In order to ensure that your child gets a high quality protein in their vegetarian diet, at each meal you should combine cereal or vegetable proteins e.g. pasta, bread, rice or lentils with small quantities of dairy foods or eggs to provide a complete protein or combine two vegetable protein food groups. The groups are pulses such as beans, lentils and chickpeas, grains such as wheat, rice, oats, bread and pasta and nuts and seeds. Soya is the only plant-based food that contains all the amino acids.

Here are some examples of good combinations:
• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Baked potato with cheese and milk
• Lentil and vegetable puree with cheese
• Pasta with cheese sauce
• Baked beans on toast
• Rice and lentils.

Good vegetarian sources of protein include:
• Eggs
• Milk, cheese and yoghurt
• Soya
• Beans
• Lentils
• Nuts
• Seeds.