risks. good luck!!!

    Please don't feed your baby (or anyone) spirulina. Spirulina is very susceptible to contamination and there's absolutely no reason to use it over other safer, less expensive foods.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    seventieslord wrote: »
    Kid is 8 now. Has never eaten meat. Couldn't possibly be healthier.

    How about providing some closure to the thread? What kind of protein sources did you use when your kid was a baby?
  • Beeingthin
    Beeingthin Posts: 40 Member
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    Hi, my children are exactly the same. They are 7 months, 2 and 3.5 and have never had meat and will not until they’re old enough to decide for themselves. They’ve never had any issues, always healthy and weighing an average amount. I introduced nut products to them at 8 months. For every meal, I make sure they have a protein, grain, fruit and/or vegetable. I’ll put example in parenthesis. Proteins I feed them that are not nuts are cheeses (cottage cheese and fruit as a main), eggs (eggs salad sandwhich), beans (taco bowl made with black beans), faux meats (veggie chick’n nuggets), Quinoa (burgers), yogurt (Greek yogurt in place of sour cream), avocado, broccoli, tofu (add spices to corn starch and bake for crispy), pasta enriched with protein ...and more! I’m not saying they always eat everything, they are toddlers after all. Ketchup is your friend! I’ve been a vegetarian for 23 years and when I started, there were no faux meats in the freezer section of a regular grocery store. You had to go to a holistic store and offer your first born child in exchange for a spiced up styrofoam block.
  • Beeingthin
    Beeingthin Posts: 40 Member
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    Sorry, missed the part at the end with all the restrictions. This will be challenging and relegated to few choices and lots of repeat meals. The only thing I can think of other than nuts would be bean and some green vegetables based meals. It’s actually hard to become protein deficient. Don’t listen to all the judgements. I don’t feel like you’re desperately reaching it for help so much as looking for suggestions to not make meals boring.

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