Toddler Nutrition

[tturner224]

We went Plant Based when my son was about 8 months old. At that time, we switched him from cows milk formula to the hypoallergenic formula as my wife couldn't breastfeed.

Around 11 months we starting introducing plant based milk eventually settling on unsweetened hemp. Now that he is 13 months he eats organic plant baby food mixed with cereal(fortified oat cereal) and a variety of whole veggies and fruits. He also snacks on fortified cereals (regular cheerios) and organic graham crackers. I mix in a few teaspoons of flax meal in his morning and evening meals for omega 3's. He also drinks hemp milk with his lunch and right before bed.

I want to make sure he is getting everything he needs. I keep hearing and reading about how babies need "healthy fats". I guess I'm worried because I don't know if we are giving him enough fat in his diet. Does Dr. McDougall have a lecture or article about this topic. I know we are doing the right thing for him in the long run but I don't want to affect his development because we overlooked something early on. Do plant based children need supplements beyond B12 (which I think he is getting from fortified foods)? I've seen vegan DHA supplements at the health food store, are they helpfull/necessary?

[Trinity]

It sounds like your son is off to an awesome start! In one of the cookbooks Mary says that if dinner for kids consists of a starch, a fruit, and a vegetable, that is all you need. It's fine to give children high-fat foods, like avocado (if they like it) and nut butters, but not necessary. I have had the same worries and have probably read about every related article and post on this website, and this is the conclusion I've come to

[TaiPan]

I've read -and don't remember source- that vegan algae omega-3 supplements are made from gmo algae, thus not a good supplement. I guess that the only necessary supplementis B-12 and there's another discussion thread on that topic.

My girl is 16 months and loves lentils with Swiss chard, corn, peas, and string beans. She also loves baked cauliflower with curry. Good luck!

[ceekaye]

This just came in from VegSource yesterday:

Excess omega-3 fatty acids could lead to negative health effects

Omega-3 supplements -- fugetaboutit. Here is a new review which found omega-3 supplementation may cause bad outcomes, and compromise one's immune system function. Your body is optimized to run on food, not pills. Anytime you start taking supplements you increase the risk of unintended consequences. We saw it with Vitamin A...now it looks like omega-3 isn't what everyone had hoped. If you are taking DHA or other omega-3 supplements, why take a potentially risky supplement for a wholly theoretical and unproven benefit? There is no proven benefit to supplementing with Omega-3, but there is a gathering amount of evidence that you could be increasing your risk of cancer and other problems by taking these pills. People get scared into taking Omega-3 by Omega-3 pill sellers for a "just in case" benefit...when instead they should probably be afraid of taking pills not proven safe.

[Lasko77]

HI,

I have a 2.5 year old and he loves the McDougall style of eating. He loves potatoes, rice, pasta, sprouted breads, millet etc.... If it's a starch he will eat it. That being said, I certainly don't shy away from fat with him. He is a slim toddler and I give him nut butters, seeds, avocado, and even some oils. He doesn't like nut butters (can you believe it!) and he doesn't like seed butters! Crazy kid. Sometimes I grind raw pumpkin seeds and add them to things like pancakes and yogurts. They are high in iron and good fats. I just trust my instinct on this one and feel better giving him fats. Though he prefers starches. Which proves to me, humans are starch eaters.

[blueberries]

I would not count on fortified foods for B12. B12 deficiency can be devastating, especially in children.

As for DHA, keep in mind that breast milk has DHA naturally, and ideally human children would be nursing a minimum of two years in addition to complementary foods. So maybe there is a good argument for DHA for toddlers that are no longer breastfeeding.

I don't worry too much about fats for my nursing toddlers, but neither do I think they need to be on a very low fat diet. I think Dr. McDougall's article about fats in children says as much.

[Joseph65]

Toddlers need a minimum of 1000 calories a day and the range runs to 1400. What might be a problem with a low density vegan diet for a toddler is the size of their stomach. Can a child get in an average of 1200 calories a day while eating mostly greens and starches? More importantly are they getting enough nutrients with that tiny stomach? I would be watching their calorie intake and making sure they're getting enough good plant fat to make up for what they don't get in breast milk. The same goes for the nutrient content. The last thing you want to happen is not giving them enough calories and nutrients to grow a healthy brain and body.