Need ideas for vegan recipes for toddlers

[waterfield]

By which I mean, a couple of toddlers are coming round and I have no idea about vegan food, so it could be vegan food for adults but I'm going to give it to toddlers.

Can I have some lovely ideas please (NB sorry Franny, no quinoa...)?

What about some nice veggie kebabs?

Peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes etc

Serve with some rice or pasta?

You could do some fruit ones too.

I would ask their parents. Ds is veggie and I get asked what he eats and I never mind answering. I'm sure they will happy to ensure that their kids get something to eat that they enjoy and is not too difficult for you.

vegan toddlers I'd ask parents to bring theur own food

Veg soup and home made bread.

Puy lentil and quinoa salad.

Jacket potatoes with margarine or olive oil in them and side salads. (bean salad and green salad)

....or for a more junky vegan alternative ... Tivall veggie burgers in buns with ketchup and chips.

Do they eat eggs? I know that would mean non-vegan, but some parents allow eggs for the protein. My friend does, anyway, so vegetable omelettes are allowed.

I knew a vegan and she subsisted on mushrooms. But I cannot think of a singel interesting thing to do with mushrooms that doesn't involve cream, cheese, or both. Sorry.

For pudding fruit smoothies (squashed fruit) with vegan ice 'cream' (delicious. I prefer it to ordinary ice cream) or with crunchy oaty cereal.

Or vegan hot dog sausages in buns with ketchup and salad. Yum. And chips.

how is ti possible to give a growing chidl everythign it needs on a vegan diet - honest interste not carping - what would thye eat and how would it cover off their nutritional needs

Baked beans, mash / chips / baked potato

Thick veg soup (lentil and squash or sweet potato is yummy) and wodges of bread

Hummus, pitta, raw or steamed veg to dip in (eg broccoli, cauli)

Avocado salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, some cooked rice or bread rolls

You can buy vegan pesto in health food shops which is usually popular with pasta or rice

Pasta with tomato and veg, and kidney bean sauce

Or just what we call a snack meal: cashew butter on oatcakes / cubes of tofu / carrot sticks / some dried apricots or raisins.

They are not likely to be fussy eaters IME if they have been brought up vegan, but check first of course!

Why do you think it isn't possible to get all your nutrients from a vegan diet, Mud? What do you think they would be missing?

calcium and full range of vitamins and minerals espedically the Bs and Ds and absorbing zinc and iron would be difficult with such a restrictive diet

Vegan diet is not restrictive, it is usually much more varied than your typical British meat, milk and wheat diet.

Calcium = tofu, soya milk, sesame seeds (hummus, tahini), broccoli etc. In many cases the calcium in these foods is better absorbed than that in cow's milk.

I won't try to go into each nutrient you mention as it would take too long but if you are interested \link{http://www.vegansociety.com/html/people/lifestyle/families/parenting/vegan_children/nutrients.php\the Vegan Society} have some good information.

always thought calcium in plant foods not easily absorbed althoguh will give you soy and oragne juice. i know quite a bit about diet and nutrtion by the wya . still think it is dififuclt to maintain a healthy diet for a vegan child in early stages of devekloepment and wouldnt advise it

Yes I can see you are not your usual vegan baiting pleb

It is an interesting subject - I think with a bit of care it is simple to ensure a healthy diet whether vegan or otherwise. You just need to have a sensible idea of what you are doing. Several nutritionalists (and even Spock before his death!) now recommend a vegan diet as being healthiest, even for children.

tis rubbish IMO Mud - most vegan children are considerably healthier and better nourished than children consuming an "ordinary" British diet, precisely because their parents are actually conscious of what they are feeding them and the need to ensure an adequacy and balance of nutrients

oh but i am . see me bait them, see them run are you a vegan then?

Interesting extract from the Vegan Society on calcium:

The calcium intake of vegans tends to be slightly below the recommended optimal amounts but the body does adapt to lower intakes and there have been no reports of calcium deficiency in vegans. The fact that vegans have a slightly lower protein intake and exclude meat from their diet encourages their bodies to retain calcium so their dietary need may be lower than the typical omnivore. Studies of the bones of vegans suggest that the likelihood of osteoporosis is no greater than for omnivores.

No, I was a vegan for a few years but missed cheese too much :o

I had problems with B12 actually so am aware it can be difficult. I still believe it is the most healthy lifestyle, though. Ds was vegan till age 1 year, we eat cheese approx 2 x per week now (probably more lately in fact, have been very lazy about cooking).

Um, FaZ, surely your DS wasn't vegan until 1, he presumably had human milk?

(And I thought B12 problems were rare, as there are normally enough bugs in things to give you the little bit of B12 you need ... otherwise, yeast does the trick, doesn't it?)

LOL, that is an intriguing quibble, NQC, do you think vegan families avoid breastfeeding because it wouldn't be vegan? Or are you just meaning he would get cow's milk proteins from my diet?

Yes nobody quite knew why I had problems with B12, it made little sense. They did many tests and never found out why. I seemed to have problems absorbing and storing it. I have no problems now I eat dairy products again.

Well, it was consensually obtained milk, which presumably makes a difference. But he was still getting milk. (I didn't mean cow's milk proteins through your milk. I'm not sure that much comes through? A friend's DS has a severe cow's milk allergy, but was never bothered by her milk, even though she's a cheese fiend.)

I did know a woman who had to avoid dairy products while breastfeeding as her (highly allergic) son had terrible symptoms when she didn't, so I think some must get through?

I don't think breastmilk is non-vegan, I think milk that was designed for you from your own species is compatible with veganism. I think vegans don't eat anything from another living creature, human milk is surely exempt :)

I'm sure vegans don't object to breastfeeding.

I'm just saying, if vegan means, avoiding all animal products, human milk is an animal product, and isn't vegan.

Yeah, I've known one baby who reacted to whatever her mom ate, but that's really really rare. Hard work for the mom!

^^

Retching at the thought of SM's vegan hot dog sausages (aka extruded protein and rusk).

Hey,I'm all for vegan and vegetarian meals but can't understand why people wish to approximate meaty offerings.

I think also that it's a lot to do with the cruelty or farming and exploiting animals. I'm vegan and breastfeeding - I'm not being exploited by my baby! I had loads of probs bf in early days but stuck with it because i believe its the best for my baby.