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Is A Vegetarian Diet Safe For My Child?
from: Kirsten HawkinsIf you are vegetarian parent, you have probably considered
putting your child on a vegetarian diet. Not only would it save
time and make meal-planning easier, but for dietary and ethical
reasons, you believe it is a better choice for your child.
Conversely, you might not be a vegetarian yourself, but have a
child who is going through a vegetarian "phase," where she
rejects meat, but doesn't consume enough healthy foods to
compensate for the nutritional gap.
Whatever the case is, you may have wondered whether or not a
vegetarian diet is sustainable, healthy choice for your child.
You may have heard that putting your child on a vegetarian diet
could potentially stunt her growth.
These concerns probably prevented you from putting your child on
a vegetarian diet up to this point.
And all of these concerns are legitimate. In fact, if a
vegetarian diet is poorly planned, it can cause serious short
and long term health problems, especially for children, who are
growing and developing--and who do not yet have sufficient
stores of vitamins.
If you aren't well-prepared to put your child on a vegetarian
diet, you definitely shouldn't. However, if you have done your
nutritional research and you are familiar with the nutrients
vegetarians commonly lack, then you know that these problems can
easily be overcome with some meal planning.
You also know that putting your child on a healthful vegetarian
diet can greatly improve her health in both the short and long
term. It can also reduce her exposure to animal products that
contain hormones and preservatives, which have been linked to
developmental problems and cancer.
If you haven't researched vegetarian diets thoroughly, but you
are anxious to start your child on one now, you should start by
ensuring that you plan meals to boost amounts of the following
nutrients (that most vegetarians lack):
1. Protein. Make sure your child is consuming enough protein by
adding additional sources, such as wheat,soybeans, isolated soy
protein, and nuts.
2. Calcium. Ensure your child is consuming enough calcium by
adding calcium-fortified processed foods and leafy green
vegetables to his diet.
3. Iron. Add more iron to your child's diet by increasing
servings of soybeans, pinto beans, tofu, and cereals.
4. Zinc. Enhance your child's zinc intake by increasing his
servings of almonds, peanut butter, and mushrooms.
If you concentrate on compensating for all of these common
nutritional deficiencies, you absolutely can put your child on a
vegetarian diet without any negative health consequences.
Just ignore the mythology surrounding vegetarian diets and
instead focus on research and meal-planning.
About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a vegetarian and nutrition expert from
Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.recipe-vegetarian.com/ for more
information on vegetarian recipes and resources.
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