Vegan advice

[johnnytheboy]

My daughter is allergic to dairy, soy and eggs, pretty unlucky for the wee cookie, most of the diet has been resolved apart from one thing, what to use instead of mayonnaise? If we make her a wee sandwich or something we have nothing to bind contents together! She is only a wee toddler and wanting to do things herself and stuff is falling out of her sandwich, she is ending up with just the bread.

 

[Janne]

Try to 'wet' the bread with a nice Olive oil.

 

[Mesquite]

This is the first video I found on YT. just do a search on there for non dairy/vegan mayo and you'll find loads of ideas

 

[Janne]

You can try to use a high speed mixer type Magic Bullet mix Olive Oil ( or any oil), a little bit of water and a little bit of lemon juice.
Will be quite liquidy though.

You can use lard on her sandwiches too. Drippings. Very oldfashined and tasty!



(I hope you know that a Vegan diet is discouraged for young children? )

 

[Broch]

My daughter is allergic to dairy, soy and eggs, pretty unlucky for the wee cookie, most of the diet has been resolved apart from one thing, what to use instead of mayonnaise? If we make her a wee sandwich or something we have nothing to bind contents together! She is only a wee toddler and wanting to do things herself and stuff is falling out of her sandwich, she is ending up with just the bread.

You could try a toddler friendly version of this if she's OK with chickpeas, it's not quite mayo but acceptable:

garlic, minced
juice from 1 lemon
mustard
50ml liquid from 1 can of chickpeas
whole chickpeas (handful)
vegetable oil
salt and black pepper

choose quantities to taste
blend all ingredients except oil
slowly drizzle oil in as blending until it creates a thick creamy sauce

 

[santaman2000]

Guacamole.

 

[Toddy]

I use coconut oil on stuff like toast, or I use humous on plain bread or crackers or for a mayonnaise substitute.
Lidl's less fat humous is very good, and it's not full of salt or garlic, and it's cheap enough to try, and if she only eats a little of the tub, it's not expensive to throw it out.
Coconut oil I just keep in the cupboard and it spreads like butter then.

Of all the dairy free, soya free, margarines out there, the tastiest one is actually among the cheapest. Vita-lite is fine, and it's very good to use in baking, which can't be said for a lot of the others.

Her diet is very do-able, it only becomes a problem when other folks have to feed her. It's one thing to be vegan by choice, but it's another when it's a health issue for a child.
Very best of luck with it...and if you want recipes, I have a shelf load of books on the subject.

M

 

[mrcharly]

Humous is a decent 'binder' for fillings in sandwiches and doesn't make the bread soggy.

Does she like marmite? I'm sure you know that vegans need to keep an eye on Vit B intake (not a problem for those of us who like dark beers).

 

[Lithril]

As above really, humous is easy to make yourself in bulk and a good protein source, guacamole, salsa, there are quite a few veg oil based margarines, coconut oil is really nice. If you can find some large wraps that she can eat they work quite well once they learn to fold them, my 3 year old son loves them and it stops everything falling out of the bottom.

 

[santaman2000]

Another way to use avocados (other than guacamole) would be to emulsify it in either avocado oil or olive oil and use as a spread. I haven't tried it yet but I imagine you'd also need to add a little lemon or lime juice to slow discoloration unless you use it immediately. Salt, pepper, and any other herbs or seasonings to taste.

 

[Tengu]

Hummous with nuts in is fantastic.

I do hope the OP does try her on meat. Toddlers love meat.

 

[Toddy]

I wrote out a whole post refuting that Tengu, but it's TMI, so I'll just say, you are mistaken.
I never liked meat, and I'm not alone.

M

 

[Janne]

We are developed as omnivores, and our system work best with a varied diet.

Having said that, one religion has developed an excellent vegetarian alternative food style, that is easy and works. Gives the body all it needs.

 

[santaman2000]

I could never be vegan. I love vegetables; but they're only truly good tasting when cooked properly seasoned with loads of bacon grease.

 

[Toddy]

We are developed as omnivores, and our system work best with a varied diet.

Having said that, one religion has developed an excellent vegetarian alternative food style, that is easy and works. Gives the body all it needs.

I agree. Humanity is the cooking ape, and we can make almost anything edible....just that some foods just really do not appeal, and others are definitely culturally inappropriate.
For instance, Brits as a whole don't eat horses or dogs, yet both are considered good food elsewhere; it's just meat.

M

 

[Janne]

For adults, a semi vegan diet is the best. Even if you eat meat, you should eat much, much less that the average person eats today.

I am an omni eater, but try to eat like we did in Europe before the industrial revolution.
Very little meat.

Of course we must also adopt our diet to our religious and medical needs!

I hope that if the OP is giving his two year old child a vegan diet, I hope he has consulted a specialist nutritionalist, read tons of medical internet based sites and really gives a thought in the food preparation.

B12 deficiency is a serious problem in children whose parents give them a vegan diet.

 

[santaman2000]

I agree. Humanity is the cooking ape, and we can make almost anything edible....just that some foods just really do not appeal, and others are definitely culturally inappropriate.
For instance, Brits as a whole don't eat horses or dogs, yet both are considered good food elsewhere; it's just meat.

M

Most modern people would be repulsed at the "meat" primitive man thrived on: bugs, worms, rotting carcasses, etc. Or maybe not; after all, we still eat crabs, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, oysters, etc.

 

[Toddy]

I think watching the bit about the men who steal from lions gave us all a whole new appreciation for so called 'primitive' man

 

[Janne]

Many food taboos stem from sound medical reasons, some from ‘respect’
The jewish and moslem pork and shellfish taboo stems from that shellfish spoil incredibly fast in the Middle Eastern heat. Trikinosis was endemic in the same area, and as they could not cook meat properly due to fuel shortages, the trikines were not killed off in the ‘rare’ pork.
Dad refused to eat horse, he to,d me ‘ you do not eat your hardest working farm labourer’.
Dog - same there, a friend in the farm for hunting, protection, chasing away foxes and other wild animals that wanted an easy chicken meal.

We try to eat meat only once or twice a week, fish once or twice.
Weirdly enough most traditional ‘farmer foods’ in central Europe and Scandinavia plus Finland are meat free. Porridges, breads, soups from veg and greens and pulses...

 

[Janne]

Most modern people would be repulsed at the "meat" primitive man thrived on: bugs, worms, rotting carcasses, etc. Or maybe not; after all, we still eat crabs, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, oysters, etc.

You should try my kind of delicacy, the Swedish surströmming ( fermented herring) and the Norwegian Gammelost (’old cheese’j


Game and beef must be aged. Aging is a decomposition process..

Souring (sourkraut, kimchi and soured veg) is also a decomposition...