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Transitioning Toddler to Vegan diet
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by Rochelle Davis
on March 22, 2013
I am wanting to transition my VERY PICKY toddler (16 months) to a vegan diet. I keep reading "experts" that say do any food transitions slowly, problem is she will only eat her typical american diet foods (Mac&Cheese, Fries, Goldfish, ect) and won't touch anything else I put out. She will wear herself out by letting herself get hungry and throwing a huge fit holding out for something she specifically wants. She currently gets no veggies/healthy grains and only eats fruits. So I'm wondering If anyone else has had transitioned a super picky toddler to a vegan diet? How did you do it, any helping hints or tricks would be truly appreciated!!
http://chefchloe.com/on-the-side/vegan-goldfish-crackers.html this is a recipe for vegan goldfish and just look for recipes that match what she likes but healthier like sweet potato fries and introduce one vegetable a month or every 2 weeks until she is comfortable or likes the veggie but after a month if she doesn't like it move on don't give in to what she wants because in the end you are the parent and she also looks to you probly so set an example, if she see mom doing it she might give in
For almost everything in the Standard American Diet there is a vegan/healthier version. You can make Mac and Cheese with dairy free cheese or nutritional yeast with whole grain noodles. I've seen Vegetable Nuggets (to replace chicken nuggets) just look for a recipe online. Like Ltaylor101 said sweet potato fries are a must try. I think soup is a good way to get a toddler to eat vegetables even if its just tomato soup or veggie alphabet soup. Introducing a couple of veggies a month is a good idea. I would start with vegetables that have a mild taste like cauliflower (try it mixed in mashed potatoes) and broccoli with vegan cheese. There are also vegan snacks like veggie stix, plain popcorn, vegan granola bars with vegan chocolate chips... Finally I would recommend getting her to eat and like oatmeal and you can put ground flaxseeds in it, quinoa, and other grains then add sugar and/or fruit to sweeten it. Whole grain vegan cold cereals with almond milk, vegan waffles, and vegan pancakes are a good start. http://www.vegproductsguide.com/vegan/products/cereal-breakfast/
I hope this helps. I don't have kids but this is what I would do!
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