Adults have found the practice to be compatible with good health, especially when diets are selected carefully. The key word in planning any diet for children is growth. When food choices are further restricted, planning is haphazard, or children refuse key foods, it becomes more difficult to meet the special nutritional needs of growing children. Here are some factors and key nutrients for you to consider when planning vegetarian meals for your children. Bulk and Energy.
Vegetarian diets tend to be high in bulk and relatively low in calories.
If their energy intake from carbohydrates and fats is too low, your children will burn protein for energy, instead of using it for growth and repair of body tissues. Nuts and seeds are dense sources of calories and protein. However, your children may not adequately chew them, so much of their goodness may go undigested. Worse yet, they may choke on them, if not carefully supervised. For these reasons, nut butters generally are preferred to whole nuts and seeds for children under the age of five years.