A plant-based diet consists of food that comes from, among other things, the plant kingdom. It includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and other grains and when practicing a plant-based diet, all animal products are completely excluded. Many moms often wonder whether there is a way to introduce this type of nutrition to their toddlers and whether it will provide the much-needed impact on their overall health, growth, and development.
The toddler years of your child are vital to their future development and starting with proper nutritional practices from a young age can help them develop healthy dietary patterns in the future. Usually, when parents choose a baby formula for their child, most of them pick dairy-based ones made from cow’s milk. However, those formulas also contain plant-based ingredients as butterfats are frequently replaced with vegetable oils.
If you wish to switch up your toddler’s diet, in this post we share everything you need to know about a plant-based formula for toddlers.
Packed With Nutrients
A growing number of parents are opting for a plant-based formula for toddlers but there is still a lot of talk around the subject of whether this type of formula contains the right amount of energy and nutrients that a toddler needs.
Even though a plant-based diet doesn’t contain the usual nutrients found in meat and dairy products, toddlers are still able to receive the same and other essential vitamins and minerals.
For instance, toddlers can receive calcium, which is an important mineral, through green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, and spinach or calcium-enriched mineral water, fortified nut, or soy milk. If you feel that your child needs an additional nutritious booster, you can look at the option of implementing a plant-based formula into their diet. Simply add the formula to their favorite smoothies, tasty morning oatmeal, and other foods and you’ll easily succeed in reaching the recommended intake of nutrients for your little toddler.
Helps Lactose Intolerant Toddlers
Not all moms can give their toddlers dairy-based formulas. Some toddlers are lactose intolerant, which is at times challenging to identify. It differs in severity, with various symptoms like bloating, vomiting, abdominal pain, and gassiness.
If this is the case with your toddler, a plant-based formula can be the perfect solution as they don’t use chemicals to break down the ingredients and are naturally processed. In addition, the protein, carbohydrates, and fats come directly from the whole plant, offering the ultimate nourishment for your child.
Highly Recommended For Fighting Severe Health Conditions
Giving your toddler plant-based formula can help protect them from severe health conditions. We all know that a diet that consists of lots of meat and dairy increases the chances for a toddler to develop problems with high cholesterol levels, heart diseases, and especially obesity.
For this reason, to stop the occurrence of such diseases, introduce as many veggies as you can, fruits, legumes, and whole grains into their diet. Giving your toddler plant-based formula also gives an additional dose of strength needed for proper growth and development, preventing the risk of them suffering from a severe health issue.
Offers Enormous Allergy Relief
A very common issue that parents face and struggle with their toddlers are allergies. Dairy products like cow’s milk have protein that may cause irritation and congestion of nasal passages making breathing harder which, in turn, has an impact on their daily food intake.
Therefore, opting for a plant-based formula is an excellent solution to provide your child with allergy relief. This type of formula has a significant presence of fiber which helps with gut bacteria and significantly lowers the risk of allergic reactions.
No Added Sugar
Almost all toddlers love sugar and if there are no adults around, they would be probably eating it at any time during the day. However, as we already know sugar is bad for the body, and when a toddler consumes too much of it, it can lead to disruption of their digestive system and lead to severe health issues like obesity and diabetes.
A healthy supplement like plant-based formula will keep your toddler’s sugar levels low so they can fight their sugar urges and be content.
Final Thoughts
Making sure your toddler is healthy and strong can be challenging as they’re often picky with their foods. Despite contrary belief, giving them plant-based formula is just as tasty as animal-based one and a great way of providing a source of healthy nutrition needed for proper growth and development.
If you’re hesitant and need more information about feeding your toddler with a plant-based formula, consult with your pediatrician.
