Fussy vegan daughter

[louli]

I have posted on here before about me raising my 4 kids vegan then struggling over the past few months about their limited diets. We went veggie and they would eat a bit of cheese/yogurts (though not much) and one would eat eggs. I can't relax being veggie though. In my heart I'm a vegan and so gently I am steering them back that way. It's not really hard as they like vegan ice cream/yogs. etc. It is hard when we are out as the vans NEVER have vegan ice cream and most of the lollies have gelatine in.
Anyway I write about my 4 year old daughter. Here is a list of what she will eat :
bread, rice cakes, crackers
white pasta, small amount of potato, chips, white rice :she will NOT eat whole grains :o(
houmous, yeast extract
apples, 3 pieces of carrot and 1 piece of broccoli(daily)
breakfast cereal, soya milk
vegan yeast pate
ketchup
garlic sticks, tortilla chips, natures choice cereal bars
fruit juice, fruit pieces, popcorn
sausages and burgers
I made her pancakes that had linseeds in, she didn't notice and ate them. There may be a few other bits but I worry she can't get all she needs. She eats a couple of tofu sausages a week. She likes processed burgers/sos' but I try and not give her many as they contain trans fats. Sometimes she will eat chickpea burgers but she is SOOOO fusssy and won't always eat things she mostly likes. I don't want her future health to suffer because of my morals. I read nutrition articles and while I agree a BALANCED vegan diet is adequate what do you do when your child isn't eating that. I know as she gets older it may improve, but then is her adult health already determined?

[Christa]

The best that I could suggest would be to write down all of the non-vegan foods that she would be willing to eat were you not raising her vegan. Then, I'd figure out what the main nutrients in those non-vegan foods are. Look at the list of what vegan foods she is willing to eat & see if the nutrients that the non-vegan foods have are missing from her vegan diet.

In other words, were she to be eating dairy or eggs, would she be getting some vitamins, minerals, etc. that are not contained in her current diet? If not, there is no real benefit to feeding her animal products. If so, you have to decide what is more important to you. Is there some way to supplement those missing nutrients in her vegan diet in a way that she would accept? - Vitamins? Soy equivalents (soy yogurt, etc.)?

I've also heard of worse diets that what you are mentioning. Many of my friends kids, who are not vegetarian, eat nothing but candy, Wonder bread, and Velvetta cheese. Their parents don't seem to be worrying too much, so at least you are aware.

Also, is she seeming to grow & develop okay? Does her dr have any concerns?

[louli]

I am gonna get her some vits- Animal parade. She will eat cheese string and egg in things. Not much else though. She seems very healthy though a couple of times she has a slight crack between her ear and her jaw line that wouldn't heal and got infected. I think it's nutrition linked. She won't try smoothies or my fresh juices, only carton ones.

[alexis]

Does she like ice pops and stuff? You could try freezing smoothies into ice pops and giving them to her...and maybe you could try giving her a whole lot of different vegghies and stuff and get her to 'build' something out of her food(If you're not fussy about the 'don't play with your food' rule) and eat it up... works with a few fussy eaters i've babysat for...otherwise, just try introducing her to different cusines...or themed meals like say 'Tiny meals' where you make everything in minuature portions or have color nights like say 'purple night' and color food with a natural food color...a multi vite might be a good idea...just keep on trying...:)

[VOW]

The crack in her skin may be more allergy related than nutrition related. Nutritional deficiencies won't show up in one tiny spot on the body. If her hair is not dry and brittle and dull, if her finger- and toenails are strong, if all the skin on her body is supple and smooth, with no bumps or rashes, if her eyes are bright, if her tongue is normal, with no cracks or splits or sores, I'd say her nutrition is most likely just fine.

Young children often go through tempermental stages of eating. They may reject certain flavors or textures, or may not want different foods to touch each other on the plate, or any number of little quirks. Give your daughter a multi-vitamin if it would make you feel better, and keep an eye on her skin, her nails, her hair, her energy level, her growth, and her learning.

I'm willing to bet she's at or above normal for all of those things, compared to the kids who eat at McDonald's four times a week!



~VOW

[5xblessed]

First I agree with everyone else, lots of kids are living on processed hot dogs and chick nuggets and their parents don't seem to worryl Also, 4yo's are notorious for picky eating (not all but quite a few). I would give her the vitamin for your peace of mind and just keep offering things. Maybe make sure there is one thing she likes at a meal so you know she'll eat something and then some other things too. Put some on her plate but no pressure to eat it. My kids like to have little bits of things in divided trays. (I use a muffin pan.) I put some soy cheese, some crackers, some veggies, hummus, cut up fruits...they eat it better this way for some reason. It makes a nice easy Saturday lunch. Hang in there, this too shall pass.
Lisa

[GranolaMommy]

I also want to add to this that just because you add non-vegan food to her diet doesn't mean she will eat that either.

Preschoolers. Aren't they a pain to feed sometimes?!