The bottom line is, if they're going to be a vegetarian, that's fine, as long they understand what a child's diet is supposed to contain. At that point, they're making their own decisions about diet as opposed to what's being fed them. And if a child suddenly decides to go vegetarian, that can sometimes be a red flag to a parent to pay attention and make sure the child isn't developing some form of eating disorder. One of the reasons many families go vegetarian is because it's heart-healthy. The AHA does recommend that once a child is two, parents should control or limit the amount of saturated and total fat in the diet.
Perfect examples are fish, white meat of chicken, even lean red meats.
The best strategy is to not overreact, and say if she doesn't feel like meat at the moment, that is fine. She can stay healthy if she continues to drink milk, eat eggs, etc. Just let her eat the other foods on the table. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.