Vegetarian Diet - The importance of iron

An important nutrient, which is harder to obtain from a vegetarian diet, is iron.

Iron deficiency is the commonest nutritional deficiency in the Western world. Babies are born with a store of iron that lasts for about the first six months. When this in-built store of iron is depleted, a baby will need to get iron from his diet. There are a few types of iron, the best source is found in meat and is easily absorbed by the body, plant food sources are more difficult to absorb, and lastly a third type added by manufacturers to foods such as breakfast cereals is absorbed less well.

Good source of iron:
• Fortified breakfast cereals.
• Egg yolk.
• Wholemeal bread.
• Dark green vegetables e.g. spinach and cabbage.
• Beans and lentils.
• Dried fruit e.g. apricot, prunes, peaches, raisins.

Follow-on milk can be introduced from 6 months and this contains more iron than ordinary formula milk.

Provided there is no history of atopic illness in the family e.g. asthma, food allergy, eczema or hayfever, smooth peanut butter can be introduced from 6 months. This is a good nutrient dense food providing a valuable source of protein and minerals.

DO NOT give whole nuts to children under the age of five, as there is a risk of choking.