Will vegetarianism delay my son's mental and physical growth?

No, listen to the doctor. As long as he's getting enough protein he's fine. Vegetarianism is much healthier for him, and the fact that you tried to force him into the less healthy omnivorous diet shows that you need to research the issue more. As long as he's getting enough protein it's fine, even if you want to get extra protein capsules to make sure. Dark green vegetables (eg spinach & brocoli) contain lots of protein. The link contains more information about the protein requirements: http://www.massgrown.org/high_protein_vegetables.html

I'm definitely NOT a nutritionist, as one might expect by my moniker, but I ate meat as a kid, plenty of it, and my grades were pretty bad until I got to the 3rd or 4th grade... once I settled down a bit. I don't think they are necessarily related.

Show him films on how they butcher vegetables. How they yank carrots by the "hair" and pull them like a tooth right from the ground. How they pull potatoes from the ground and then rip their skin off them before they are sliced into little pieces and dropped in hot boiling oil. And what about broccoli? Oh, the torment!

Protein is crucial to his development. I don't know why your doctor would say it's fine & to just drink milk & yogurt as a substitute. At least start giving him some vitamins. edit: just an idea..try having your husband show him how to grill steaks, now that it's summer. he'll want to eat it afterwards.

Well, me being a doctor and all, I would have to say no, its not okay. If he's not eating beans then your son is not geting the necessary protein he requires. Remember, protein is what helps a child grow and develop strong muscles. I remember growing up and being a tall but skinny kid. I couldn't run as fast or jump as high as my school mates. They picked on me and I would cry home and play with my Nintendo because that's all I was good at. When they came over to play I would always whoop everyone. Now I bet they're all losers and not as successful as I am. So what I'm trying to say is make your kid eat his beans or buy him a nintendo. Your choice

There is no nutrient specific to meat - you can get everything you need form a vegetarian diet. The whole "no protein" thing is such a myth it's really scary how many people believe it. Protein is in every food you eat - beans and nuts, veggies and fruit, seeds (due to the fact that they have everything a plant needs to grow seeds are packed with nutrients) bread and pasta, etc. If your son is eating enough food and it's not junk he's getting enough protein. Most Americans eat too much protein, and that's dangerous. You do need to do research so you understand what kinds of food he needs to be eating, but you say he's eating veggies and that's great. I'd recommend cooking the veggies in olive oil to make sure he's getting good fats. Make sure he has a variety of fruits and veggies too. His kindergarden report card means very little - children develop at their own pace and that's a very biased way to judge their growth. Nor is his size something to worry about. I would stop worrying about bribing him - that's not sending a good message to your son. Rather pick out some things he should be eating, and tell him if he doesn't eat meat then he needs to try other things. Hummus is a good protein source that kids often like, since they can use it as a dip. Get a couple of cookbooks for vegetarian cooking. Make it something you and your son can bond over - trying new foods and new recipes. You wouldn't be a good mom if you weren't worried, but I think things sound fine.

Nah, eating meat has nothing to do with your intelligence. I think as long as he gets protein from other sources, he'll be just fine. Can you get him to eat something like a mild chili (just beans and everything else, but without the meat?)...you can make some really nourishing stuff up like that. Or make veggie soup and slip some kidney beans etc in it. Another thing, you might get him some omega3 supplements ~ http://www.purityproducts.com/product.asp?sku=395&dept_id=52 ~ those are pricey but worth it I think. Or shop around for another high quality brand. Anyway, your little guy is healthy, I'm sure!

No, it won't. A cow, for example, is a vegetarian. By this I mean that it will exclusively consume vegetable matter as part of it's diet. I believe they enjoy beans and yogurt in particular. Despite this, the cow is a large and intelligent animal that will walk around on it's hind legs and even play literati online when humans are not watching due to Yahoo Answers commitments. Cows are also cunning and that is why we must slaughter and feed them to our children in order to stop their plans for world domination.

Your son needs about 24 grams/protein/day to be healthy.