When children become vegan

The wish of parents is that our children eat healthily – that our picky young children will expand their palates beyond chain cheese and applesauce, and our teenagers will not survive the pizza entirely. But what if some savvy kids take their nutritional concerns beyond what their parents are willing to provide? A mother on the UK forum Mumsnet sought advice from the community when her 10-year-old daughter declared herself a vegan.

"So, my 10-year-old DD [dear daughter] announced that she did not believe it was ok to use an animal There are more products and at from now on, we do not eat / wear / use anything animal or animal, "wrote funnyfairy360 this week." Now, do not get me wrong, I'm all for that. " She finds her own way in life, but it's not just becoming vegetarian or becoming gothic, becoming vegan is life changing and being honest too inconvenient and expensive for me "

C & # 39 is definitely a thing of raising a vegan family, with responsible adults who prepare their meals according to their needs – but we can see how difficult it is for a mother to enroll in a plan of completely separate meal. child while the rest of the family is eating meat and dairy products. Many participants on the forum posted answers for her, ranging from the child to buying her own vegan food to finding ways to compromise. If this mother or another parent decides to leave her new child to the rules, then they might need a little more advice than that.

"A vegan diet is traditionally a healthier diet," Ashanti Woods, MD, a pediatrician at Mercy Family Care Physicians in Baltimore, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. "A child would probably be less likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cancer.A vegan diet also exposes a child to natural remedies offered by many plant-based foods."

It's also good to see children play a role in their health, adds Woods. At the same time, he says, some vegetarians run the risk of missing essential nutrients. A healthy vegan diet involves a lot more than the elimination of foods.

Animal products are easy sources of things like protein, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, amino acids, iron and omega-3 fatty acids. At the same time, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has determined that "well-designed vegetarian diets that may include fortified foods or supplements [can] meet the current nutritional recommendations and are appropriate at all stages of the life cycle including pregnancy, badfeeding, childhood, childhood, and adolescence.Vegans should use special care to ensure adequate intake of vitamin B12. "

Although several of the helpful participants on supplements recommended by Mumsnet Dietician Dana White says it's not the ideal way to feed a growing vegan child. "Supplements can not replace food that you do not eat because you need calories," says White to Yahoo

The good news is that because so many people are switching to herbal diets, grocery racks "

"Calcium and vitamin D become easier [to obtain] because most dairy substitutes are fortified with them," says White. Typical breakfast cereals like Cheerios are enriched with B12 and iron

Another favorite source of B12 for vegans is nutritional yeast. "It's one of the only natural sources of B12 herbal," says White, who used it as a condiment and to make vegan cheese. "You can not have one a day a month.It must be a regular part of your diet."

Of course, one of the first nutrients that people may be afraid to miss is protein especially as growing children need it even more than adults. Legumes are good sources of protein, but only soy and quinoa contain the nine essential amino acids just like meat.

"You can also combine foods to get these essential amino acids," says White. "Rice and beans are an example, or a peanut butter sandwich – any combination of grains and legumes."

Once children follow a vegan diet, parents should take note when they seem to lose a lot of weight. It is also recommended to mention their dietary restrictions to their pediatrician. White says it may be good to monitor them for vitamin D or iron deficiencies, as these symptoms only appear when the problem is severe (such as brittle bones).

The story goes on