It can be so stressful when your kids don’t want to eat the things that you think they should! I think all of us parents have SOMETHING we wish our kids would eat more of. Today we’re exploring vegetarian toddler recipes and how to create a balanced diet for kids who won’t eat meat.

Just a heads up before we start that I’m not a doctor or nutritionist. I’m a trained natural foods chef which means that at the end of the day I’m all about the food. That’s why in the video below and in the article throughout I’m sharing how I do my research on special diets and then the food that brings those guidelines to life.

It can be really challenging to get a straight answer on “why” kids need certain nutrients. Personally, as a parent, it’s been one of my major struggles as I try to partner with the kids’ doctors on what they’re eating. For that reason, I’ve been working on navigating creating a balanced diet for yourself or your kids.

Want to know the process I follow? I cover that and more in this Facebook Live video:

How Much Protein do Toddlers Need?

So “what’s really needed”? According to Dr. Sears, toddlers need:

.6 g / lb body weight

So for example, a 30 lb toddler would need 18 grams of protein per day.

What does that actually look like? This is the most important thing that you can find out to come up with a real action plan for feeding your kids’ well.

My favorite tool for calculating nutrition in foods with ACCURATE information is Cron-O-Meter. The reason I prefer it to a tool like My Fitness Pal is that much of the data in Cron-O-Meter comes from USDA data, rather than crowd-sourced user input.

I think you’ll be surprised by how much protein is available in non-meat sources that your kids will actually eat! Here are some examples of roughly how much protein each of these foods contains per serving:

• Peanut butter (2 Tbsp): 8 g
• Beans (1/2 cup): 8 g
• Yogurt (1/2 cup): 4 g
• Egg: 6 g
• Whole grain bread: 3 g
• Quinoa (1/2 cup): 4 g

So if you got your kid to eat 1 egg + 2 Tbsp peanut butter + 1/2 cup yogurt in a day you’ve already covered their protein needs.

I hope this shows you that you don’t need to worry about protein intake in vegetarian toddlers as much as you might think! If they’re eating a well-balanced diet, they’re probably already meeting their daily protein requirements.

Also, I think this statement by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics may bring comfort to the parents of kids who just won’t eat meat:

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes. Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage.

Other Nutrients to Pay Attention to in Vegetarian Toddlers

There are some common deficiencies that arise from vegetarianism – especially in toddlers who might not be as prone to eating a well-rounded diet as their adult counterparts. If you are the parent of a vegetarian toddler, you may want to take these into consideration:

Fatty Acids: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)

• Kids can get this from fish or fish oil supplements
• If they’re not taking these, you’ll want to make sure that they’re eating chia and flax seeds, but just note that our bodies aren’t super efficient at converting these plant-based fatty acids

Iron

• Focus on foods that have supplemental iron like breakfast cereal
• Make sure that they are eating lots of leafy greens, which are high in iron

B12

• This is mostly of concern for vegans as it doesn’t occur in plant-based foods
• Vegetarian toddlers would be able to get B12 from milk and eggs

Some additional recommended nutritional considerations include calcium, iodine, and zinc. You can read more about those here.

If you have specific concerns, though, you should definitely talk to a doctor or registered dietitian.

Vegetarian Toddler Recipes

Now that you know what you should be considering to make sure that your vegetarian toddler is getting the nutrients that he or she needs, you’re going to need some recipes to actually make it happen! Cooking for vegetarian toddlers can be especially challenging for parents who aren’t vegetarians themselves. This is where I can help 🙂

These healthy recipes have been selected because they’d likely appeal to toddler taste buds.

• Quinoa Pizza Bites get the benefit of a complete vegetarian protein from quinoa plus the flavor of pizza that kids love
• These Veggie Nuggets aren’t super high in protein, but they do freeze well and are packed with carrots, broccoli, and spinach.
• These Vegetarian Meatballs made with beans are high in protein and would go great with pasta and tomato sauce for kids
• Baked Cauli Tots are packed with cauliflower and cheese – veggies, protein, and calcium all in one!
• The mix of beans and rice in this One Skillet Mexican Rice Casserole is perfect for vegetarians
• These Banana Oat Energy Bites are packed with fiber from the oats and healthy fats and protein from the almond butter. Perfect for vegetarian toddlers on the go!
• These Carrot Hot Dogs aren’t particularly high in protein, but they do look fun!
• Lentil Veggie Nuggets are packed with protein thanks to the addition of lentils.
• Fro-Yo Fruit Bites are a fun way to incorporate yogurt into a snack that kids will love.
• Lots of different No Bake Energy Bites here

Did I miss any? Please feel free to share any of your favorite vegetarian toddler recipes in the comments below!

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