Fat / Protein Sources for (mostly) Vegetarian & Possibly lactose intolerant Child

1040 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by veganwarrior1983, Feb 21, 2017

Adam Rauh

Discussion Starter · Dec 30, 2016

Some background -

We have a 2 year old who eats mostly vegetarian. He may only have a source of animal protein once a week (and that's usually if we are just home from work late and need to grab food on the way...or are visiting relatives - we don't buy animal proteins during normal grocery shopping).

He's on the skinny side as is (lower % weight), but so far we have seen no side affects insomuch as his weight or development is concerned.

Recently however (over the past 4-6 weeks) he seems to have pretty consistent issues with certain kinds of foods. The only common denominator so far we can think of is milk.

He used to drink milk a lot and eat a lot of cheese (and very much enjoyed these things). We were OK with this because it was a decent source of fat and protein, and since he doesn't eat meat...

Now however it seems whenever he has something heavy with milk (sauces, ice cream, milk itself, macaroni and cheese), he seems to constantly upchuck soon after. There are no lasting fevers, so pretty much after throwing up he's fine and running around, but we suspect he may be lactose intolerant so have made appointments with the GI to get tested and have started keeping a food journal.

So....

Considering that - his small stature/lean weight to begin with, mostly vegetarian diet, and now possible aversion to milk and most cheeses, we're wondering some of the best ways to get him the necessary fats and proteins without having to constantly feed him (i.e., making it seem like a chore to him).

We're considering coconut milks, oils, soy/tofu (as of yet he hasn't shown an aversion to that...), and various fortified foods, but just wondering if anyone else has had experience with this or had any suggestions.

Best,
Adam

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silva

· #2 · Dec 30, 2016

I can't really reply properly, but please reaseach vegan kids diets. We have a section on families with many threads dedicated to babies and toddlers.
Avocado, nut butters, all sorts of beans lentils tofu tempeh. Some processed foods like vegan sausages and burgers are fine.
Look into Indian veg cooking and Seventh Day Adventists.
You do supplemnt right? Like B12 for sure?
How about non dairy milks?

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David3

· #3 · Dec 30, 2016 (Edited)

As Silva said, avocado and nut butters are sources of healthy fats. However, whole nuts, chunks of nut butter, and some other foods are choking hazards for young children: http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/choking-hazard-safety

It sounds like you already know that vegetarian children have different nutritional needs than vegetarian teens and adults. Children should be fed a higher percentage of fat in their diets. Here is information from the Vegetarian Resource Group: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php

You might find it useful to make an appointment with a Registered Dietitian who specializes in pediatric nutrition and in vegetarian/vegan nutrition. In the United States, you can find a local Registered Dietitian through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website. Just click on the red "Find An Expert" button in the upper right of their webpage: http://www.eatright.org . From there, you can input the needed specialties, and your ZIP code, and you'll get a list of local RD's and RDN's.

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justoz

· #4 · Jan 17, 2017

Go on youtube and research VeganFamilyTV, that's a family with a 5 and 11 year old, all of them are vegan, the 5 year old since birth. The kids also have a channel on youtube called funsisters, they all show what they eat (half the videos are just what they eat in a day). The parents are fit and lean "athlete" types, they were marathon runners and body builders now.

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Thalassa

· #5 · Jan 17, 2017

Bite Size Vegan has a series on vegan children. Brown Vegan has two or three vegan children. Start there and research people who know, though I would suggest general things like nut butter, nuts, soy milk, olive oil or Earth Balance on whole grain pasta, beans or lentils, Clif or Luna bars (I've seen more than one vegan parent give these to their small children), avacado, hummus, and on kids menus in vegan restaurants I see a lot of finger foods like steamed broccoli florets with vegan chkn nuggets, or vegan mac n cheez, essentially what you see on American omni menus. Just veganized. I do know that the WIC program for vegetarian and vegan children always has soy milk because it has the highest protein, as well as beans and peanut butter.

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veganwarrior1983

· #6 · Feb 21, 2017

I replaced protein powder with Spiralina which has more protein per gram than any substance known to man (or woman) lol

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