Vegan Nutrition with Brenda Davis

Brenda Davis is a registered dietitian in private practice. She is the past Chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association. Brenda is co-author of the international best seller, Becoming Vegetarian, and highly acclaimed Becoming Vegan. Brenda is an internationally recognized speaker. She has worked as a public health nutritionist, a clinical nutrition specialist, nutrition consultant and academic nutrition instructor.

Question:

My 2 year old son is allergic to soy and wheat, what are some good sources of protein for him, other than meat dairy or eggs?

Answer:

You will be pleased to know that there are many other excellent protein sources for vegan children. The most concentrated sources of high quality protein in the plant kingdom are legumes. Soy is only one of about 14,000 different varieties! Chickpeas are generally well liked by children and make wonderful dips and patties in addition to working very well in stews, stir fries, etc. Experiment with a wide variety of legumes, as they have different textures and tastes. Look for ethnic vegetarian recipes to find endless delicious ways of preparing these foods.

If you are not breastfeeding your son, you will also need to find a good "milk" for him. It is important to note that nondairy milks made from oats, rice, almonds or potatoes are not good sources of protein, thus protein needs will need to be met by other foods. Make sure the "milk" you choose is fully fortified with calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12.

Generally, if calorie needs are met by a variety of whole foods, including legumes, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, protein needs will also be met. ( Note: nuts and seeds should be made into butters or creams for toddlers of this age due to risk of choking). People require no more than 10-15% of calories from protein. When you look at the actual protein content of foods, it helps put this figure into perspective. In general, legumes provide 20-30% of their calories as protein, nuts, seeds and grains about 5-20% (most being in the range of 12-17%), vegetables about 7-40% (root vegetables being at the lower end and green leafy vegetables on the upper end of this range), and fruits between 1-10% (the major group of whole foods that are low in protein).

The most common reason for poor protein intake (apart from low energy intake) is most of the calories are coming from fat, sugar (e.g.. junk food, soda, etc.) and/or fruit and fruit juices. For children, eating excessive fat and sugar relative to whole foods is not so uncommon.

The other point to consider is that children require high quality protein. While carefully complimenting proteins from various foods is not necessary, it is important that children do receive enough protein from a variety of protein-rich foods. If any amino acid is likely to be lacking it is lysine. This amino acid is most plentiful in legumes, and they should be part of the daily diet. One good way of ensuring sufficient protein is to include protein-rich foods with each meal. For example, include almond butter with breakfast, hummus with lunch and pinto beans with burritos at dinner.

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