There is no need to panic if your child has decided to stop eating meat. With help from you, your child can adequately meet her nutritional needs following a vegetarian diet. A healthy menu should include a variety of foods from each of the food groups, but you need to make sure that she meets her calcium, iron, vitamin B-12 and protein needs.
Diet Guide
There are different types of vegetarians: A lacto-ovo vegetarian includes dairy and eggs in his diet, while a vegan abstains from all animal products. Additionally, some vegetarians will include only milk in their diets and are referred to as lacto-vegetarians, while some include only eggs and are called ovo-vegetarians. A basic diet for a vegetarian child should include 1 1/2 cups of fruits, 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 6 servings of grain, 5 oz. of meat substitutes or beans, 3 servings of dairy or its equivalent and 6 tsp. of oil each day, based on an 1,800-calorie diet. Your child may need more or less depending on his age and activity levels.
Breakfast
A vegetarian breakfast meal may include 1 cup of fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereal with 1 cup of low-fat milk or 1 cup of fortified soy milk, a small banana and 1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 tbsp. of nut butter. If your child follows a vegan diet, you need to make sure he has good sources of vitamin B-12 and calcium in his diet. Look for cereals and soy milk fortified with both calcium and vitamin B-12.
Lunch
A healthy vegetarian lunch meal may include 1 whole wheat pita stuffed with 1/2 cup of hummus, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts, served with 1 container of cow's milk or soy-based yogurt, a small orange and 1 cup of carrot and celery sticks with some ranch style dressing. Iron is also an important nutrient for growing kids. Beans are a good vegetarian source of iron. Including vitamin C-rich foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits, with the beans will improve iron absorption.
Afternoon Snack
After school, try some whole grain crackers with 1 1/2 tsp. of almond butter. Almonds are another good source of calcium.
Dinner
For dinner, try a healthy tofu stir fry with 1/2 cup of calcium-fortified tofu, 1/4 cup of cashews and 1 1/2 cups of broccoli and carrots stir fried in 2 tsp. of vegetable oil and low-sodium soy sauce, served with 1 cup of brown rice. While you may be concerned about adequate intakes of protein on a vegetarian diet, protein is found in a number of foods including milk, soy milk, tofu, beans, vegetables and grains. As long as your child eats a variety of foods, he should be able to meet his protein needs.
Snack
Make a healthy fruit smoothie as an evening snack for your child. Blend together 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries with 1 cup of cow's milk or fortified soy milk and ice.
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