Parents make the ideal role models, especially when it comes to eating. If you set the example right from the start, odds are that your children will follow along. Show them that food—vegetarian food—is delicious, and that mealtimes are relaxed and enjoyable times. Just be sure you—and they— consume enough protein, fat, and calories to have the most energy throughout the day. For vegetarian parents faced with competing food temptations outside of the home, setting that early example is vital.

What Kids Should Eat

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), your baby should be ready for solids between the ages of four to six months. By then, most babies have enough control over the tongue and mouth muscles to coordinate the activity of swallowing. The AAP offers parents some helpful guidelines for introducing solids—but be sure to get your pediatrician’s advice as well. First solids should be easy-to-tolerate cereals, such as iron-fortified rice cereal, followed later by oat- and barley-based cereals, all moistened by breast milk or formula. Discuss the proper timing and foods with your pediatrician.

By the time your baby is six to eight months old, you may, with the doctor’s okay, start her on such protein-rich foods as tofu and cottage cheese and puréed legumes such as lentils. Vegetables such as puréed potatoes or sweet potatoes, green beans, or carrots come next, and bland and well-tolerated fruits such as ripe bananas, avocados, and applesauce help round out the diet.

By the time the baby becomes a toddler, at about one year, you might add cooked and mashed egg yolks and soy or dairy yogurt. As far as milk or a formula goes, the ADA suggests that one-year-olds should be offered full-fat cow’s milk or a fortified soymilk. Infants or toddlers on a strict vegan diet may need extra supplements in their diet. Note that until your child turns two, you should not feed her a fat-restricted diet. Sources of fat can be unsaturated plant-source oils such as peanut and olive oils and the saturated animal fats found in regular cow’s milk and cow’s milk products.

Important nutrients for children include calcium and vitamin D for strong teeth and bones; iron for boosting red blood cells; zinc for cell growth and improving the body’s immune system; and vitamin B12 for red blood cells and strong nerves. Vegan children may need supplements to meet their body’s needs.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

As it turns out, moms and grandmas were right: breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, for adults and most especially for children. Why? Everyone needs the basic fuels to start their metabolism revving up and keeping moods on an even keel. And researchers find that eating a nutrient-packed breakfast helps maintain a healthy weight, an important factor when so many youngsters are becoming obese.

The easiest way to serve wholesome breakfasts is to stock your pantry with whole-grain cereals, breads, and waffles; hard-boiled eggs; and ripe seasonal fruits. And for the mornings when everyone oversleeps, several eat-on-the-run treats such as yogurts, cheeses, or smoothies are great to keep handy. If late-rising happens often, try rousing the family earlier every morning, and the night before get the breakfast table ready; planning ahead prevents early-morning stress.

As you plan breakfasts—all meals, actually—keep in mind the balance between proteins, carbohydrates, and fiber. As a quick refresher, find your carbs in fruits, veggies, whole-grain breads and cereals, dried or cooked beans, and rice. Protein sources include eggs, cheeses, nuts, and dairy products. As for fiber, select whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.

Keeping Meals Kid Friendly

The trick to tempting little Susie to clean her plate is to offer foods she likes. Such standbys as noodles with vegetables or the classic macaroni and cheese options are usually sure-fire hits. For children without allergies, offer peanut butter with jam on whole-grain breads or baked into muffins. And burritos and tacos with cheese, soy meat alternatives, and/or vegetable fillings; pizzas; and dairy products such as cheese and yogurts are popular kid foods.

Still stumped? Try prepackaged veggie burgers or offer home-made bean or lentil burgers, and boost protein intake by adding meat substitutes such as tofu and soy “meat” products to soups and stews.

When planning children’s meals, refer to the USDA’s My Pyramid for Kids—omitting the meat option, of course—and use that as a general guideline. That means you’ll end up with a daily diet based primarily on vegetables, grains, fruits, milk, and protein sources, with a minimal amount of dietary oils added for good measure. And ask your child to participate in meal planning: if she doesn’t feel coerced into eating what you choose, chances are mealtimes will be happier.

Hungry kids—active kids—may need between-meals snacks, and instead of saying no, offer tasty treats that slip in extra nutrients. Why not suggest a crunchy apple or juicy orange, or perhaps whole-grain crackers with a cheese spread or hummus or a fruit-filled yogurt. Even a slice of cheese-topped pizza or a veggie hot dog will satisfy cravings. You can woo the young and hungry by keeping an ample supply of appealing and healthful snacks on hand: bowls of seasonal fruits, ready-to-eat veggies, and even bean dips with chips.

But be sure to avoid fat-filled, high-calorie snack foods that don’t satisfy—or build health. These just fatten. And skip the sugary sodas and fruit juices that tend to fill up rather than nourish. Remember, what’s good for your child is also good for you.

Fighting Childhood Obesity

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), childhood obesity in America has reached epidemic levels. Over the last 20-plus years, it has increased at an alarming rate, almost fourfold in the 12- to 19-year-old age group since the 1976–1980 NHANES survey. Well-documented health risks of childhood obesity include Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, high cholesterol, cancer, osteoarthritis, and others. And overweight children are more likely to be overweight adults with the same health risks.

What are the causes of obesity? Studies suggest that a sedentary lifestyle and a high-fat, high-calorie diet are the main factors that add up to childhood—and adult—obesity. But active vegetarian children may run little risk of becoming obese: by avoiding fatty meats and fried foods, eating appropriate portions of nutritious foods, and keeping away from high-cal fast foods and snacks.