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Vegetarian Advice: Going Vegetarian With 4 Yr OldQuestion: ...will he be getting everything he needs on a vegetarian diet, and what to expect while we're all going vegetarian?My wife and I have both decided to change our lifestyle and go vegetarian. Our main issue is our 4 year old son. We ate healthy before we decided to stop eating meat all together. I guess our concern now is will he be getting everything he needs on a vegetarian diet, and what to expect while we're all going vegetarian. Any advice will be greatly apppreciated. - R.W. 
Savvy Vegetarian AdviceDear R.W., For the first part of your question, will he be getting everything he needs on a vegetarian diet, the answer is yes, depending on several factors. You already have a healthy diet. If you are ovo-lacto vegetarians, if he has no food allergies or sensitivities, and if he's a 'good eater', he should easily get enough protein, Vit B12, and other essential nutrients on a vegetarian diet. If you are vegan, there's more of a challenge in his going vegetarian, and I recommend that you not jump straight into a vegan diet for your four year old. Those are all big ifs. Whatever the variables, if you don't already, I would consider giving him a kids daily vitamin. Rainbow Light makes an excellent chewable one. For the second part of your question, what to expect while you're all going vegetarian, the answer is to expect the vegetarian transition to take much longer than you would think, and expect that there could be some going back and forth between vegetarian and non-veg, for all of you. Don't expect your four year old to just get with the program and be happily vegetarian for the rest of his life. That could happen, in which case, congratulations on your saintly child! My experience with four year olds is that they are distinctly individual, and have formed definite opinions about what they want to eat. Ultimately, it will be up to him whether he goes vegetarian for the rest of his life - don't make it an issue in your relationship. Take it slow and easy in introducing new foods. Make it fun, get him involved in food prep, shopping, meal planning, and encourage his cooperation by giving him choices and rewards. When it's easy and welcomed by him, introduce the concepts behind vegetarianism, being careful not to overwhelm or frighten him - think education, not indoctrination. (I know of one father who showed his young children pictures of slaughterhouses - it gave them nightmares for years) Here's a few resources for you: Nava Atlas, of Vegetarian Kitchen, has a lot of kid friendly info and recipes on her site, and several excellent family oriented vegetarian cookbooks. 'Raising Vegetarian Children', by Vesanto Melina and Jo Stefaniak, is a good support book, as is 'The New Becoming Vegetarian', by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis. Many of the Savvy Veg recipes are kid friendly. See the basic recipe section, particularly tofu and beans. We'll be adding salads in the next few days. I've also attached another SV Report, 10 Tips for Beginning Vegetarians. Regardless of what I or anybody else thinks, you are responsible for your child and his upbringing, and must follow your own feelings and best judgement with regard to his diet. As with all parenting, there isn't really a map or a manual, except in your own hearts. All the best to you and your family - Judy Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian More SV Advice Letters About Kids Going Vegetarian9 Yr Old Goes Veg: What's a balanced vegetarian diet for a 9 year old? I want to respect her wishes... 11 Yr Old Wants to Go Veg: i am really wanting to be a vegetarian because i love animals ...how do i get everyone to accept this.... Almost 13 Goes Veg: Pre-teen wants to go vegetarian, worries about family, vegetarian protein, going from diet to diet... Going Veg With 6 Yr Old: How to make the switch to a vegetarian diet, without hurting nutrition and growth with our child... Send a note, recipe, link, resource, etc. to Savvy Vegetarian Savvy Veg Privacy Policy, Health Disclaimer, Publishing Policy |
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