any vegans?

I'm vegan, so is everyone in the house im living in so its only natural to bring my boys up the same way, if in the future they want to eat meat, so be it.

I was just wondering if there are any other vegan families on the board? and if so, what is the best way to introduce food?
and then from then, how would i going about adding more variety into their diet?

I was thinking starting off with mashed pumpkin or sweet potato over mashed banana or apple sauce (so they get used to vegies before having something sweeter, not really any difference to a non-vegan baby)
We are going ok with breast feeding now, but I know if that fails there is the soy formula alternative.

i've done much research and from person experience have a good idea on what im doing, but any pointed from over vegan families would be great!

not sure about the rice porridge, i'd rather them eat something i cooked over something from a box.
any other tips would be really helpful! thankyou in advance

 

We're vegetarian, but for quite a while the babies were vegan. We weren't sure if DD had a milk allergy, and it was too early for eggs.

The "rules" about starting solids are still the same - wait until at least 6 mo, start with things unlikely to be allergens, wait 3-4 days after trying one new food before trying another, so that if there is a reaction you know what caused it.

It's often recommended to start with rice cereal because it's fortified with iron. Your breastmilk has more than enough iron for the babies for at least the first 6 mo, but after a while they will need iron from other sources. But you don't have to start with it if you don't want to.

Starting with veggies is fine, but don't stress too much if you start with fruit. Babies are born with a sweet tooth, and your milk is the sweetest food there is! A couple times I've tasted my milk, and I swear it's more sugary than vanilla-flavored soymilk. I don't think they'll refuse veggies if they get fruit first.

One great baby food for veg/vegan babies is just mashed up legumes. My kids really liked (and still do!) pureed lentils, black beans, etc. Great source of protein and iron.

Iron is what you'll really want to keep an eye on. As you know, it's easy to get plenty of protein, but iron can be tougher. Go for the legumes, dark leafy greens, iron-fortified cereal (Cheerios!), and combine with some fruit that has vitamin C to enhance iron absorption.

QUOTE
We are going ok with breast feeding now, but I know if that fails there is the soy formula alternative.


If you've made it this far, there's no way you can fail! :clapping: WTG on a good start nursing!

 

not vegan but we are vegetarian - i eat a little fish here and there - but rarely prepare it in the house. my girls just started solids and i started with mashed avocados - it went over ok, then pears, prunes, and apples all mixed with rice cereal to cut down the sweetness, today they tried sweet potatoes. i cant wait to introduce the bean stuff - dal, tofu etc. but i think we have to wait on that stuff. i figure they can eat meat when they decide for themselves - but i am not going to buy it and prepare it for them.

 

thats for the replies.
a few idea's i didnt have

*ese - your girls are only just 6 months, when did you start them on solids? were you advised to start early?

I cant wait to get into solids! only a few months to go.

 

QUOTE(ese @ Jun 2 2008, 12:26 PM) [snapback]804661[/snapback]
not vegan but we are vegetarian - i eat a little fish here and there - but rarely prepare it in the house. my girls just started solids and i started with mashed avocados - it went over ok, then pears, prunes, and apples all mixed with rice cereal to cut down the sweetness, today they tried sweet potatoes. i cant wait to introduce the bean stuff - dal, tofu etc. but i think we have to wait on that stuff. i figure they can eat meat when they decide for themselves - but i am not going to buy it and prepare it for them.


I love this idea!

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Jun 2 2008, 09:56 AM) [snapback]804363[/snapback]
One great baby food for veg/vegan babies is just mashed up legumes. My kids really liked (and still do!) pureed lentils, black beans, etc. Great source of protein and iron.

If you've made it this far, there's no way you can fail! :clapping: WTG on a good start nursing!


what age did you start with the more 'intense?' solids (beans, tofu, lentils)
I'm probably stressing to much about this! but I dont want to start them off with solids the wrong way

 

There's no right or wrong to solids as long as you are aware of allergenic foods and use a 3 day (or more depending) day wait rule. If you feed them fruits first it won't "ruin" their taste buds. (Breastmilk itself is very sweet.) If you feed them veggies first there's no guarantee they will love veggies when they are older. Do what you feel most comfortable with.

 

QUOTE
what age did you start with the more 'intense?' solids (beans, tofu, lentils)


I think we started pretty early with that stuff - partly because the babies hated solids so much and I was desperate to find something they'd actually like! Maybe around 7-8 mo or so we tried spreading lentil or bean puree on toast for them... They never had any problem with it, not even gassy or anything. I think around then I also let them have lentil soup, and that was a real eye-opener - they just hated bland stuff, and went nuts for something with actual seasonings! :lol:

 

I'm almost vegan (I eat eggs). The boys have dairy because they have dairy formula but I really want to limit as much dairy as possible. I can't get a bean into my boys. It's worrying me soooo much. They have to like beans! They like tofu but I'm not sure how much is ok with the phytoestrogen thing. I'm finding it kind of stressful (but not as stressful as having my mother badger me about her wanting them to eat meat and how left out they'll feel).