Chapter 22: Vegan Diets for Kids, Tweens, and Teens
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Chapter 21: Bouncing Baby Vegans If you would rather choose a fresh whole food, try mashed organic natural foods for the first forays into eating Ripe, mashed avocado or bananas are easy on the digestive system for most kids Natural, unsweetened applesauce, mashed sweet potatoes, or ground whole grains like millet are other options You may prefer serving mashed vegetables first to encourage your babe to develop a taste for healthy veggies before being exposed to sweeter fruits Buying baby food in jars or frozen containers is an option, but it isn’t necessary Before the mid-1800s “baby food” didn’t exist — infants just ate whatever mom and dad were eating in a mashed up form Most babies around the world are still fed like this today; it’s cheaper and generally easier (and more environmentally friendly) than buying hundreds of little jars of premashed food If you need or choose to buy baby food, choose an organic variety You can use a fork to mash your own meal into a paste Just be sure to remove anything spicy or otherwise difficult for a baby to digest Low-cost baby food mills that grind your adult food into a consistent paste are available online, at health food stores or at larger children’s mega-stores These mills are easy to clean and transport Watch Them as They Grow: Food for Toddlers Toddlers develop their personalities quicker than you may expect — they express their likes and dislikes for foods with no reservations After the explosive growth that most babies experience, the slowing weight gain of toddlerhood can cause a decrease in appetite When this decrease in appetite is coupled with a child’s innate pickiness, you can easily become frustrated But don’t allow this to upset you — most parents experience a similar situation By simply offering the healthy choices and nutritious snacks that I discuss in this section, your vegan kid will eventually develop great eating habits and tastes Don’t give up on the greens! Most kids need a new food introduced 12 to 20 times before they accept it Keep cooking healthy foods, show your kids you enjoy them, and don’t force your child to eat something in the beginning After your baby’s first birthday, you can begin to wean him off of formula and switch to fortified soymilk or toddler formula If you choose fortified soymilk for your toddler, be sure that the variety you choose has appropriate levels of fat, calcium, protein, and vitamins D, B2, and B12 For babies who are 13 months and older, Toddler Health brand offers organic rice- and oat-based nutritional drink mixes that contain no soy, gluten, or dairy But they still contain animal sources of vitamin D Be sure to discuss your child’s growth with your healthcare provider to help guide your decision 279 280 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life Quieting the naysayers Be prepared to hear questions and concerns from your family and friends that a vegan diet won’t be sufficient for your growing guy or gal To reassure your well-intentioned loved ones, offer these morsels of truth: ✓ Several studies suggest that vegan children’s’ growth rates are more gradual than nonvegans These children often grow slowly at first, and then they catch up later on The ultimate adult heights reached by vegan children are comparable to those of nonvegans ✓ Dairy-free kids have less of a chance of developing type diabetes, several childhood cancers, and heart disease ✓ Vegan children have fewer problems with acne and eczema and encounter fewer cases of asthma ✓ A Harvard study from 2000 showed that diets relying heavily on animal protein were shown to produce earlier onset of menstruation in girls by to years of age ✓ Children who grow up without dairy in their diets have less diarrhea, less gas, and less constipation Choosing nutrient-dense foods over fiber The nutritional needs of toddlers are similar to your own, but they’re scaled to their smaller body sizes They need a good variety of healthy fats, protein, calcium, iron, B12, vitamin D, and all the other minerals and nutrients that adults require Vegans tend to eat more fiber than the average person, which is great for adults The problem with vegan toddler food is that kids can fill up on fiber thereby crowding out other valuable nutrient-rich foods Because kids have smaller stomachs, it’s easy for them to fill up with fruit and whole grains So ensure that your child is getting enough nutrition by focusing on nutrientdense foods like avocado, nut and seed butters, enriched whole-grain products, and enriched soy or hemp milk To safeguard against strong reactions to a nut or seed allergy, avoid these foods until after the age of if there are similar allergies in your family If you would like to introduce nut and seed butters before the age of 2, talk with your pediatrician about testing a single seed butter first for any reaction Keep track of your child’s growth and weight gain to make sure she’s getting enough calories and nutrition Choosing healthy fats also is important to guarantee proper growth and development Aim for 1.1 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day by adding flaxseed, hemp, and vegan omega-3 oils into your child’s food Chapter 21: Bouncing Baby Vegans Outsmarting finicky eaters The most frustrating thing about kid’s tastes is that they change — often What they like for lunch one day is “yucky” the next Here are some tips for presenting healthy foods in a way that entices your little one to eat enough without driving you too crazy: ✓ Let your little vegan help in the kitchen by dumping premeasured items into a bowl, stirring a pot, or putting napkins on the table By “helping” to prepare a meal, children get excited to eat the finished dish ✓ Offer several small bowls of different food items Studies have shown that when given lots of healthy choices, kids will most likely make a healthy meal for themselves ✓ Make food fun by creating faces out of veggies on his plate, using fruit as decoration, or setting steamed broccoli in mashed potatoes as trees Get creative! ✓ Stick with it and continue offering your little guy healthy foods Experts have shown that a new food can be introduced 12 to 15 times before a kid will accept it ✓ Don’t force the issue If your child won’t eat one meal, don’t make a fuss out of it As long as he has access to healthy snacks throughout the day and takes in a variety of foods over the course of several days, he’s likely going to get what he needs ✓ Monkey see, monkey do! Setting a good example and loving your own veggies and healthy food makes good habits natural for the whole family ✓ Sneak those healthy greens in by pureeing cooked kale, broccoli, or spinach and mixing it into pasta sauce, soup, or even smoothies ✓ Don’t become a short order cook! Make a variety of foods that kids can choose from and let them decide how much of which foods they will eat Satisfying your little snacker Snacks tend to make up a hefty portion of the toddler diet A small stomach and constant play makes little ones hungry for small, frequent meals Choosing healthy, safe snacks is important and can be your key to proper nutrition, even if mealtimes are frustrating Ensure your child’s love for healthy foods by offering fresh fruits and vegetables every day Even if she doesn’t eat them every time, she’ll become accustomed to seeing them and will choose them more often in the future Here are some excellent nutrient-dense foods that toddlers and preschool-aged kids will love: 281 282 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life ✓ Whole-grain or enriched pasta with blended kale marinara sauce ✓ Oven-baked sweet potato fries ✓ Soy yogurt mixed with 1⁄2 teaspoon flaxseed oil ✓ Hemp milkshake blended with nut butter and flaxseed oil ✓ Sunflower seed butter and jam sandwiches ✓ Raisins and chopped dried apricots ✓ Pancakes topped with almond or sunflower seed butter and apple butter ✓ Udon noodles with tahini sauce ✓ Cucumbers or flax crackers with nut cheese or tofu dip ✓ Carrot and zucchini muffins ✓ Mashed potatoes and vegan gravy ✓ Bagels spread with nut or seed butter or mashed avocado and hummus ✓ Pudding made from soaked and drained raw sunflower seeds that are blended into a paste with raisins or dried apricots and fortified hemp or soymilk To avoid choking hazards when providing snacks to your toddler, be sure to the following: ✓ Finely grind nuts in a spice grinder or blender instead of offering whole or coarsely chopped nuts ✓ Spoon out half-teaspoons of nut butter rather than large globs ✓ Chop vegan hot dogs into pea-sized bits ✓ Quarter or halve cherry tomatoes, olives, grapes, pitted cherries, and any other large, round foods ✓ Grate raw carrots into shreds rather than offering small chunks ✓ Avoid popcorn and gum until the child is older Chapter 22 Vegan Diets for Kids, Tweens, and Teens In This Chapter ▶ Understanding what the experts think of vegan diets for kids ▶ Discovering kid-friendly vegan food choices ▶ Ensuring proper nutrition for all ages and stages ▶ Setting a solid foundation for healthy eating for life ▶ Helping kids deal with commercial and media messages ▶ Ensuring that kids eat well when away from home R aising vegan children from infancy is pretty easy with a little education and planning On the other hand, transitioning children, tweens, and teens from the standard American diet can be more difficult, especially if they’ve grown accustomed to dairy, meat, and processed snacks and meals You don’t need to worry when it comes to nutrition for kids; whether they’re active athletes or cerebral book worms, vegan kids can and get everything they need for proper development The research is in, and experts agree that vegan kids are healthy and avoid many common health problems The trick to raising a child vegan is doing it in a kid-friendly way and avoiding the common pitfalls Exploring strategies and shopping and cooking tips for families who decide to go vegan is the goal of this chapter I discuss what to when your kids will be traveling away from home, and I help you deal with shopping and media messaging Arming kids with proper nutrition and the information to back up their decision to go vegan prepares them for a successful vegan life in the modern world This chapter covers the topics of nutrition and health benefits of a vegan diet for people between the ages of and 19 This group of humans has the most to gain from living vegan — a lifetime of health and responsible action ... child is older Chapter 22 Vegan Diets for Kids, Tweens, and Teens In This Chapter ▶ Understanding what the experts think of vegan diets for kids ▶ Discovering kid-friendly vegan food choices ▶ Ensuring... the information to back up their decision to go vegan prepares them for a successful vegan life in the modern world This chapter covers the topics of nutrition and health benefits of a vegan. .. nutrition for kids; whether they’re active athletes or cerebral book worms, vegan kids can and get everything they need for proper development The research is in, and experts agree that vegan kids