Welcome to follow me to provide you with more valuable professional family education and maternal, infant and parenting knowledge.
Vegans are a strict vegetarian diet that does not include meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and other animal products.
When a child decides to become vegan or other types of vegetarian, the average parent of omnivores (people who eat all food categories) usually cringes.
They may even want the pediatrician to dissuade the child from doing so.
As vegetarians, will their children get enough vitamins and calories?Don't kids need to eat meat to get enough protein and iron from their diet?
Fortunately, because your pediatrician may have a hard time convincing your child to give up these types of diet plans, even if they try, a vegetarian diet is healthy for most children.
Health benefits of a vegan diet
While a vegan diet isn't for everyone, it does have many health benefits and can be a healthy diet for kids if planned properly.
Parents, especially vegetarians, can also rest assured that they can raise their children to be vegetarians as well.
Still, it shouldn't be too much when talking about the possible health benefits of being vegan.
For example, it's important to understand that there is evidence that children who grow up on a vegan diet get sick less than other children.
In addition, non-vegetarian foods are not necessarily rich in toxins and pesticides.
Not all vegetarian diets are healthy, and some are high in sugar, saturated fat, and/or cholesterol.
Vegan and vegetarian benefits
Foods in a vegan diet are usually low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and high in fiber (all the hallmarks of a healthy diet).
Studies have shown that vegan diets may reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
In addition, vegetarians generally have a lower body mass index (BMI) than non-vegetarians.
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is an outdated, biased measure that does not take into account multiple factors such as body composition, ethnicity, race, gender, and age.
Although BMI is a flawed measure, it is widely used in the medical community today as an inexpensive and quick way to analyze potential health conditions and outcomes.
These health benefits prompted Dr. Benjaminspock to recommend a strict vegan diet for all children over the age of 2 back in 1998.
The final edition of his iconic parenting book, Infant and Child Care, published shortly after his death, suggested that children should no longer be given dairy products after they were two years old.
He said children "can get enough protein and iron from vegetables, legumes and other plant-based foods to avoid fat and cholesterol in animal products." ”
Dr. Spock's proposal has caused a lot of controversy, but it's not because experts dispute the health benefits of a vegan diet.
Instead, they believe that parents may not have spent enough time and effort planning a vegan diet that includes enough calories, minerals, and nutrients to ensure optimal growth for their children.
They may think that children will also have a hard time following eating Xi, especially when you consider that most parents already struggle to get their children to eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Only about 5% of people are vegetarians, and only half of them are vegetarians.
The vast majority of vegans and vegetarians (70% to 86%, respectively) will eventually regress and return to eating meat.
Concerns about the vegan diet
With many children already picky eaters, further restricting their options may make it more difficult for a vegan diet to meet nutritional needs.
This is especially true for babies and toddlers.
If your child is on a vegan diet, there are a few aspects you should pay special attention to.
Calories
A vegan diet may contain fewer calories than a diet that includes meat and dairy products.
However, given the current high rate of childhood obesity, this could be a benefit for the average child.
While it's not necessary to count calories, you should make sure your child gets enough calories for optimal growth.
In general, if your child is on a balanced and varied vegan diet, is gaining weight, is developing normally, and is active, they may be eating enough calories.
Proteins
You can ensure your child is getting enough protein and amino acids by eating a balanced intake of whole grains, legumes (soybeans and peas), nuts, and soy products.
Omega-3 fats
These are essential fats that our bodies cannot produce, so we must get them from our diet.
Fish oil is a great one**, and you can also find omega-3s in foods like fortified soy milk, flaxseeds, dark green leafy vegetables, and walnuts.
Calcium
Eating calcium-rich foods to meet daily needs is necessary for the development of strong bones.
It is also an important way to prevent the development of osteoporosis.
Calcium is found in many vegetables, especially broccoli, sweet potatoes, beans, beans, and leafy greens.
You can also give your child soy milk or orange juice with extra calcium.
Folic acid
Vegetarians don't usually see folic acid as a nutritional issue because leafy greens are good**.
However, folate deficiency may mask signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Folic acid is found in many fortified foods, including orange juice, bread, cereal, and pasta.
Iodine
Iodine is natural** and includes seafood, shellfish and seaweed, but most people get their iodine from iodized table salt.
Other foods** include foods with direct iodine addition or foods using iodized animal feed (meat and dairy products).
Although vegetarians don't get iodine directly from seafood and some other fortified foods, iodine shouldn't be an issue as long as they don't switch to non-iodized salt, including most brands of sea salt and kosher salt.
Iron
Most parents recognize that meat is good for iron**.
How else can children get iron from their diets?
In addition to iron-fortified foods and supplements, vegetarians can get iron from legumes, vegetables, tofu, vegetables, dried fruits, and other iron-rich foods.
Keep in mind that it's harder for the body to absorb iron from fruits, vegetables, and grains, not from red meat, poultry, and fish.
However, consuming foods rich in vitamin C with iron-rich foods increases the body's absorption of iron.
For example, ground beef pasta sauce provides both the iron in beef and vitamin C in ketchup, and iron-fortified cereal and a glass of orange juice also provide both.
Vitamin B12
This vitamin is only found in animal products, so your child will need a supplement or food that supplements with vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin).
These include fortified soy milk, fortified cereals, and some meat substitutes (read nutrition labels).
Nutritional yeast is another way to get extra vitamin B12 in your vegan child's diet.
Vitamin D
This vitamin is found in fortified milk, egg yolks, and fish.
Your body also produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun, but it's not a reliable ** because kids should use sunscreen to stop the process.
Zinc
Your child may need to take supplements or eat foods fortified with zinc to get enough of this important mineral, as the best** for zinc is meat and yogurt.
Zinc is also found in whole grains, brown rice, beans, and spinach.
Other types of vegetarian diets
In addition to being vegan, children sometimes try other types of vegetarian food, including:
Lacto-vegetarianism: includes dairy products.
Ovo-lacto-vegetarianism: includes eggs, dairy products, and honey.
Ovo-vegetarianism: Includes eggs.
Semi-vegetarianism: Occasionally includes animal products.
The less food you restrict, the easier it will be to follow and plan your child's vegetarian diet.
What you need to know about raising a vegetarian
There are a few other things to know about raising a vegetarian child.
For example, not all milk alternatives are fortified with vitamin B12.
Being vegan doesn't mean you have to eat organic.
The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that "there is no direct evidence of clinically relevant nutritional differences between organic and conventional agricultural products." ”
The American Academy of Pediatrics generally does not recommend the use of soy formula instead of cow's milk formula.
If you're not breastfeeding, or stop breastfeeding before introducing solid foods, talk to your doctor about your options.
Like adults, teenagers may become vegan for health, moral, or religious reasons.
However, some teenagers impulsively become vegans, and some do so to hide their eating disorders.
Most grocery stores offer fortified foods, which makes raising a vegan child easier than it was when Dr. Spock first suggested it.
A registered dietitian can help you plan your child's diet.
This is a particularly good idea if you're raising a vegan baby or toddler.