Is A Vegetarian Diet Good For You?

Last week when I called home, my dad kept insisting that I need to provide my 2 year old son some meat in his diet, at least once a week he said. I kept insisting that as long as we have protein in our diet, we should be OK....but he kept on nagging over this issue through the phone.

So I looked up the internet and found out the following information about children's nutrition:

1. A child should be provided with a nutritional diet that is high in protein and contains above adequate levels of calcium. Protein aids the growth of muscle and bones & calcium helps to develop the bones.
2. An all round nutritional diet containing vitamins and minerals is highly recommended.
3. Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables is highly important.
4. Milk is also highly recommended. A glass of skimmed milk before bedtime should also be taken. As for vegetarian children, survey shows that they do have fewer red blood cells & iron levels than omnivores.

When levels are too low, the result is anemia, which may cause learning and psychomotor problems, fatigue and infection. Anemia is also caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency. Because vitamin B12 is found in all animal products, deficiency is of primary concern for vegetarians.

However, children who eat beans or tofu several times a day and dark green vegetables along with a source of vitamin C at mealtime to increase iron absorption, have plenty of red blood cells.

Despite the risk of lower iron levels affecting learning in young children, older vegetarian children may actually have higher IQs than carnivores.

Any other comments on children with a non-meat diet?