How do I ensure proper nutrition in vegetarian-leaning dd?

[HappyGrace]

Dd (almost 9) is really gagging over meat-she has never loved the texture, fat, etc., but now is really not able to eat it. It's definitely not a discipline issue-she is very compliant in most things and a good eater. We've been cutting meat way back anyway since dh's heart attack a year ago, and dd was tested and found to have high cholesterol even though she's always eaten an organic and very healthy diet-it's totally hereditary.

 

Our diet is very clean already-organic, no preservatives/colorings/processed foods, whole grains, homemade wheat bread, yogurt, we drink green smoothies made with kale/spinach/fruit, etc.

 

I'm just very concerned about her (and the rest of the family, actually) getting a well-balanced diet, especially meeting protein needs in growing children, without meat sources (we do have dairy). I also have heard there are some things missing in vegetarian diets that you need to make sure to supplement, but I'm not sure what they are! Can anyone point me to a website or give me some insight in how to make sure we're getting all the nutrients we need? Thanks!

[AmyB]

Iron, calcium and B-12 are the minerals and vitamins to watch. If she is a strict vegetarian, she needs to find some source of B-12. Vegetarians end up eating vastly more fruits and vegetables than other people, to make up the calories.

 

Dd is an athlete and she has to record everything that goes into her body, every cup of water. She has a daily target chart for food and exercise that she fills out, and I picked up on the idea too. Here is the diet part of mine. Obviously, you can eat more than this, and I usually do eat considerably more f and v than charted here.

 

F and V- 7 small or 2 large 1 2 3 4 5 6 7c (citrus)

greens- 100 g or 1/2 package 1

carrots- 2 small or 1 medium 1 2

B-12 (I take it as a pill once a week)

 

calcium- 1500 mg (you get so that you know how much calcium is absorbed from certain foods, so I usually end up taking one 500 mg calcium tablet per day)

 

iron-

flax seed- 1 1/2 T

sun

Brazil nuts- 2 (selenium)

water- 8 c

[GreenKitty]

I am a vegetarian along with my dds. We don't take any supplements. If things call for hamb meat we substitute for refried beans, we eat breads, pastas, fruits, veggies, soy products, rice milk, pretty much everything anyone else would except meat. There are several varieties of veg-meat products available now. We've never had any dietairy problems, so maybe I'm not much help.

[Jenny in Florida]

The only supplement any of us takes is the protein/vitamin powder I mix into my son's smoothies most mornings. My daughter won't touch the stuff.

 

Otherwise, they don't even take vitamins regularly, don't eat all organic or nearly as "cleanly" as a lot of folks here . . . and are extremely healthy.

 

Honestly, as I understand it, most of us have a highly inflated vision of how much protein is actually necessary, and most Americans take in much more protein than we need or can even use.

 

I just did some research on this to refresh my memory when chatting in another thread. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45688&highlight=gurus ] Protein needs are dependent primarily on age, weight and activity level. So, an adult with a fairly normal lifestyle (not an athelete, in other words) needs .8 grans of protein daily per kilogram of body weight. That works out to about 45 grams for a woman who weighs 125 pounds.

 

The recommendation for kids under the age of 14 is a bit higher, about .95 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For my kids, that works out to about 50 grams per day for my daughter and 39 grams per day for my son.

 

It sounds like a lot, but, especially if your daughter is eating dairy, it's really not hard to do. I got curious after being involved in that other thread and counted up the protein in my kids' breakfasts yesterday. As I said in that thread, that pretty average breakfast provided them with 40-65% of their protein needs for the day.

 

It just doesn't need to be all that hard.

 

Oh, and if your daughter eats dairy, you shouldn't even have to worry about B12. That's really a possible concern only for people like us who avoid all animal products. And we solve it very simply by drinking a fortified soy milk.

[lighthouseacademy]

We are essentially vegan. We eat RARE fish. I have a daughter allergic to eggs, dairy, and meat and I don't eat chicken either. The pediatrician was amazed the last time I was in to see her how healthy they are. My older two are small but then again, so am I. My baby is tall and lean but still very healthy. We don't supplement more than the occasional herbal whole food based multi-vitamin or calcium. I don't do vitamin pills or other synthetic vitamins. We also don't do a B-12 supplement. We do use Nutritional Yeast (Red Star brand) which is grown on molasses and has plenty of B-12. My kids can and do eat it straight sometimes. We put it on popcorn, veggies, rice, whatever we want. As for the protein, ALL foods have protein. We don't need that much- truly 10-20% of our calories from protein is more than sufficient and in most cases the lower end is healthier. Beans are loaded with protein. Whole grains are also loaded with protein. Quinoa is an amazing source of protein. Even my nutritional yeast is loaded with protein.

[HappyGrace]

I guess I had missed that other thread about vegetarian kids-thanks for linking. Keep any other ideas coming! And thanks!

[sagira]

I would say your dc is ahead of the curve, nutritionally speaking. With whole grains and eggs, milk and yoghurt you should be fine :)