Mumsnet Talk

Hi ,
My son who is 12 and a half has joined me in a vegetarian(ie no meat/fish but we do eat dairy)diet.I am confident that his diet is ok he eats vegetables,pulses,rice,pasta,sunflower seeds,apricots,cereal etc daily but I am worried that he is not getting meat protein or Omega 3.As a runner I have been told that vegetable proteins are not as complex as meat and you should try to combine protein and carbs to mimic this.He has started to join me in running and I would just like some reassurance that he's getting the right diet for his growth needs.Plus where can I get non-fish Omega 3 - is that possible?
Plus help me shut my mum up who is beside herself saying his growth will be stunted (I am only 5 foot tall and grew up on meat but there you go!)
Thanks!

we use a dairy free spread called pure for ds, contains omega 3 and 6
i dont know about combining protein and carbs , not heard that
my ds, 3, has never had meat or fish, and is not short of energy, to put it mildly

Message withdrawn

You can get flaxseed oil capsules from Tesco.

Thankyou everyone for taking the time to reply - will def get Pure and flaxseed thankyou!

honestly there is NO need to worry DS1 vegetarian all his life and is taller then dp not a giant but in no way stunted.
There used to be a theory about meat being a 'complete protein' and vegetable protein being 2nd class- there was a book called 'Diet for a small planet' which explained how to overcome this by combinng different vegetable protein for example pulse+cereal eg beans on toast, if you are really worried you could go down this line but AFAIK this is not considered an issue by nutritionists these days.
we have never bothered about omega oils either!
Remind your DM that millions of people in the world are vegetarian!

One thing to watch is the B12 levels. May be OK if you eat plenty of marmite and fortified cerals, unless you have the medically-caused deficiency (lack of 'intrinsic factor' in the gut). Less likely in a boy but a deficiency is more common in girls and runs in the family (I have it, and get regular B12 jabs).

Another Dinner is Possible is an excellent book that will answer your questions and many others too-as well as giving you some superb recipe ideas.