I know that you want to give your little one the healthiest start in life, so it makes sense
that you're asking whether or not you should consider a vegetarian diet when introducing
solids to your little one. Afterall, we all know that plant-based foods are good for us!
But, does a vegetarian diet provide your precious little one with all of the nutrients that they need
when they are undergoing such rapid rates of development? Well, stay tuned,
and we'll discuss whether or not a vegetarian diet when introducing solids is healthy or harmful.
Hello! If this is our first time connecting, welcome!
My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a pre and postnatal dietitian.
I specialise in Early Life Nutrition and focus on giving baby's the best start possible, using
the power of good food. I'd love to connect with you on social media, so check out the description
box below this video to find your favourite method of connecting, then reach out and say hi!
The question of whether vegetarian and vegan diets are appropriate when introducing solids
is controversial. The more restrictive the diet and the younger the child,
the greater the risk of nutritional deficiency. Guidelines and healthcare professionals will
give you mixed opinions about whether or not a vegetarian diet when introducing solids is healthy
or harmful, however, usually the consensus is that although they are higher risk,
they can be a very healthy choice if you're willing to put in the additional effort to
ensure that you're little one is meeting all of their nutritional requirements.
So, let's discuss a few of the key considerations for vegetarian diets when introducing solids...
Firstly, plant foods are fantastic for development of a healthy gut microbiota,
which is one of the reasons why they're becoming so popular for the general community.
However, did you know that during the first thousand days of life (which is conception
through until the age of three), the majority of your baby's microbiota is established for life?
Yes, it can be tweaked later in life, but the foundation is set,
so this is definitely an advantage of a plant-based diet when introducing solids.
Secondly, the breast milk of vegan mummas is similar to the composition of their omnivorous
counterparts, except for the fat composition. This can sometimes result in babies of mummas
following strict vegetarian and vegan diets being a little smaller than other bubs. Babies often
slow their growth when introducing solids, so its really important to keep an eye on their growth.
Thirdly, when you're starting to introduce solids, your bub will get most of their
nutrition from your breastmilk (or formula) anyway, so whether or not they consume meat
and dairy doesn't impact them greatly from a nutritional perspective. However, once their
oral food intake becomes a significant part of their diet (at around 9 to 10 months of age),
you'll need to monitor their nutritional intake very closely if you're using a vegetarian diet.
I don't mean to be dramatic, but there are cases of serious malnutrition amongst
infants who were following vegetarian diets, including irreversible neurological damage
done due to vitamin B12 deficiency among infants who didn't meet their requirements.
This leads me on to iron. I'm sure that you know that iron deficiency is common amongst infants
and that it's important to provide an iron-rich diet to your little one when starting solids.
Obviously, iron requirements can be a little more tricky to achieve with a vegetarian diet,
but certainly not impossible, you'll just need to
be a little more vigilant to ensure that your baby is meeting their requirements.
Depending upon which foods you provide for your little one, there are other nutrients that you
may need to either supplement or monitor your child's levels of. These include,
but are not limited to their calcium intake, zinc, omega 3, choline, iodine and protein.
To sum up, I personally believe that a vegetarian diet when introducing solids
can be healthy, it just takes a bit more commitment and planning. If you'd like your
little one to consume a vegetarian diet which introducing solids, then go for it! But, I'd
highly encourage you to seek out the support of a paediatric dietitian who can assist you with this.
If you haven't done so already, make sure that you subscribe to my channel so that you don't
miss out on my weekly nutrition videos so that you can give your bub the best start in life.
I'll look forward to seeing you in my next video!