Lots of babies change percentiles, it’s just when they do so rapidly that you worry.

My son, for example was at like the 120th percentile or more for weight at 4 months. And he I think is down around 95 now. Which is a good thing ;) (Maybe). Sometimes I worry about his lack of weight gain but he's happy and healthy.

· “Normal” Diet

· Protein

· Zinc

· Iron

· B12

· Calcium

· Leafy Greens

· Soy

· Links

· References

Normal Diet

The things that toddlers commonly lack are protein, zinc, and iron. Now that's "normal" toddlers who are fed a "normal diet" of mostly over processed grains. For most "normal" people I encourage meat -because let’s face it they are familiar with it, and know where to buy it and how to prepare it.

I’m not saying it is any harder to get proper nutrition as a vegan, I’m saying most of us could pay a lot more attention to our diets.

I do suggest that all parents limit grains to a reasonable amount. Many of the enzymes needed to digest grains don’t reach “normal”(adult?) levels until around 28 months[i] when the molars erupt (not the 1 year “molars” which are actually pre-molars). Also even whole grains aren’t generally the most nutrient dense foods, and they are waaaaaay too easy. It’s so much easier to hand a kid some crackers than some fresh fruit that you have to wash, cut up and then deal with the sticky mess.

Also leafy green veggies; I have yet to see a nutritional problem that can’t be fixed with those. They have calcium, iron, vitamin K, etc, etc; except maybe B12 and “vitamin” D. If you puree them with berries in smoothie even most picky eaters will eat them.

Protein

Protein is easy, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what has protein in it. Just a few notes:

· you can puree lentils and put them in muffins ;-) I think in place of the fat like you can substitute all or some of the fat for applesauce. Not that you need to limit fat but it’s easier to substitute than create your own recipe (for some people)

· Green peas. People seriously underestimate the nutrient value including how much protein these little guys have. And they are so easy just run some frozen peas under hot water from the tap and serve

· Nuts and seeds. If you child doesn’t have a history of allergies there is probably very little point to withholding these. There is very little evidence that withholding them prevents allergies in low risk infants. Most guidelines are based in studies of babies born with a parent with a severe nut allergy. On the other hand more studies are done on high-risk kids rather than “average” kids. Sesame seeds are one of the top 9 allergens that people seem unaware of so they don’t think twice about offering them (or soy, milk, or wheat which are on the list too). But sesame seeds and an incredibly rich source of calcium, particularly if you grind them (tahini).

Zinc

http://home.bluegrass.net/~jclark/source_foods.htm

Brown rice, whole wheat bread, lentils, oatmeal, baked potato, lima beans, beans, rye, green peas

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/#food_source

Cashews, almonds, peanuts, baked beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/zinc.html

Dietary Sources

Zinc is present in a wide variety of foods, particularly in association with protein foods. A vegetarian diet often contains less zinc than a meat based diet and so it is important for vegetarians to eat plenty of foods that are rich in this vital mineral.

Good sources for vegetarians include dairy products, beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals. Pumpkin seeds provide one of the most concentrated vegetarian food sources of zinc.

Only 20% of the zinc present in the diet is actually absorbed by the body. Dietary fibre and phytic acid, found in bran, wholegrain cereals, pulses and nuts, inhibit zinc absorption. Phytic acid forms a highly insoluble complex with zinc which the body cannot absorb. Cooking processes can reduce the adverse effects of both phytic acid and dietary fibre on zinc absorption. Baking can destroy over half the phytic acid in wholemeal bread. Zinc deficiency occurs where a large part of the diet consists of unleavened bread, such as Iran and other Middle East countries. High levels of the toxic mineral cadmium can also prevent zinc absorption because these two minerals compete for absorption. Conversely high levels of zinc in the diet can prevent the absorption of cadmium. Various chemicals added to many processed foods can also reduce zinc absorption eg phosphates, EDTA. A deficiency of zinc in the diet means zinc absorption is improved.

http://www.keepthedoctoraway.co.uk/Articles/LovelifeZinc_8.html

Zinc Rich Fruit & Vegetables

High zinc vegetables include avocado, olives, squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, onion, artichoke, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, radish and peas. Zinc rich fruit includes blackberries, kiwi fruit, strawberries, bananas and peaches. Eat at least one large salad based meal a day, topped with some fish, meat or cheese and your well on your way to a zinc-full diet.

Nuts & Seeds

All nuts and seeds have some zinc in them but pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashew, pine nuts, brazil nuts, almonds and walnuts contain greater amounts. Dry-fry them over a medium heat (also known as toasting) and sprinkle over salads, porridge and roast vegetables, or use to coat chicken breasts or salmon fillets before cooking.

Pulses

Lima beans, soya beans (including tofu products), chickpeas (including hummus and falafel), kidney beans and even baked beans are high in zinc so eat in abundance, although it might be wise to leave them off the menu on Valentine's Day!

http://www.caaws.ca/girlsatplay/experts/nutritionist/vegetarian/vege_why.htm

http://www.pcchu.peterborough.on.ca/images/vegetarianpregnancy.pdf

http://www.action.web.ca/home/nutritio/attach/vegetarian-pregnancy.PDF

Iron

One of the easiest ways to get more iron is to cook with cast-iron cookware; particularly acidic foods. There are of course tones of iron rich veggies like any leafy greens. Many grains and beans have iron too. You can toast iron in cast iron to increase the iron. Also if you are really concerned you might consider cooking the iron rich veggies or beans with a little meat or meat broth. Heme iron is said to help the body absorb non-heme iron. Obviously that’s up to you though.

You also need vitamin C to absorb iron. I’m sure you know what has vitamin C ;-)

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/anemia-gone.html

B12

One thing I just want to mention is B12, I hear vegans have trouble getting enough, then I hear that they don’t because bacteria in the intestines make it, etc–I do not know the truth of this. I’m also not sold on the whole DHA thing, here’s a review: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/DHA-mother.html . But it is something you might look into.

Overview

· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12

· http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp

· http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html

Vegans Need B12

· http://www.beyondveg.com/walsh-s/vitamin-b12/vegans-1.shtml

· http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm

· http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/04/02/vegetarian-myths.aspx (Please note that mercola is not necessarily a reliable source)

· http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/often

· http://www.fruitnut.net/HTML/201_Article_B12.htm

B12 Deficiency is a “Myth”

· http://www.living-foods.com/articles/b12issue.html

· http://www.stumbleupon.com/url/michaelbluejay.com/veg/myths.html

· http://www.all-creatures.org/mhvs/nl-2005-wi-b12.html

· http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

So umm I’m still confused, you?

Calcium

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/calcium/a/06_calcium_food.htm

This one is really good:

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/calcium.html

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC4018.htm

Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens seem to be the key to everything, but don’t forget they include herbs which are even richer in nutrients than other greens. So a tablespoon of thyme, or dill etc can go a long way. Tabbouleh is amazing for you

Soy

Personally I believe that large quantities of soy are very bad for humans, and very bad for the environment. Farmers who “choose” not to be bought out by soy farms and instead stay beside them face high levels of miscarriages and birth defects both in livestock and humans, they also complain of a myriad of other health problems. Sadly when food is grown in 3^rd world countries there is very little control over what pesticides and fertilizers are used.

Soy is also in almost every single processed food out there –it’s really gross. And let’s face it most of us eat premade bread, cereal, crackers, etc.

In places where they eat soy they tend to eat it in small quantities AND most of it tends to be fermented.

Israel and France have released guidelines on limiting soy for children, but they are hard to find in English from a reliable source.

http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/125/1/Soy-Unsafe-for-Children

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYP/is_6_110/ai_89427988

http://www.aquarianonline.com/Wellness/soy2.html

http://www.life.ca/nl/101/soy.html

http://reliableanswers.com/med/soy.asp

http://www.mothering.com/sections/news_bulletins/august2005.html

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/vegetarian.html