Introduction
Childhood
nutrition has a significant influence on health and development throughout
life. As children grow, their nutritional needs are much greater than those
of adults and the consequences of a poor diet will be long lasting. A good
diet will protect against everyday illness and ensure the development of
strong bones and teeth, firm muscles and healthy tissues.
Choosing to bring up your child
as a vegetarian is a positive step towards a healthy and morally sound
diet for your child. Nutritional research has shown that a vegetarian
diet can provide all the nutrients necessary for a child's growth and
development. Well-informed dietitians, doctors and other health professionals
now accept that vegetarianism is a healthy option for infants and children
of all ages.
The Pre-School
Child (Age 1-5)
The pre-school child, whether vegetarian
or not, is almost totally dependent on others for its food. The
eating habits of parents and other carers will be the ones that
the child imitates and acquires. Some pre-school children are naturally
sensitive to the use of animals for food and occasionally refuse
all meats even if their parents aren't vegetarian.
Whether vegetarian or not, it
is vital that children have a well balanced diet. This is particularly
important during the pre-school years, as this is a time of rapid growth
and development. The nutrients to particularly watch are calcium, iron,
zinc, protein, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
Children should be offered a
variety of foods which they can enjoy and should not be forced to eat
anything if they are determined to resist. Food and eating should not
be allowed to become an issue as children can be very fussy at this
age.
Good eating habits should begin
now, as likes and dislikes will be influenced by what is offered in
these early years. High fibre, low fat diets, recommended for adults,
are not suitable for children of this age, as explained below. The
emphasis should be on family eating habits that are healthy and sensible.
Foods containing a lot of sugar and salt should be avoided.
As they are growing very rapidly,
young children need a lot of dietary energy (calories) relative to
their small size. A diet that is too high in fibre or very low in fat
will not provide sufficient concentrated energy or nutrients. Frequent
meals containing food of relatively high nutrient and energy density
are important, although young children often have marked fluctuations
in appetite.
Nutritious snacks between meals
will help ensure that enough food is eaten. Try and avoid shop-bought
sweets, biscuits and cakes, sweetened fizzy drinks and salty snacks
such as crisps. Offer sandwiches, fruit, scone or malt bread and home-made
cake or biscuit instead. Sweets given occasionally as a special treat
will not do any harm.
Unless your child
is prone to being overweight you can try to increase the energy density
of foods.
Vegetable oil can be added to foods like mashed lentils or beans.
Include nut and seed purées such as tahini and smooth peanut
butter, cheese, yoghurt, soya products, such as tofu and veggieburgers,
and
if liked, avocado. Try to include as wide a variety of foods as possible,
bearing in mind that children may be fussy or find some foods too
strong in taste. Consumption of fresh, frozen or juiced fruit and
vegetables
should be encouraged.
Assessment of a child's growth
should be made over a period of time, as growth at this age is often
very uneven and interspersed with sudden increases in height and weight.
 Sugar
and teeth
Children naturally like the
taste of sugar and sweet foods. Though sugary foods do provide calories,
they have little else of nutritional value and are a major cause of
tooth decay. Whilst it may not be practical to ban sugar altogether,
it should be limited. It is better to discourage the development of
a sweet tooth now. A small amount of sugar with otherwise healthy desserts
such as yoghurt, soya puddings and rice pudding is fine and better
than using artificial additives for sweetness.
Milk
Children under two should not
be given semi-skimmed milk and children under five should not be given
skimmed milk because it lacks the fat soluble vitamins A and D. Young
children also need the energy from fat. Soya
milks should be fortified with calcium, vitamin
B12 and vitamin D if used as an alternative to cow's milk for young
children.
Salt
Salt should be avoided in the
diet of young children as their kidneys are not mature enough to cope
with large amounts. Many common foods such as cheese, manufactured
soup, packet meals and bread are quite high in added salt. Avoid too
many salty snacks, such as crisps and other snack foods. Spread yeast
extract thinly or use the low salt varieties.
Nuts
Whole nuts and
seeds must be avoided until the age of five as young children can
easily choke on
them. Ground or puréed nuts and seeds are fine and nutritious,
for example smooth peanut butter, tahini (sesame seed paste) or ground
almonds.
Planning Diets/Menus
Daily
Servings: one to five years
Vegetables: 2
servings, preferably including leafy dark green vegetables each day.
Fruit: 1-3
servings, with dried fruit every few days or more.
Grains/cereals: 4-5
servings, including wholegrain bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals
(and potatoes).
Pulses,
Nuts and Seeds: 1-2 servings, including nut butters, tahini (sesame
seed paste), lentils, mashed beans.
Dairy
or Soya: 3 servings, including milk, cheese, hard-boiled free
range eggs, yoghurt, fortified soya milk, tofu.
A serving will range from half
a slice of bread to a few tablespoons of a vegetable. The above should
be used as a guide and need not be followed rigidly each day.
Even with the help of this information
sheet and the growing scientific evidence that a vegetarian diet is
a healthy option, you may experience resistance from health professionals,
family or friends about bringing up your child as a vegetarian. Contact The
Vegetarian Society for help in solving any problems or answering
your questions.
Next
Page: Vegetarian Nutrition for Children Part 2 - The School
Age Child (Age 5-12)
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