VegetInfant.pdf

7/27/2019 VegetInfant.pdf

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Is a vegetarian diet suitableor inants and children?

A vegan diet is not recommended or

inants and young children. With good

planning, other vegetarian diets canmeet your childs nutrition needs.

Children are more likely to meet

their nutrient needs and grow

well on a vegetarian diet that

includes milk, cheese and eggs.

Children eating a vegetarian diet

may have diculty getting enough

o some nutrients. The chart below

provides examples o ood sources or

these nutrients.

Feeding yourvegetarianchild

What is a vegetarian diet?There are dierent types o vegetarian diets:

Semi-vegetariansAvoid meat but include sh, poultry,

milk products and eggs.Lacto-ovo vegetariansAvoid meat, sh and poultry but

include milk products and eggs

in their diet.

Lacto-vegetariansAvoid meat, sh, poultry and

eggs but include milk products

in their diet.

Vegans

Avoid all animal products includingmeat, sh, poultry, milk products and eggs.

Nutrient Vegetarian ood sources

Protein Legumes (dried beans, peas, lentils), peanuts/peanut butter*, other nuts and seeds*, hummus, soybeansand soy products (tou), cows milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs see the back page o this resource or important

inormation about protein.

Calcium Cows milk or ortied soy beverage, tou with calcium sulphate, yogurt, cheese, dark green vegetables*(e.g., broccoli, cooked spinach and kale, bok choy), calcium enriched orange juice, salmon or sardines

with bones, almonds*

Vitamin D Cows milk, ortied soy beverages, margarine, egg yolk, atty sh e.g. salmon

Iron Whole grain or enriched cereals, breads and pastas, legumes, nuts*, tou (serve oodrich in vitamin C at the same time to help the body use the iron in these oods.)

Zinc Eggs, whole grains, tou, nuts*, legumes, milk, yogurt, cheese

Vitamin B12 Eggs, cows milk, cheese, yogurt. Talk to your health care provider abouta vitamin B12 supplement i your child does not eat any animal products.

Ribofavin Cows milk, bread products, ortied cereals

*Do not serve whole nuts, seeds, hard raw vegetables or fsh with bones to children under our years old due to risk o choking.


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Feeding your vegetarianbaby (612 months)Breast milk should still be the main source o nutrition or your

baby. Breasteeding is recommended until your baby is two

years o age or older.

At six months o age, most babies

are ready or solid oods and

need the extra iron that

solid ood can provide.

Vegetarian babies are

introduced to solid oods

the same way as other

babies. Typical rst solid

oods would include iron

ortied inant cereal, tou,

pureed well cooked legumes,

vegetables and ruits.

For inormation about eeding your baby and theintroduction o solids, see the resource TeddyBears Picnic.

It is recommended that babies be ed only breast milk or the frst six months o lie, withthe addition o nutrient-rich solid oods at six months and continued breasteeding or up

to two years and beyond (World Health Organization, 2002; Health Canada, 2004).

Feeding your vegetarianbaby (06 months)Breasteeding is the natural way to eed babies, providing

many benets or both baby and mother. Breast milk is all

your baby needs or proper growth and development or the

rst six months o lie.*

I unable to eed only breast milk to your baby, talk to your

health care provider about articial baby milk (ormula) or

your baby.

*It is recommended that all breasted, healthy term inants

in Canada receive a daily vitamin D supplement o 400 IU

(Health Canada, 2012).

For more inormation abouteeding your baby, callRegion o WaterlooPublic Heath to talkwith a Public HealthNurse at 519-575-4400(TTY 519-575-4608).

Eating or vegetarian,breasteeding momsEat a healthy diet by ollowing the recommendations in

Eating Well with Canadas Food Guide. Breasteeding

women need more calories and should include an extra two

or three Canadas Food Guide servings each day. (www.

healthcanada.gc.ca/oodguide.)

Vegetarian women who are breasteeding need totake special care:

Eat iron rich oods every day

Eat vegetables and ruits rich in vitamin C to helpuse the iron in oods

Vitamin B12 is only ound in oods that come rom

animals. Check with your health care provider

to determine i you need to take a vitamin B12

supplement

Drink plenty o healthy fuids like water, milk,

ortied soy or rice beverages

Take a multivitamin containing 0.4 mg o olic

acid everyday

When can I give my babycows milk or vegetarianbeverages?Pasteurized whole (3.25% MF) cows milk can be introduced

between nine and twelve months o age, once

your baby is eating a wide variety o oods

rom the our ood groups o Canadas

Food Guide.

Low at milk (skim, 1% or 2%) and

vegetarian beverages (soy, rice or nut

milks) are not recommended or children lessthan two years o age because they do

not provide enough energy and some

nutrients in the amounts needed

or proper growth. Ater the age

o two, a healthy child can enjoy

the same milk or ortied soy

beverage as the rest o the

amily. Rice and nut milks are not

suitable or growing children.


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I you are not planning to give cows milk to your child, continue to give

breast milk until your child is at least two years o age.

Feeding your vegetariantoddler (1224 months)Food begins to replace milk as the main source o nutrients or

children in the second year o lie. Oer your toddler a variety

o oods rom the our ood

groups o Canadas Food

Guide every day.Vegetarian sources

o protein may be

given instead o

meat, sh and

poultry (see

chart on the

rst page or

vegetarian ood

choices o protein).

For inormation

about eeding yourtoddler see the resource TeddyBear Toddlers.

Tips or happy mealtimes It is your jobto provide healthy oods at regularly

scheduled meals and snacks

It is your childs jobto decide whether or not to eat

and how much to eat

Serve small portions o ood. Oer more i your child

is still hungry

Serve new ood along with amiliar ood. It may

take many tries beore your child will taste a new

ood. Dont pressure your child to eat

Feeding vegetarian children(2 years old and up)Children aged two years and older can get the nutrients and

energy they need by ollowing Canadas Food Guide(www.healthcanada.gc.ca/oodguide)

Look or the suggested total amount o ood to oer your

child rom the our ood groups according to your childs age

Choose oods rom each o the our ood groups every day

Simple meal planning

Meals should include a variety o oods rom all o the

our ood groups

Try to include oods rom at least

two ood groups or snacks

Choose oods rich in the

nutrients your vegetarian

child may have diculty

getting enough o (see rst

page) Choose your vegetarian

oods wisely, to provide

complete protein (see back page)

This resource is not a detailed guide to eeding children.Please use it along with the suggested eeding guides which may beordered rom the Public Health Resource Centre at 519-575-4400 orgo to www.regionowaterloo.ca/phrc

Breasteeding Your Baby

Teddy Bears Picnic Your guide to introducing solid oods to your baby

Teddy Bear Toddlers Guide to eeding children ages 1236 months

Eating Well with Canadas Food Guide Guide to eeding those two years o age and older

Make mealtime a pleasant amily time; eat at a table

together. Turn o the TV

Encourage your child to be active between meals and

snacks so your child comes to the table hungry and

ready to eat

To talk with a Registered Dietitian about eedingchildren, call EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102 orgo to www.eatrightontario.ca


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Proteins are needed to build muscle and other tissues

and are made o building blocks called amino acids. Some

amino acids are made in our body while others we can

only get rom ood. These are called essential amino acids.

All plant proteins are missing or are low in one or more

o these essential amino acids. It is best to combine plantoods to make a complete protein with all the essential

amino acids.

Oer a combination o plant oods every day, so yourchilds body will get all o the amino acids it needs.

1. Grains + legumes

2. Legumes + nuts or seeds

3. Combining any o these

plant proteins with some

animal protein (such as

dairy products or eggs)

always provides a completeprotein.

Sample menu or children over two years o age

Getting the most rom plant proteins

Breakast Morning snack Lunch Aternoon snack Dinner

Hot or cold cereal +

milk or ortied soy

beverage + toast with

peanut butter + ruit or

ruit juice

Hummus + toasted pita

wedges + carrot sticks

(or grated carrot) +

water

Cheese sandwich with

whole grain bread +

lentil soup + milk or

ortied soy beverage

+ ruit

Raisin bread + orange

slices + water

Pasta with tomato/

vegetable sauce +

bean salad + yogurt

with ruit + milk or

ortied soy beverage

Grains Legumes Nuts and seeds*

Barley Kidney beans Almonds

Corn Chick peas Cashews

Oats Lentils Chesnuts

Rice Split peas Coconuts

Rye Peanuts* Pecans

Wheat Pinto beans Pumpkin seeds

Buckwheat Soybeans (tou) Sesame seeds

Tricale Fava beans Sunfower seeds

Wheat germ Soy beverage

*Nuts, seeds, or peanuts can be a choking hazard do not giveto children under our years o age.

Distributed by Region o Waterloo Public Health

Revised September 2013

For more inormation contact:Region o Waterloo Public Health

519-575-4400 (TTY: 519-575-4608)

www.regionowaterloo.ca/ph

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VegetInfant.pdf