Vegan Kids
The American Dietetic Association, which
reviewed the science on vegan and vegetarian diets, says that they are better for our children than diets that contain meat, dairy, and eggs. In the ADA's position paper on plant-based diets, they write, "Vegetarian diets in childhood and adolescence can aid in the establishmentof lifelong healthful eating patterns and can offer some important nutritional advantages." According to Dr. Neal Barnard, faculty member of George Washington University School of Medicine and President of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine: Vegan children have better nutrition than other kids. This is in part because they are skipping the cholesterol and animal fat, and in part because as they search for new foods to eat (to replace the meat), they often discover and start eating healthy foods.While all kids are supposed to eat their veggies, according to the ADA, vegan and vegetarian kids actually do! A few key nutrients that Dr. Barnard recommends for growing children: Protein: There is ample protein in grains, vegetables, beans, and bean products (including tofu and soymilk). If your child consumes a normal variety of these foods over the course of a day, she will receive all the protein she needs. Calcium: Green leafy vegetables and legumes (or "greens and beans, for short) are rich in calcium. This is particularly true for broccoli, collards, kale, bokchoy, and Brussels sprouts. Less valuable for calcium is spinach, because the calcium in spinach is poorly absorbed. You'll also find plenty of calcium in fortified foods, such as fortified orange juice and most soy milks. And don't fight over vegetables your child doesn't like. Just serve the ones that do go over well. Tastes broaden as the years go by. Iron: Greens and beans come to our rescue again. They are rich in iron. And vitamin-C-rich foods, such as citrus fruits, tend to enhance the absorption of iron consumed in the same meal. If you are concerned, a daily vitamin-mineral supplement will have you covered easily. Vitamin B12 is essential for healthy blood and healthy nerves. It is not found in unfortified plant foods, although it is present in dairy products and eggs, which you may or may not be serving. But vitamin B12 is easy to find in many fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soymilk, and in all common multiple vitamins. I recommend that everyone - vegetarian or not - take a multiple vitamin or other convenient source of vitamin B12 every day. Studies show that meat- eaters often run low due to poor absorption. * Above cited from Kathy Freston's article in The Huffington Post. |
ArticlesRaising a Child According to Your Values by Robyn Moore
Helping Daycare Centers Care For Your Vegan Child: One Mother's Story by Linda Driscoll Weight Gain in Vegetarian Toddlers -- Practical Pointers by Brenda Davis, R.D. Vegetarian to Vegan: 101 Reasons Not to Feed Dairy Products (or Milk Formula) to Your Children by Dr. Linda Folden Palmer Ensuring Nutrition in Young Vegan Children by Katharina Bishop Growing up Green: Exploring Veganism with Your Child by Tammie Ortlieb Start a Group for Vegan Parents and Kids in your City by Robyn Moore Vegan Children: Healthy and Happy Tips for Parents of Young Vegans by Reed Mangels 7 Tips for Nurturing Compassionate Children by Marsha Rakestraw Tips for Raising Humane Kids by Zoe Weil The Power of getting Together With Other Vegan Families by Celeste Hill For more articles about raising veg kids, check out VegFamily. Recommended Books for ParentsAbove All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times by Zoe Weil
Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meanigful Life by Zoe Weil 250 Awesome Ways to Help Animals by Ingrid Newkirk of PETA So, you Love Animals: An Action Packed Fun Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals by Zoe Weil The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids by M.S.J. Dana Villamagna and M.D., M.Sc. Andrew Villamagna Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World: A Complete Guide for Parents by Erin Pavlina Recommended Books for KidsThe Secret Life Of Mitch Spinach by Hillary Feerick, Jeff Hillenbrand, Andrea Vitali and Joel Fuhman (read guest blog post)
Cows are Vegetarians: A book for Vegetarian Kids by Ann Bradley That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things by Ruby Roth (see Ruby's exclusive blog post for RVK about raising veg kids) Herb the Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass Check out hundreds of kids books reviews at Vegbooks - an online resource to assist in finding books and movies that affirm vegetarian and vegan values. The Institute for Humane Education also has a list of recommended animal protection books. ARTICLE: Veganize Your Storytime: Books for the Littlest Vegans and Animal-Advocates. by Alissa Finley |
FOOD GROUPS
WHOLE GRAINS (one serving equals 1/2 cup of pasta, grains, or cooked cereal, 3/4 to 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 bun or bagel, or 1 slice of bread)
Breads, hot and cold cereals, pasta, cooked grains (such as rice and barley), and crackers.
VEGETABLES (one serving of vegetables equals 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw (unless an amount is specified)
"Dark green vegetables” include broccoli, kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, bok choy, and Swiss chard. "Other vegetables” refers to all other vegetables, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked.
LEGUMES, NUTS, SEEDS, AND NON-DAIRY MILKS (one serving of legumes equals 1/2 cup of beans, tofu, or other item unless an amount is specified), and one serving of non-dairy milk equals 1 cup)
Legumes include any cooked bean such as pinto, kidney, lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas, navy beans, and chickpeas, as well as soy products, such as tofu, veggie burgers, soy “hot dogs” or sandwich slices, and tempeh. Non-dairy milks include breast milk and soy formula for infants and toddlers, and rice-, soy-, and other vegetable-based milks for children at least 1 year of age. Choose fortified soymilk, such as Westsoy Plus, Enriched VitaSoy, or Edensoy, whenever possible, or use other fortified vegetable-based milks. Nuts include whole or chopped nuts, nut butters, whole seeds, and seed butters. One to two servings of nuts may be included in a healthy diet, but they are optional. One serving of nuts or nut butters equals 1 tablespoon.
FRUITS (one serving equals 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 1/2 cup fruit juice, 1/4 cup dried fruit, or 1 piece of fruit unless an amount is specified)
Fruits include all fruits, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked, and fruit juices.
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Breads, hot and cold cereals, pasta, cooked grains (such as rice and barley), and crackers.
VEGETABLES (one serving of vegetables equals 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw (unless an amount is specified)
"Dark green vegetables” include broccoli, kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, bok choy, and Swiss chard. "Other vegetables” refers to all other vegetables, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked.
LEGUMES, NUTS, SEEDS, AND NON-DAIRY MILKS (one serving of legumes equals 1/2 cup of beans, tofu, or other item unless an amount is specified), and one serving of non-dairy milk equals 1 cup)
Legumes include any cooked bean such as pinto, kidney, lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas, navy beans, and chickpeas, as well as soy products, such as tofu, veggie burgers, soy “hot dogs” or sandwich slices, and tempeh. Non-dairy milks include breast milk and soy formula for infants and toddlers, and rice-, soy-, and other vegetable-based milks for children at least 1 year of age. Choose fortified soymilk, such as Westsoy Plus, Enriched VitaSoy, or Edensoy, whenever possible, or use other fortified vegetable-based milks. Nuts include whole or chopped nuts, nut butters, whole seeds, and seed butters. One to two servings of nuts may be included in a healthy diet, but they are optional. One serving of nuts or nut butters equals 1 tablespoon.
FRUITS (one serving equals 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 1/2 cup fruit juice, 1/4 cup dried fruit, or 1 piece of fruit unless an amount is specified)
Fruits include all fruits, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked, and fruit juices.
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DAILY MEALS FOR VEGAN CHILDREN/TEENS1- to 4-Year-Olds
Whole Grains, Breads, Cereals: 4 servings Vegetables: 2-4 tablespoons dark green vegetables , 1/4 to 1/2 cup other vegetables Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Non-Dairy Milks: 1/4 to 1/2 cup legumes, 3 servings breast milk, soy formula, soymilk, or other non-dairy milk Fruits: 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups 5- to 6-Year-Olds Whole Grains, Breads, Cereals: 6 servings Vegetables: 1/4 cup dark green vegetables , 1/4 to 1/2 cup other vegetables Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Non-Dairy Milks: 1/2 to 1 cup legumes , 3 servings soymilk or other non-dairy milk Fruits: 1 to 2 cups 7- to 12-Year-Olds Whole Grains, Breads, Cereals: 7 servings Vegetables: 1 serving dark green vegetables , 3 servings other vegetables Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Milks: 2 servings legumes, 3 servings soymilk or other non-dairy milk Fruits: 3 servings 13- to 19-Year-Olds Whole Grains, Breads, Cereals: 10 servings Vegetables: 1-2 servings dark green vegetables, 3 servings other vegetables Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Non-Dairy Milks: 3 servings legumes 2-3 servings soymilk or other non-dairy milk Fruits: 4 servings. Be sure to include a source of vitamin B12, such as any typical children’s multivitamin or vitamin-fortified cereals or soymilk. **Above cited from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. |
SAMPLE MENU FOR VEGAN CHILDREN AGE 1-19Ages 1 to 4 years
Breakfast: Oatmeal with applesauce, calcium-fortified orange juice Lunch: Hummus (chickpea and sesame seed butter spread) on crackers, banana, soymilk, carrot sticks Dinner: Corn, mashed sweet potatoes, steamed kale, soymilk Snacks: Peach, Cheerios, soymilk Ages 4 to 6 years Breakfast: Whole grain cereal with banana and soymilk, orange wedges Lunch: Tofu-Egg Salad Sandwich, apple juice, carrot sticks, Oatmeal Cookie Dinner: Baked beans with soy “hot dog” pieces, baked potato, spinach, soymilk, fruit salad Snacks: Trail mix, graham crackers, soymilk Ages 7 to 12 years Breakfast: Strawberry-Banana Smoothie, toast with almond butter, calcium-fortified orange juice Lunch: Hearty Chili Mac, green salad, bread Dinner: Steamed broccoli with nutritional yeast, steamed carrots, Oven Fries, apple crisp, soymilk Snacks: Popcorn, figs, soy “ice cream” Ages 13 to 19 years Breakfast: Bagel with apple butter, banana, calcium-fortified orange juice Lunch: Bean burrito with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole, rice, baked tortilla chips and salsa Dinner: Braised broccoli, carrots, yellow squash, and mushrooms, Peanut Butter Spaghetti, cucumber salad, soymilk Snacks: Hummus and baby carrots, fruit smoothie, Luna or Clif Bar **Above cited from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. |
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RECIPES
Coming soon!
See traditional holiday vegan recipes on the Holiday page.
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See traditional holiday vegan recipes on the Holiday page.
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Watch as young Justice tells us what he eats as a vegan!
Animal-Friendly ActivitiesTry these Humane Education Activities focused on animal protection by the Institute of Humane Education with your kids. The site offers lesson plans & activities that explore issues related to the protection and welfare of nonhuman animals. Activity topics include the connections between animal and human oppression, the inconsistencies in how we make choices about how we treat others, and more. |
Watch Zoe Weil's TEDx Talk on Humane EducationClick here to read Zoe's exclusive blog post for RaisingVegKids!
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