refusing to eat

1 month ago my 4 years child threw up and since then she is scared of eating. she stopped eating meat,fish and chicken,eats vegetable soups and salads only.when she smells meat or fish starts crying ,shaking and panicking. we stopped giving her snacks between meals,not forcing her to eat but still no luck,every day she eats less and less.please help me if you can.thank you very much.sincerely, karen

[Renee Radenberg]

Children can eat as vegetarians; however, Protein (essential amino acids) is the main ingredient that needs attention. It is very important children get all the nutrients (carbs, protein, and fats) for them to grow and develop. Protein sources are from dairy products which can come from animal or plant sources, such as, milk, soy milk, rice milk, yogurt, soy yogurt, cheese, soy cheese, soy ice cream, and rice ice cream. For the plant protein, you need to combine grains and nuts / seeds for essential protein have to be used daily such as rice and beans, pasta and beans, nuts to oatmeal, peanut butter and bread, and salad and nuts. Suggest a daily chewable children multi-vitamin to help supplement vitamins and minerals they do not get from the vegetarian diet. Recommend you read up on vegetarian and combinations of starches / vegetables and beans / nuts for protein, calcium, and other nutrients. Good sources of information are the American Dietetic Association website, www.eatright.org and Vegetarian Resource Group website, www.vrg.org. The most important thing is to RELAX. You do not want mealtimes to be a battle of the wits between the child and the parents. Remember meals need to be joyous for parents and the child. If she will not eat a certain food, do not make a fuss over it. Give her some other food alternatives. Then let it go and enjoy the meal. Slowly introduce new foods, and if she does not want it, do not make a fuss over it. Let it go and enjoy the meal. Try again in a few weeks. Hope this helped you.