QUORN ..... YAY OR NAY!

[zakfinbon]

I wondering if anyone knows if it's ok to give my dd Quorn, she's 9 months old.  She is eating really well but we don't eat red meat and I want to vary her diet as much as possible, have been using a lot of tofu so am looking for a change.  My boys love Quorn, eat it all the time but I'm just not sure if it's suitable for a baby. 

Thanks

[zakfinbon]

Its a vegetarian product derived from mushrooms.  I am not sure but I think you can only get it in England.

[Fife_Mum]

Quorn and textured vegetable protein

Quorn products are a useful addition to the diet of young children, but it should not be relied on as the sole or major source of protein since it is relatively low in calories and high in fibre, so may satisfy a child's appetite before enough energy has been taken in.

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/infant.html

I have not given Quorn to Arwen yet but I plan to soon. I kind of just thought I'd introduce it with foods that I know she is OK with just like any other food - it didn't occur to me to worry too much about allergies. However now that you have planted the idea I went googling... and found that mycoprotein (it is not actually made from mushroom protein but another similar fungus) could be highly allergenic http://www.cspinet.org/quorn/. I don't know how accurate the claims are though. I also looked at http://www.quorn.com and http://www.quorn.co.uk and submitted the question to them - I'll let you know if I get a response.

I'd be interested in hearing any other responses you get.
Vicky

BTW I have bought Quorn while in the USA but it has been marketed in Europe for much longer.

[ella&jack'smum]

I've given quorn to both mine from 1 year, not before. I definitely reccomend it, and you can get so many forms of it these days.
But use it in moderation - one of the reasons qorun is such a good low fat food for adults is because it does fill you up quickly whilst giving you few calories - great for adults. Not so great for kids who need loads of calories!!!! So I use it a couple of times a week, no more.