Keeping our little ones growing and developing physically is important to all parents. And as we know focusing on a well-balanced diet full of a variety of healthy foods is the most important thing we can do as parents to encourage healthy growth. Although sugary and high-fat foods should be avoided, there are some "good" fats that we can introduce into our children's diets.
"Good" fats in the form of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are what we're looking for. Monounsaturated fats can be found readily in avocados, olive oil, nuts (including peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios) and polyunsaturates which can most commonly be found in fish and fish oils, can also be found canola oil, flax oil, hemp oil, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, and leafy green vegetables.
Some easy ways to introduce these fats into your vegetarian baby's diet include:
- mashed avocado sandwich spread
- pumpkin seed butter sandwich spread
- flax oil stirred into oatmeal (add after oatmeal has cooled for baby to eat)
- soybeans (edamame) as finger food
- almond butter sandwich spread
- ground almonds added to dishes
- olive oil drizzled on vegetables
Keep in mind that we should never restrict fat from our child's diet before the age of 2 - unless this has been specified by their doctor. Babies and children need these good fats to help them grow and develop and benefit greatly from their nutritive properties. It is always good to be able to differentiate, though, between good and bad fats. Pick the pumpkin seeds over the potato chips!
