Vegetarian diet (based on avoiding meat) has long been
fashionable among many people in the world, and veganism (avoiding any kind of
animal product, including dairy products) enjoys a quick growth rate in recent
years. Parents who support either way of life sometimes aspire to bring up
their children in the same fashion, and both vegetarian diet and veganism often
become trendy among teenagers. Questions regarding the nutritional implications
for vegetarian and vegan children often come up, and this article attempts to
address some of them.
Infants' first diet is based on either breast-milk or
formula, which supplies them with important nutritional ingredients such as
protein. If a child is breast-fed by a vegan mother, the mother is advised to
make sure that the child gets enough vitamin B-12, which is found mainly in
milk and eggs. Vitamin B-12 is extremely
important for the child's brain development, and while breast-feeding a child
does not necessarily mean that the mother needs to abandon her vegan diet,
close monitoring by a doctor is important. This is also true for infants fed
with formula, including vegan soy formula.
As children grow up, bringing them up on a vegetarian or
vegan diet continues to be a challenge. Vegetarian diet has its benefits for
children, since it consists largely of fruits and vegetables that many children
do not consume enough. A restrictive vegetarian or vegan diet, however, can
lack important nutritional elements that contribute to the child's development such
as vitamin D, Calcium, Iron and B-12.
Even if parents are concerned about their children's
decision to go on a vegetarian or vegan diet, they should bear in mind that
while this decision may be motivated by a popular trend, it still shows
self-awareness on behalf of the child for his/her health and environment and
that this is definitely worth appreciation and acknowledgement by the parent.
Parents should explain to their children the implication of such a diet, and
insist that such a diet should be accompanied by periodical visits to a
professional nutrition expert or doctor that may advise modification to the
diet or supplementation.
Parents who are vegetarian or vegan themselves should make such visits a part of their own routine – nothing encourages desired behavior like a personal example.
Parents who are vegetarian or vegan themselves should make such visits a part of their own routine – nothing encourages desired behavior like a personal example.
There are many sources for vegetarian and vegan recipes for
children and adults alike, and if a child does decide to go on either diet, it
is a great opportunity to teach him or her about the benefits of home-cooking
as opposed to eating outside!
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