Vegetarian diet for children: everyday life without fish and meat

Vegetarian diets: the differences

Not all vegetarians are the same. Depending on which foods are avoided, three groups are distinguished. Of course, besides these three classifications there are many other forms of diet.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians: Here meat and fish are avoided. Eggs and dairy products, however, are included in the diet.

Lacto-vegetarians: In this form of diet eggs are also excluded. Milk and dairy products like cheese or yogurt are, however, eaten.

Vegans: All animal products are avoided in this diet. This includes, in addition to eggs and milk, for example, honey.

Is a vegetarian diet healthy for my child?

Children need a balanced children's diet and enough variety, but not necessarily meat.

Researchers found in school studies that the blood values of vegetarian children, compared with children who regularly ate meat and fish, showed no deficiencies. In fact, they were even healthier on average, had less overweight and were less prone to diabetes.

How healthy is a vegan diet?

Some health experts recommend not feeding children a vegan diet because they assess the risk of deficiencies as very high. Others describe a vegan diet as exactly right for the human body.

If you switch to a vegan diet, a detailed nutritional consultation is worthwhile. Pay attention to a varied diet with the addition of supplements, such as Vitamin B12 or important omega-3 fatty acids. This also applies to vegan pregnant women who plan to breastfeed their child after birth.

Tip for female vegans: To avoid your child acquiring a possible nutrient deficiency through breast milk after birth, you could consider switching to a vegetarian diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

What should I consider when feeding children a vegetarian diet?

If certain foods are excluded from the diet, you should always ensure that no deficiency develops. Fresh vegetables and fruit provide essential nutrients that are important for the child's growth. These should at least once a day be on the menu.

It is also important that your child receives important trace elements that might be missing due to omitting fish and meat:

• Protein: The body has no storage for protein, which is especially important for muscle development. For this reason your child should eat protein-rich foods daily such as eggs, lentils or nuts eat.

• Iron & zinc: Iron is important for the blood and the distribution of oxygen in the body, while zinc is involved in important metabolic processes. To ensure that your child always has sufficient amounts of both trace elements, you can regularly legumes, oats, zucchini or spinach serve. The body can absorb iron best when vitamin C-rich foods at the same time are served. Examples include orange juice, an apple or a few pepper sticks.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Polyunsaturated fatty acids are particularly important for normal development of the retina and the brain in children. They are also an important component of all other nerve cells. Omega-3 fatty acids are mostly found in fish dishes, but also in flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil or chia seeds, that can easily be used in salad dressings or for cooking.

Daycare, nursery & co.: What happens if my child is given meat?

In your own kitchen you can easily decide what is served to your child. And you can even already cook your favorite dishes together cook with your children. But what happens if your child is given meat at daycare or while visiting friends?

Tip: Talk to the childcare, whether it is possible to prepare a vegetarian meal or allow your child to pick out the meat. You can also discuss this topic with friends and relatives.

When your child gets older, they should decide for themselves be allowed to decide whether it wants to eat meat or not. As with everything in life, it should at least have tried animal products once and be allowed to decide for itself how to eat.

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Mother and daughter are sitting at the table and eating tomato and cucumber sandwiches © pressmaster - stock.adobe.com