Guest guest Posted February 2, 2001 Report Share Posted February 2, 2001 Hi there, veg*n families! My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- hooray! -- and we had his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th percentile on weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more conscious of trying to get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has little patience for eating). One suggestion by VRG for high fat vegan food is dried fruit & soy yogurt. But I'm concerned about the process used to make dried fruit, and all the additives & the kinds of sweetner added to the soy yogurts I found. (He really likes the vanilla, though!) Does anyone have experience with these things and/or any caveats? Or additional suggestions for high fat/high calorie vegan foods to give an active little 1-year-old? (We already know about avocado, and nut & seed butters, too.) He's still breastfeeding, but just quick slurps between activity (more calm & voracious first thing in the morning, though). Thanks! Karen in Chapel Hill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2001 Report Share Posted February 5, 2001 Karen, I have a 5 yr. old vegan son. Both my husband and I are also vegan. When my son was your son's age, he had a drop in wieght as well. We have a great holistic pediatrician who is also a nutritionist. She suggested flax seed powder as a supplement. The great thing about it, is that you can use it in pancakes and waffles instead of an egg. Also sprinkle it on veggies, pasta, grains and beans. Also the flax has many of the omega fatty acids that we need. My son is now in the 90th percentile in height and weight and has been for the last several years. Peace, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2001 Report Share Posted February 5, 2001 At 06:55 PM 2/2/01 -0500, Karen wrote: >Hi there, veg*n families! > >My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- hooray! -- and we had >his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th percentile on >weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more conscious of trying to >get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has little patience >for eating). Was this a suggestion of the doctor? Many children are average for weight at this time of their lives, especially when they are becoming more mobile. My girls did the same thing and we haven't done anything to add fat to their diets. In fact, my oldest weighs just a mere 8 pounds more than her younger sister, who is 35 months younger. My opinion on this, and what I have found from others, is that kids eat what they will. Offer what you can and then go from there. I wouldn't be concerned about any extra fat, unless your son was looking emaciated or like he needed the fat. 50% is average - nothing wrong with that! Susie momma to Sarah Rose (May 9, 1995), Emily (April 8, 1998) and ? (March 22, 2001) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2001 Report Share Posted February 6, 2001 Karen, My son, Parker, is one year old today (2/5/00) and we are vegan. (By the way, my husband went to school in Chapel Hill so we go there at least once a year to visit friends and family.) Parker has a heart defect so I worry more about percentiles/weight than I would 'normally'. My son is in the 50th too, but I am trying to let go of my worry and just let him be himself. I read recently that we tend to think of bigger kids as healthier, but there is really no reason to think this and there are some studies that say bigger kids have higher rates of certain cancers. (I'm sure there are studies out there that say all sorts of things, but this one was noted in 'The Truth About Breast Cancer'.) Parker is nursing also so I feel like that is my 'safety net' so to speak. We do feed him 'Just Fruit' dried fruit, but I've decided to start drying my own...that way I can get all organic fruits. We do buy Silk soy yogurt and Whole Soy soy yogurt, but I've found a recipe to make homemade soy yogurt...maybe you should try that. Does he eat tofu? I just started feeding Parker tofu (put it off as long as I could) and he loves it. Tofu is pretty high in fat. I'm sure Gerald is a healthy, happy boy...being active is a great sign of health. :-) Good luck! Linda Evans Illinois PS Someone mentioned flax seeds. I've heard that cooking with flax destroys some of the nutrients. A speaker at the Vegetarian Society of DC mentioned this two years ago so now I don't use it for cooking, but we sprinkle it on top of cereal, etc. Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks! At 06:55 PM 2/2/01 -0500, you wrote: >Hi there, veg*n families! > >My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- hooray! -- and we had >his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th percentile on >weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more conscious of trying to >get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has little patience >for eating). One suggestion by VRG for high fat vegan food is dried fruit & >soy yogurt. But I'm concerned about the process used to make dried fruit, >and all the additives & the kinds of sweetner added to the soy yogurts I >found. (He really likes the vanilla, though!) Does anyone have experience >with these things and/or any caveats? Or additional suggestions for high >fat/high calorie vegan foods to give an active little 1-year-old? (We >already know about avocado, and nut & seed butters, too.) He's still >breastfeeding, but just quick slurps between activity (more calm & voracious >first thing in the morning, though). > >Thanks! > >Karen in Chapel Hill > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2001 Report Share Posted February 6, 2001 Hi! Linda Could you share the soy yogurt recipe? I would really appreciate it! Or even just where to find it. I have an eight, six, three and two year old that love yogurt and I sometimes get worried about additives and super high sugar content. Thanks Bunches! Renee - " Linda Evans " <linda.evans Monday, February 05, 2001 9:41 PM Re: Vegan Baby fat & calories > Karen, > > My son, Parker, is one year old today (2/5/00) and we are vegan. (By the > way, my husband went to school in Chapel Hill so we go there at least once > a year to visit friends and family.) Parker has a heart defect so I worry > more about percentiles/weight than I would 'normally'. My son is in the > 50th too, but I am trying to let go of my worry and just let him be > himself. I read recently that we tend to think of bigger kids as > healthier, but there is really no reason to think this and there are some > studies that say bigger kids have higher rates of certain cancers. (I'm > sure there are studies out there that say all sorts of things, but this one > was noted in 'The Truth About Breast Cancer'.) > > Parker is nursing also so I feel like that is my 'safety net' so to speak. > We do feed him 'Just Fruit' dried fruit, but I've decided to start drying > my own...that way I can get all organic fruits. We do buy Silk soy yogurt > and Whole Soy soy yogurt, but I've found a recipe to make homemade soy > yogurt...maybe you should try that. Does he eat tofu? I just started > feeding Parker tofu (put it off as long as I could) and he loves it. Tofu > is pretty high in fat. > > I'm sure Gerald is a healthy, happy boy...being active is a great sign of > health. :-) > > Good luck! > > Linda Evans > > Illinois > > PS Someone mentioned flax seeds. I've heard that cooking with flax > destroys some of the nutrients. A speaker at the Vegetarian Society of DC > mentioned this two years ago so now I don't use it for cooking, but we > sprinkle it on top of cereal, etc. Does anyone know anything about this? > Thanks! > > At 06:55 PM 2/2/01 -0500, you wrote: > >Hi there, veg*n families! > > > >My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- hooray! -- and we had > >his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th percentile on > >weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more conscious of trying to > >get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has little patience > >for eating). One suggestion by VRG for high fat vegan food is dried fruit & > >soy yogurt. But I'm concerned about the process used to make dried fruit, > >and all the additives & the kinds of sweetner added to the soy yogurts I > >found. (He really likes the vanilla, though!) Does anyone have experience > >with these things and/or any caveats? Or additional suggestions for high > >fat/high calorie vegan foods to give an active little 1-year-old? (We > >already know about avocado, and nut & seed butters, too.) He's still > >breastfeeding, but just quick slurps between activity (more calm & voracious > >first thing in the morning, though). > > > >Thanks! > > > >Karen in Chapel Hill > > > > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2001 Report Share Posted February 6, 2001 i wouldn't be too concerned about a drop of precentile wieght. around the first year a child starts to slow down in in wieght gain and they start to get taller and grow into thier wieght so to speak. my son is a big boy for his age in height and wieght . he was at the 90 precntile for awhile and at around 18 months then it started dropping. but he is still at age 2, 35 lbs. maybe you should confirm with your dr if you should be changing his diet to more calories. its easy to make a baby to chunky, harder to slim them down. >> >> >My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- hooray! -- and we had> >his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th percentile on> >weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more conscious of tryingto> >get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has littlepatience> >for eating). One suggestion by VRG for high fat vegan food is driedfruit & > >soy yogurt. But I'm concerned about the process used to make driedfruit,> >and all the additives & the kinds of sweetner added to the soy yogurts I> >found. (He really likes the vanilla, though!) Does anyone haveexperience> >with these things and/or any caveats? Or additional suggestions for high> >fat/high calorie vegan foods to give an active little 1-year-old? (We> >already know about avocado, and nut & seed butters, too.) He's still> >breastfeeding, but just quick slurps between activity (more calm & voracious> >first thing in the morning, though).> >> >Thanks!> >> >Karen in Chapel Hill> >>>>>> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website athttp://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go tohttp://www.vrg.org/family.>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2001 Report Share Posted February 6, 2001 All this talk about babies dropping into the 50th percentile has me chuckling. My son has never made it out of the 5th in either weight or height. He was very small when he was born, just shy of five pounds. Today, he is 17 months old and still only around 18 pounds. My husband and I are not giant people, both probably average for height and below average for weight. My son and I are vegans. I give him avocados, nut butters, and soy yogurt, add flax seed oil to his cereal and olive oil to his other foods, and he managed to put on almost two pounds between his 12 month and 15 month checkups. I also still nurse him in the morning and at night. Needless to say, even with all of those fats and calories he's still pretty small. I'm not worried and neither is my pediatrician, but reading all of this chat about a baby dropping to the 50th percentile has me wondering. I've been a very committed vegan for about a decade and do not want to feed my son animal products, especially in the wake of this mad cow disaster. Does anyone else out there have a small vegan baby? What have your experiences been with doctors? What do you do besides what I mentioned above to ensure that your baby gets enough fat and calories? Thanks. Julie - Ang Tuesday, February 06, 2001 9:45 AM Re: Vegan Baby fat & calories i wouldn't be too concerned about a drop of precentile wieght. around the first year a child starts to slow down in in wieght gain and they start to get taller and grow into thier wieght so to speak. my son is a big boy for his age in height and wieght . he was at the 90 precntile for awhile and at around 18 months then it started dropping. but he is still at age 2, 35 lbs. maybe you should confirm with your dr if you should be changing his diet to more calories. its easy to make a baby to chunky, harder to slim them down. >> >> >My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- hooray! -- and we had> >his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th percentile on> >weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more conscious of tryingto> >get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has littlepatience> >for eating). One suggestion by VRG for high fat vegan food is driedfruit & > >soy yogurt. But I'm concerned about the process used to make driedfruit,> >and all the additives & the kinds of sweetner added to the soy yogurts I> >found. (He really likes the vanilla, though!) Does anyone haveexperience> >with these things and/or any caveats? Or additional suggestions for high> >fat/high calorie vegan foods to give an active little 1-year-old? (We> >already know about avocado, and nut & seed butters, too.) He's still> >breastfeeding, but just quick slurps between activity (more calm & voracious> >first thing in the morning, though).> >> >Thanks!> >> >Karen in Chapel Hill> >>>>>> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website athttp://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go tohttp://www.vrg.org/family.>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2001 Report Share Posted February 6, 2001 On Mon, 5 Feb 2001, Linda Evans wrote: > PS Someone mentioned flax seeds. I've heard that cooking with flax > destroys some of the nutrients. A speaker at the Vegetarian Society of DC > mentioned this two years ago so now I don't use it for cooking, but we > sprinkle it on top of cereal, etc. Does anyone know anything about this? That matches what I have heard and read. Apparently the oil in flax seeds (where all the good Omega 3 fatty acids come from) is unstable at high temperatures. In fact, the store where I buy flax seed oil keeps it in the refrigerated section, separate from the other oils which are kept at room temperature. I often drizzle some on vegetables or pasta just before serving for the nutritional benefits, but I don't cook with it. ---- Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely different way ... -- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2001 Report Share Posted February 7, 2001 I would also love the recipe... Thanks! Karen > > Renee Jean [renee] > Tuesday, February 06, 2001 4:17 AM > > Re: Vegan Baby fat & calories > > > Hi! > Linda > > Could you share the soy yogurt recipe? I would really > appreciate it! Or > even just where to find it. I have an eight, six, three and > two year old > that love yogurt and I sometimes get worried about additives > and super high > sugar content. > > Thanks Bunches! > Renee > - > " Linda Evans " <linda.evans > > Monday, February 05, 2001 9:41 PM > Re: Vegan Baby fat & calories > > > > Karen, > > > > My son, Parker, is one year old today (2/5/00) and we are > vegan. (By the > > way, my husband went to school in Chapel Hill so we go > there at least once > > a year to visit friends and family.) Parker has a heart > defect so I worry > > more about percentiles/weight than I would 'normally'. My > son is in the > > 50th too, but I am trying to let go of my worry and just let him be > > himself. I read recently that we tend to think of bigger kids as > > healthier, but there is really no reason to think this and > there are some > > studies that say bigger kids have higher rates of certain > cancers. (I'm > > sure there are studies out there that say all sorts of > things, but this > one > > was noted in 'The Truth About Breast Cancer'.) > > > > Parker is nursing also so I feel like that is my 'safety net' so to > speak. > > We do feed him 'Just Fruit' dried fruit, but I've decided > to start drying > > my own...that way I can get all organic fruits. We do buy > Silk soy yogurt > > and Whole Soy soy yogurt, but I've found a recipe to make > homemade soy > > yogurt...maybe you should try that. Does he eat tofu? I > just started > > feeding Parker tofu (put it off as long as I could) and he > loves it. Tofu > > is pretty high in fat. > > > > I'm sure Gerald is a healthy, happy boy...being active is a > great sign of > > health. :-) > > > > Good luck! > > > > Linda Evans > > > > Illinois > > > > PS Someone mentioned flax seeds. I've heard that cooking with flax > > destroys some of the nutrients. A speaker at the > Vegetarian Society of DC > > mentioned this two years ago so now I don't use it for > cooking, but we > > sprinkle it on top of cereal, etc. Does anyone know > anything about this? > > Thanks! > > > > At 06:55 PM 2/2/01 -0500, you wrote: > > >Hi there, veg*n families! > > > > > >My son Gerald just had his first birthday Monday -- > hooray! -- and we had > > >his 12-month checkup Tuesday. He's dropped to the 50th > percentile on > > >weight -- no start for alarm, but it's made us more > conscious of trying > to > > >get him more calories without having to fill him up (he has little > patience > > >for eating). One suggestion by VRG for high fat vegan > food is dried > fruit & > > >soy yogurt. But I'm concerned about the process used to make dried > fruit, > > >and all the additives & the kinds of sweetner added to the > soy yogurts I > > >found. (He really likes the vanilla, though!) Does anyone have > experience > > >with these things and/or any caveats? Or additional > suggestions for high > > >fat/high calorie vegan foods to give an active little > 1-year-old? (We > > >already know about avocado, and nut & seed butters, too.) > He's still > > >breastfeeding, but just quick slurps between activity (more calm & > voracious > > >first thing in the morning, though). > > > > > >Thanks! > > > > > >Karen in Chapel Hill > > > > > > > > > > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the > VRG website at > http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for > families go to > http://www.vrg.org/family. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 8, 2001 Report Share Posted February 8, 2001 thanks, y'all i'm not really worried about Gerald being at a particular percentile of weight, I'm just looking for vegan food suggestions. in fact the ped was not very concerned either. i see and hear about many infants & toddlers who are overfed (meat-eating families) and it really makes me sad. like once this hugely obese coworker of mine was telling me about his granddaughter and how he was just convinced that she was starving because she would cry. I was like Hey! a baby's only form of communication in those first months is to cry, she could be trying to communicate lots of different things! but i don't think he heard me, he wasn't listening to anything but his own stomach. yes please do share the soy yogurt recipe! peace, karen in chapel hill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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