Your Vegetarian Baby
By Sofia Marendali
 My partner and I are vegetarian – almost-vegan,
mostly for health reasons. I stopped eating meat years ago because I didn’t
want to ingest all those growth hormones, antibiotics, and the rest of the
genetically-engineered stuff that most animals are being fed. And organic,
grass-fed meat was just too expensive for our budget. We began to feel so
much healthier not eating dairy or meat, and adopted it as a way of life.
When our daughter was born last year, the idea of
feeding her dairy and meat really bothered me. I had heard that many
pediatricians recommend that meat should be among the first solid foods your
baby is introduced to – at around the eighth or ninth month. So I was
nervous asking my doctor about it. Turns out she eats meat, but didn’t see
any reason why Sandi couldn’t be brought up vegetarian, especially since I
intend to breastfeed for at least a year – breast milk contains adequate
protein for the first year of a baby’s life. She pointed out that meat is
not a necessity in a baby’s or child’s diet; iron and protein are the
necessities.
It is possible for your child to thrive on a
vegetarian or even vegan diet, but you will have to plan carefully to ensure
what she eats is nutritionally adequate and varied.
Protein
There are two kinds of protein: complete and
incomplete. We require twenty essential Amino Acids; our bodies produce
eleven of them and we rely on food sources to get the others. A complete
protein is one that contains those nine other essential Amino Acids –
sources of these include meat, eggs, dairy, and nuts and seeds. Plant foods
such as legumes, grains, some vegetables and fruits, and grains are
considered to contain the incomplete proteins. If your child is eating a
variety of foods – and therefore different proteins – she will likely get
the right balance.
Soy products are also rich sources of protein, and
some vegans and vegetarians eat a lot of soy. However, there are some
major concerns about negative health
effects. And most soy is genetically modified. So I recommend staying
away from soy foods altogether and finding other ways to get quality
protein.
Iron
Your baby needs iron because it helps to make
hemoglobin, the red pigment in blood that carries oxygen from our lungs to
our organs and tissues. Babies have enough iron at birth, but their stores
begin to be depleted by six months of age. Good vegetarian sources of iron
include pulses, such as lentils and chick peas; dark green vegetables, such
as watercress, broccoli, spring greens, and okra; and iron-fortified bread
and cereals.
Vitamin C helps iron absorption, so your baby should
consume some fruit or vegetables. Juice also works, but whole fruit is a
healthier option.
Other Nutrients
Our bodies also need Vitamin B12, which is mostly
found in meat, fish, and dairy products, as well as in breast milk.
Vegetarian sources include some fortified breakfast cereals, yeast extract,
and hard cooked eggs.
Selenium is important for proper immune system
functioning. Nuts are good sources of selenium, so try offering your baby
some nut butters. If you’re worried about allergies, talk to your doctor
first, or try introducing one at a time; there is a line of thought that
early introduction of common allergens could help prevent allergies, so you
might want to research that. Other sources of selenium include bread and
eggs.
One last tip: Some vegetarian food may have too much
fiber and not enough calories for babies. So make sure your baby gets plenty
of energy-rich foods, such as avocado and hummus. My Sandi has loved both of
those right since she began to consume more than breast milk.
Sofia Marendali is the mother of Sandi
and the partner of Joseph. The family lives and works on a smallholding in
Oregon, USA. This article was first published in
Natural Child Magazine.
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