omg your such an awesome mommy! :-) My baby girl is only 2 months old I can't wait to start making her foods!

Gr8 idea on traveling and taking a hot plate.  I so much can do that!  Thx, xoxo

This is good, its sooo worth it to sacrifice to ensure that your kids eat healthy...check out my blog and see the stuff that I choose.

http://mommyenrichment.blogspot.com/

I love your approach! Your diet sounds very similar to mine, except I do eat meat. My little guy is just 3 months so he is still strictly breastfeeding, but I am so excited to make his food for him once he starts eating. It's something I always knew I wanted to do. Thanks for the tips! 

http://megganmary.blogspot.com

this is amazing!

Hey, Bethenny! Love the foodie life! Have you ever heard of B.R.A.T. Milk? It's a great new milk alternative product that is free of the top eight allergens. Every mom should have this in their cabinet!

http://www.bratdiet.org/

Bethenny, I owe you an apology.  When I first read this when you posted it, the concept of vegetarian for a child was SO foreign to me that I thought you went a little too far.  I didn't like it, because I wasn't comfortable with it.  Now that I have watched even more documentaries ("Forks Over Knives" was the latest), and done even more of my own research, the way you eat is exactly the way I want myself and my family to eat.  I have even decided that if I can't breastfeed, I want to use a soy-based formula rather than a casein-based formula.  Which did you choose?   My own research has me convinced that even if meat based foods are just fine and dandy for us, reducing them in the diet seems proven to help rather than harm.  Now my friends also think I'm going too far when I mention this new choice.   Thanks for promoting a plant based diet!  Love you as always and can't wait for the new BEA to air! :)

Bethenny, I recently watched Forks over Knives and some undercover footage of the horrible ways that animals are treated in factory farming. I then read the China Study and have decided to raise my child a vegan because it's not fair that animals suffer for my pleasure.  Thanks for sharing your system.  I am going to use it on our baby.

We chose to raise our daughter (now almost 2years old!) as an ovo-vegetarian.  If anyone wants more info on why to avoid dairy, just google "why don't vegans eat dairy" for some scary answers.  Also, my husband is lactose intolerant and I was concerned about her digesting dairy milk.  We buy only cage free organic certified humane eggs. But like you said Bethenny, if she has a regular cupcake at a birthday party, that is fine by us.

1. I always eat when she is eating, even when she was very little, she'd get a bite, then I'd eat a bite of my food. This is a time saver, but she also has learned how to chew, use a fork, etc largely from watching me.  This also distracts me from stressing over her every bite.  When I offer a new food, she always tries it faster if I put it in front of her like it's no big deal and don't make eye cotnact.

2. I always gave her sips of water from an open cup while feeding her, even when she was 7 months!  Water promotes digestion, cleanses the palate for the next bite, and contrary to what you might think, she never filled up on it.  Plus, she loved sucking on the open cup and this promotes good oral motor function and tongue posture for speech development (I'm a speech therapist)

3. I was worried about her getting too much soy, as we eat a lot of soy, so we chose to transition her from breastmilk to almond milk.  We have no family history of nut allergies, and she has never had a problem (talk to your doctor).  She loves the vanilla flavor!  Just watch the brand, the SILK brand seems to have the most calcium and is fortified with B-12, some brands (Pacific) have no calcium.  We wanted her to have more fat than rice milk provides.  If you do ricemilk,if you're worried about nut exposure, ask your pediatrician about adding a little safflower oil.

Our veggie daughter's weight has always been right on target and she will eat pretty much anything!

Thanks for the reminder to open my mind, Bethenny!  I feel so lost some days on what to offer to my daughter.  Well, let's be honest, some days I feel lost on what to feed myself!  I'm so stressed out because she is refusing to eat most finger foods (particularly fruits and veggies).  I share your feelings about her not being one of those kids that will only eat pizza or buttered noodles.  My husband and I just want her to be as healthy as possible.  As always, and like you say - just gotta keep going, doing my job and hoping for the best!

Keep doing your thing, Bethenny!  Love your honesty, and your expertise!