Planning meals
Dietitian Kate Di Prima, co-author of More Peas Please: Solutions for Feeding Fussy Eaters (Allen & Unwin), agrees that a vegetarian diet can be a nutritious way to go with kids.
However, she has a warning for anyone involved in meal preparation who may not be used to cooking vegetarian meals: “If you’re a family of meat eaters and suddenly your child announces they’re vegetarian, you can’t just give them the same meal as everyone else minus the meat because they won’t be getting the nutrition they need to grow.”
Do your research
There’s no avoiding it – carnivore mums and dads will need to do some research on what to feed their meat-refusing offspring, Di Prima says.
“Zinc, iron and protein are nutrients essential to growth and development – and animal products are a great way to get these into kids,” she explains.
“Giving them just a plate of vegies, or letting them eat cereal three times a day won’t meet their nutritional requirements. Parents are going to have to think about what they’re feeding their kids.”
There’s also the emotional aspect of dealing with a child who decides to become vegetarian, Di Prima acknowledges.
“In my 22 years of practice, I’ve seen many frustrated parents of vegetarian kids who can find it hard to accept their choice,” she says. “But I’ve also seen that because parents are generally the main provider of meals within the family, it’s important that mums and dads don’t fight their child’s choice but instead find ways to work with it and respect it.
“Talk to your child about their reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet, and also about how this choice comes with certain responsibilities to ensure they don’t miss out on vital nutrients,” she adds. “Then work with them on making a meal plan, using online resources or cookbooks to find tasty vegetarian recipes – there are lots of them.”
Getting the right nutrients
Meat may provide an easily absorbed source of protein, but other foods can work well as meat substitutes, including dairy products, eggs, grains, legumes, pulses and various soy foods such as tofu and tempeh (fermented soy).
Iron is another nutrient that parents need to ensure their vegetarian kids get enough of, because iron from plants is less easily absorbed than that from meat. Good vegetarian sources of iron include cereals fortified with iron, whole grains, legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables and dried fruits. Combining these with foods that are high in vitamin C will help aid iron absorption.
To ensure vegetarian children get enough zinc, Di Prima advises that parents include plenty of nuts, tofu, legumes, wheatgerm and wholegrain foods in their meals.
