VEGAN KIDS

N U T R I T I O N

The Essential Starter Kit to Feeding Your

Child a Vegan Diet With Confidence

KARLA MORENO-BRYCE, MDA, RD, LD

COPYRIGHT © 2021 NUTRITIOUS VIDA LLC.
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 RAISING MY DAUGHTER
ON A VEGAN DIET

When my daughter was just 11 months old we visited my family in

California. Sitting at the dinner table with them and my daughter in her high
chair next to me, my parents commented on how fulfilling it was for them to
see her in good health. They don’t get to see her often and were really
impressed with how much she’d grown and how well she was eating. But
halfway through our dinner our conversation shifted to the eating pattern
my husband and I chose for our daughter—a vegan diet.

My parents knew I’ve been vegan as a way to represent compassion for

animals and understood that it was nutritionally adequate for me. But they
weren’t 100% sure it was the most appropriate way to feed my daughter.
They were worried that it was “too restrictive” and potentially unhealthy
to support her growth during childhood.

I began to feel doubt of my choice. As a vegan Registered Dietitian, I

questioned whether I was doing the right thing and I knew that if I felt that
way as a trained expert, other vegan parents like yourself must too. That
you didn’t have the support system you needed to raise your kids on a
vegan diet.

Raising my daughter on a vegan diet is important to me and I know it is for

your family too. So, my hope is that you feel supported of your choice with
this guide and confident in feeding them a healthful vegan diet.

Karla Moreno-Bryce
© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition
 GETTING STARTED
a roadmap to feeding your child with confidence at each stage of growth

1
APPROPRIATELY PLAN MEALS
Ensuring that meals are appropriately planned is the foundation
for supporting a proper growth and development of children
following a vegan diet

2
SUPPLEMENT APPROPRIATELY
Along with appropriately planning meals, ensure that the
appropriate supplements are part of your child's vegan diet

3
FOCUS ON PROVIDING VARIETY OF FOODS
When you plan and create balanced meals, focus on offering a
variety of foods thoughout the day to ensure nutrients are met

4
HAVE A MEAL & SNACK SCHEDULE
Having a schedule helps ensure that your child eats balanced
meals while also helping your child know what to expect

5
TRUST YOUR CHILD'S APPETITE
When you learn and allow your child to lead their own appetite,
it will help reduce stress for you

© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition

 APPROPRIATELY PLAN MEALS
ensuring your child thrives on a vegan diet
WEIGHT GAIN
You can support your child's
weight by ensuring they are
meeting protein and calorie
requirements.
Focus on providing high-
calorie foods like nut butters,
avocados and sweet potatoes.
© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition
MEAL PLANNING
Children at any stage of growth can
thrive on a vegan diet. The key is to
make sure that their meals and
snacks are appropriately planned to
meet key nutrients, such as: protein,
iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, Vitamin
D, Vitamin B12, and Omega-3s.
When planning your meals, start by
focusing on a source of iron. So,
pick one source of iron to be the
main ingredient of your meal and
build your meal around that. This
will ensure that your meal is
meeting a crucial nutrient that
supports a proper growth for
children.
The richest sources of iron are
beans, lentils, and tofu. So I
typically plan my meals around one
of those.
SOURCES OF KEY NUTRIENTS

IRON IODINE
Iodized salt
Beans (all types)
Supplement
Lentils (all types)
Tofu
Chickpea Flour
VITAMIN B12
Lentil/Chickpea Pasta
Quinoa Fortified Plant Milks
Spinach, cooked Supplements

OMEGA-3S ZINC

Flaxseeds Chickpeas
Chia & Hemp Seeds Oatmeal
Walnuts Almonds
Soy products Tempeh
(tofu, edamame, soymilk) Pumpkin Seeds

CALCIUM
Calcium-Set Tofu Broccoli, cooked
Fortified Soy Milk Spinach, cooked
Tahini Almond Butter

© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition

 SUPPLEMENT APPROPRIATELY
ensuring your child thrives on a vegan diet

Children who follow a vegan diet should supplement appropriately to

ensure they meet key nutrients. Many often hear that supplementing is
"bad" or "unnatural" but that's not necessary true. There are a few key
nutrients that naturally lack in plant foods and supplementing ensures
these aren't missing in your child's vegan diet.

The supplements that all vegan kids should take are:

Vitamin B12 (begin when they start solids, typically around 6 months)
Vitamin D (begin at time of birth)
Iodine (begin when weaned from breastmilk or formula)
DHA (a type of omega-3 and may begin at 6 months)

VITAMIN B12
Some plant foods are fortified
with Vitamin B12, meaning
that this nutrient was added to
the product. Including fortified
foods is an easy way to help
ensure this key nutrient is met.

Some examples include: plant

milks, ready-to-eat fortified
cereals, and nutritional yeast

© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition

 FOCUS ON VARIETY OF PLANT FOODS
ensuring your child thrives on a vegan diet

A key component of making sure kids who follow a vegan diet meet their
nutrient needs is by offering a variety of plant foods throughout the day—
from legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

I often find many parents focusing on portion sizes at meal times, which
are a great reference to go by, but this often brings stress and anxiety
when your vegan child doesn't eat that specific amount.

So, focus on ensuring to serve these key components at meal and snack
times so that there's variety in your child's diet. When you offer a variety
of foods from these groups—legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and
seeds—you give your vegan child greater opportunities to meet their
daily nutritional requirements. They don't all have to be present at each
meal but below is an example of how you can do this at home.

nuts & seeds

fruit (cashews & hemp seeds
(grapes) in homemade
vegan parm 'cheese')

legume
(red lentils in sauce)
vegetable
(broccoli)
grain
(pasta)

© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition

 FEEDING ENVIRONMENT

Many vegan parents just like you often

face the most challenges in feeding their
child at the dining table.

You worry they're not eating "enough".

You're frustrated that they're not eating
their vegetables or trying new foods. And
this brings concern about not meeting
their nutrient needs.

I know what that feels like because I've

been there too. It's concerning to see my
daughter only take one or two bites of her
meal but if there's anything that I've
learned about my background in nutrition
and in being a parent, is that once you set
up a positive feeding environment for your
child everything else falls into place. It
takes time, patience and practice but I'm
confident you can reach that feeling of
actually looking forward to meal times
with your family. It will help you feel more
at ease and more confident in feeding your
child a vegan diet.

© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition

 FEEDING ENVIRONMENT
supporting a positive way of eating for your vegan child
MEAL PATTERN
INFANTS
6 - 8 months: 1 meal per day
8 - 10 months: 2 meals per day
10 - 12 months: 3 meals per day
TODDLERS & CHILDREN
3 meals + 2 snacks per day
© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition
SCHEDULES
Children thrive and crave routine. They
do much better when they know what to
expect. This will also help them know
that they will be fed, establishing trust
in you and more likely that they will eat
the amount their body needs at that
particular time. So I encourage you to
have a meal and snack schedule to help
your vegan child meet their nutrient
requirements.
BUILD TRUST
Helping support your vegan child's
growth involves having trust in their
appetite. When you honor the amount
they eat or don't eat, you teach them a
skill that they can carry throughout life:
listening to what their body is saying.
When they communicate to you that
they are finished or they no longer
desire to eat (i.e. start playing with food,
sign "all done"), trust and honor that.
 PAST CLIENT
"[We] came up with a system that
worked for me and allowed me to
plan, prep and feed my baby with the
confidence that I am providing him
with what he needs. I truly felt
supported and empowered, and
although being a mom is a constant
work in progress, I feel much better
about feeding my vegan baby"
- Alyssa

My passion is supporting vegan parents just like you all around the world
feed their infant, toddler, and/or child a healthful vegan diet for proper
growth and development.

Feeding your child a vegan diet is such a rewarding lifestyle to raise them
on. In fact, I couldn't be more proud to raise my daughter in such an eating
pattern that extends compassion to animals—a value I whole-heatedly
want to instill in her.

You too can feel proud as a vegan parent to raise your family in a way
that represents your values!

In my self-paced online course, Vegan Kids Nutrition Blueprint, I show

you the same step-by-step framework I teach my private clients on how to
feed your child at each stage of growth. When you know what foods to
focus on, you go from feeling overwhelmed and concerned about their
nutrition, to feeling confident they are getting the proper nutrition to
thrive on a vegan diet.

ENROLL IN THE
VEGAN KIDS NUTRITION BLUEPRINT
© Nutritious Vida LLC | @vegan.kids.nutrition