Vegetarian Toddler

You can add a little bit of cold pressed organic flax oil in his other food, like oatmeal or on vegetables or in a smoothie. Also avocado has a ton of good fat in it as do olive oil.

You are doing a great job!

We are lacto-veg (we have dairy but not eggs, fish, etc.) - just FYI to give a little background. Remember that mommy milk is something like 6% fat (whole cow's milk is 4%). The fat is used to cover nerves and develop the brain and other things - it's really good for little ones, but once they are a little older and are weaned (we wean around 3 yrs old), they are able to make their own cholesterol if they have their basically good nutrition, which you definitely do from what you wrote. But, also remember that fat doesn't always have to come from animal sources (eggs, cheese, milk, etc.) - there are lots of vegetable sources of fat. For example, avocado, coconut, olives, nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc.), seeds (sunflower seeds, flax, sesame, pumpkin, etc. including beans & lentils), etc.)

Now, that said, for me, as long as we get a variety of nutrition every day, I don't worry much about it. We typically eat roti (a whole wheat indian bread we make ourselves after we grind the wheat) with peanut butter (except for my firstborn son who is allergic to peanuts - he gets sunflower seeds) and milk to drink and a fruit for breakfast. Lunch is often more roti with some vegetables (often fresh) and/or leftover dhal (an indian bean/lentil soup spiced up and with onions) and rice and milk to drink. And dinner is usually dhal and rice and roti, sometimes an extra vegetable (we usually include some vegetables in the cooking of the dhal (like onions, spinach, coriander, tomato, green pepper, hot pepper, and/or anything else that might suit our fancy at the time), so I just make sure we get some of everything, and we drink more milk if we hadn't had enough, and fruit and/or a fresh vegetable (carrot and broccoli are favorites) for a snack.

I know that we are getting the nutrition we need, and if they are low in anything (it rarely happens, but it does to all of us at one time or another, especially when we eat more junk than usual), I can usually tell by their behavior (usually too much sugar) or if their skin is too dry or if their hair is a little dull, rather than nice and soft and shiny. Those are indications they need a little more fat, which is easily fixed - if by nothing else than by just adding just a little more oil to the roti when I make it.

Anyway, given the things you eat, it doesn't look like you need worry much, except for peace of mind. There is plenty of naturally occurring fat in the things you are eating to meet his nutritional needs.

Congratulations, and good luck!

I'm not a vegetarian, but I do know that Olive Oil is a great fat. I put a little on veggies or bread. I think fat is important for brain development, just not sure how much they need at that age. I would give one at everymeal...eggs, cheese, avocado, whole yogurt?, or a little evoo on their veggies and pasta.

The avocado is a great source as well as cheese, olive and other "good" oils. Can he eat full-fat yogurt?

Wow! You're way more careful than I am! We are also lacto ovo vegetarian. My daughter is 2 1/2 and my main concern for all of us is that we eat a wide variety of foods. I just try to be sure she has some yogurt or cheese each day (she doesn't drink cows milk) and that she eats lots of different colors. You're way ahead of me! :)
I would be money you're doing exactly what you need to be doing!

J.,

Olive oil and canola oil are both great fats to add to your food. Olive oil has more flavor, but veggies can be sauteed in both, which adds a bit of fat to the meal. Also, when your son is over 4 years old you should be able to introduce whole nuts to his diet. Pine nuts are close to 50% fat so would be a good addition to cereals, salads, and other meals.

You're doing a great job thinking about your son's nutrition and giving him a variety of foods to eat!

-C..

You are to be commended for your commitment to better food choices for your family!! It is a good and big job. You are so right about making sure to get good fats. I use organic butter and extra virgin olive oil. Super good quality peanut oil and walnut oil are also the right kind of fat. Almond butter would be a good choice. The difficulty I find is keeping the oil from oxidizing. And equally a challenge for me is enough good fats to feed the brain and nerves. Do you find that supplementation is simply not an option in order to get enough? And to get a pure enough source of the right kind?
I make sure that there is good fat at each meal for best absorption of vitamins in their food. Again...good job!
M.

I'm not vegetarian, so this may be a silly question...but can you eat fish? Just asking because fish oil is a great fat.
I try to focus on organic (whenever possible) fruits and vegetables and unprocessed foods, and my favorite fat is high quality extra virgin olive oil. I use it in all my cooking and on all salads. And the avacado..which you are already eating, is in my opinion the world's most perfect food (full of good fat, fiber, protein, and so many vitamins).
Just a little 'two cents'. I know that soy is a controversial issue on whether it is good-for-you or bad-for-you, but I would keep it away from a "developing" little one. The jury is stil out and why risk it interfering with any of his development? I know my endocronologist (a holistic MD) told me to absolutely stay away from it. Just a thought (?).

Olive oil is a great fat. Make homemade pesto!! It is super yummy and full of good fat! I too am a veg. but my kids and hubby are not. I am still trying to figure out the proper amounts of protein and calcium that I need. I just eat and do not make a mental note and I need to. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I agree with the other posts about good sources of fats. It sounds like he's getting a good, well rounded diet.

A couple of comments based on classes I am taking from a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition. Be sure that you do not eat too much fat. Research suggests that we limit fat consumption to between 10 adn 15% of daily calories. I recommend reading The China Study by T Colin Campbell. Be sure to consume the correct balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Too many omega 6's causes inflammation in the body which is the basis for many disease processes. A healthy balance is no more than 1:4 omega 3's to 6's.

Omega 3 fats are found in: fatty fish, like tuna and salmon, soybeans, wheat germ, walnuts, hemp, black currant, flaxseeds (VERY, VERY HEALTHLY) and canola oil.

Omega 6 fats are found in: seeds, sunflower, safflower and sesame oils, animal products, avocados, grains.

Of course, fats from plants are much healthier than animal fats. But too much is too much even from plant based oils.

Secondly, I wouldn't worry about soy for your family. Yes, there is quite a controversy, but with some care, soy is a very healthful part of any diet. Be sure that any soy you consume is organic, as it tends to be genetically modified if not organic. And you should avoid heavily processed soy products, as any processing diminishes the nutritional content of that food. As long as soy is not the only food that you eat, if it is part of a healthy, balanced diet, soy is a very healthful food.

Please let me know if you need any additional information on any of the comments I've made. I have access to lots of research and reports on all of these topics from Dr. Pam. I hope this helps. Keep up the good work.

In health, D. ###-###-####

Hey we're vegetarian - and mostly vegan.

No I don't worry about fat intake. I do like to fry gluten and use olive oil in some recipes. I also give my daughter regular soy milk so she gets the vitamin D and calcium and fat. Her Pedi wanted her weaned down to 12 oz of milk by 12 months, and now we just do it on cereal. She's 75 percentile for weight, though her new pedi thinks she should get more milk or a calcium supplement (which I opted for and found a good one without artificial sweeteners that's gummy so easy for her to eat and she enjoys it).

Anyway, all that to say, you're probably fine. Try some olives and the soy cheeses if you really are worried about getting more in. Try stir frying veggies in some olive or canola oil, and the soy margarine on bread.. But I wouldn't worry about it unless your child isn't gaining weight.