Ask The Expert - Getting Complete Nutrition on a Vegetarian Diet

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

This week, Registered Dietitian Preethi Rahul explains how you can ensure a complete nutrition for your child on a vegetarian diet.

Preethi Rahul

Registered Dietitian, Diploma in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, Graduation in Nutrition, Food Service Management and Dietetics.
Two years of rich experience in the field of nutrition, currently working with a Multinational Corporation
Expertise in the field of Child nutrition and Diabetes
LinkedIn Profile
Contact: via email

Question: My child is on a 100% vegetarian diet. How do I ensure he gets a complete nutrition?

Answer:

Many people globally are certainly getting converted as vegetarians because of the many virtues a vegetarian diet has.

A vegetarian diet by itself is balanced as it has the cereals and sugars that provide the carbohydrates; pulses, milk and milk products that provide the proteins; Vegetables and fruits that provide the vitamins and minerals; Oil, ghee and butter that provide the fats. However, it is important that you give a balanced vegetarian diet to your child which on average, for a 4 – 9 year old child, would be around:

*1 serving is 30 g raw weight
*1 glass is 150 ml
*1 cup is 100 g

However the quality of vegetarian proteins is lesser than that of the non vegetarian sources. Thus, as a parent you need to ensure that you give good quality vegetarian proteins to your child. In order to improve the protein quality you can also make cereal-pulse combination recipes like Idlis, dhoklas, khichdi etc. Sources of good quality vegetarian proteins are soya, tofu, milk, curd, skimmed milk powder, paneer (cottage cheese), lentils, sprouts etc.

Highlight of a vegetarian diet are the vegetables and fruits! They make the food preparations colorful which is very essential for a child. Children love color and variety in their food. Vegetables and fruits contain vitamins and minerals which are needed in small amounts but have very specific actions in the system. For E.g. Vitamin D is needed for bone development; iron is needed for hemoglobin formation. This group also contains fibers- both soluble and insoluble that are needed to improve the bowel health, keep the digestive system healthy and functioning properly.

A colorful diet not only looks good on your plate but also provides all the necessary nutrients that help the body in its growth. For eg: Anthocyanines that cause the purple color regulate the blood circulation; They are richly present in berries. Quercetin that causes yellow color as well as anthocyanines helps to maintain good health of the retina. They are present in corn, apples and leafy vegetables such as spinach. The antioxidant Beta Cyanine present in beets causes the scarlet color in vegetables.

Thus, by having a vegetarian diet your child is getting a complete and a balanced nutrition and has a lesser chance of getting long-term health problems.

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Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

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