Vegetarian Baby - protein sources?
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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.htm1 -
Quinoa0
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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.1
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We eat lots of quinoa here. Yummmmm!1
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.3 -
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.0 -
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.1 -
Kid is 8 now. Has never eaten meat. Couldn't possibly be healthier.8
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seventieslord wrote: »Kid is 8 now. Has never eaten meat. Couldn't possibly be healthier.
one of the most amazing bumps i have seen on MFP...
bettered only by the woman who didn't know why she was gaining weight, everyone asked was she pregnant, she was adamant that wasn't the case... and then posted baby pics a year later :laugh:11 -
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?0
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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....0 -
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!0 -
Definitely she needs meat, meat isn't a sin8
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Oops, missed the date.0
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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.1 -
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?2 -
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.1
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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.0
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Simple contact a Dietician ! We did for son they were able to use foods we eat as a family to toddler foods figure out a full menu to if vitamin drops or chocolate chews were needed . Which meal app to record check vitamins y amounts. They added toddler drinks like Enfamil Toddler to a meal.
20years before my son 2 had my Daughter when no Dieticians were available to me but Doctor was luckily a Vegetarian able to help map out her meals with weekly visits until we had it full proof. Back the. Could find healthier foods for some things ,but meat substitutes were more scarce. She became a raw fish only Pescatarian as she grew up,but started fully Vegetarian. Cooked meats don’t set well with her but freash lay caught raw fish she’s fine . Son is Vegetarian will see as he grows eats at school what will be will be. Daughter y him have meat sensitivity comes back up. It’s more trying new foods until they find what they like. Daughter the only tapioca lover even.
Bean cheese Quesadillas homemade
Peanut butter pancakes homemade
Special K cereal with almond milk
Pizza 🍕 cheese only
Cheese sandwich
Toast (wheat y rye only ones he likes)
Peanut butter sandwich
Etc etc etc just put in front see if it gets tossed back at you or not lol 😂.
Our floor gets a lot of rejects his diaper too y side of the booster seat. He hides his rejects after pretending to eat it. He’s horrible pretender hold it far away from his face makes noises...he makes believable noises but it’s hovering feet away from his face lol.0 -
JRsLateInLifeMom wrote: »Simple contact a Dietician ! We did for son they were able to use foods we eat as a family to toddler foods figure out a full menu to if vitamin drops or chocolate chews were needed . Which meal app to record check vitamins y amounts. They added toddler drinks like Enfamil Toddler to a meal.
20years before my son 2 had my Daughter when no Dieticians were available to me but Doctor was luckily a Vegetarian able to help map out her meals with weekly visits until we had it full proof. Back the. Could find healthier foods for some things ,but meat substitutes were more scarce. She became a raw fish only Pescatarian as she grew up,but started fully Vegetarian. Cooked meats don’t set well with her but freash lay caught raw fish she’s fine . Son is Vegetarian will see as he grows eats at school what will be will be. Daughter y him have meat sensitivity comes back up. It’s more trying new foods until they find what they like. Daughter the only tapioca lover even.
Bean cheese Quesadillas homemade
Peanut butter pancakes homemade
Special K cereal with almond milk
Pizza 🍕 cheese only
Cheese sandwich
Toast (wheat y rye only ones he likes)
Peanut butter sandwich
Etc etc etc just put in front see if it gets tossed back at you or not lol 😂.
Our floor gets a lot of rejects his diaper too y side of the booster seat. He hides his rejects after pretending to eat it. He’s horrible pretender hold it far away from his face makes noises...he makes believable noises but it’s hovering feet away from his face lol.
Fysa, the OP posted this 8 years ago.4 -
Oh goodness didn’t see that Thankyou. Why doesn’t MFP make old post uncommentable ? Would solve this issue . Came up in new posts area for me.0
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Legumes/beans are high in protein and could be a good source for you. I recommend Green Peas. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthiest-beans-legumes
Kale, Spinach and/or Broccoli which have good amounts of protein and other nutrients. They can easily be cooked or mixed with fruit or other veggies and made into easy to eat baby food. Nuts/Seeds are high in protein also, but you'll probably have to judge if your baby is ready for these in a blended form and only have them when home since it's not allowable at daycare. They do have nut powders out there that can be made into baby food consistency.1 -
** I'm raising my daughter vegan. She is 2 and thriving! She eats lots of lentils, beans, peas, nuts, tofu, lots of veggies have protein too.
If you look up how much protein we actually need it's not as much as people think. Also thing of the amount of large herbivorous animals that get all their protein from plant sources.
You are doing a great thing, ignore negative comments. Your child can thrive wonderfully on a veggie diet1 -
Ohhh and quinoa is amazing! My daughter has the apro growing up milk too. If you want to contact me at all I'm happy to give suggestions0
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/necrothreadplz1
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Also there is a great page on FB called vegan and vegetarian parents0
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justsummie wrote: »Diced avacado...my daughter loved it when she that age. Parents magazine also listed it as a "finger food" that they can learn to self-feed.
avocado have very little fat at all. it is mostly fat0 -
justsummie wrote: »Diced avacado...my daughter loved it when she that age. Parents magazine also listed it as a "finger food" that they can learn to self-feed.
avocado have very little fat protein at all. it is mostly fat
FIFY.
And yes, I would consider avocado a fat source rather than a protein source as well.0
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