(US) Soy Boys and Vegan Girls

[Guest guest]

Dr. Reed Mangels (of the Vegetarian Resource Group) and her family reportedly

live in Amherst, MA. (near Northampton, but in an area of central Masschusetts

reputed to have hundredds (perhaps thousands) of new vegetarians and long-time

vegetarians.

AnimalConcerns Info <info wrote: The apple doesn't fall

far from the tree, goes the old saying. Only in this case, maybe that should be

vegetable.

 

For Reed Mangels, becoming a parent meant, naturally, that she and her husband

would have their daughters follow their strict vegetarian diet.

 

" It would have been strange to have us be vegan and our kids not, " says the

mother of two from Amherst, Mass., who is a registered dietitian and nutrition

advisor to the Baltimore, Maryland-based Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), a

non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on vegetarianism.

www.VRG.org

 

full story:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/vegetarian_kids020717.html

 

Soy Boys and Vegan GirlsKeeping an Eye on Nutrition Assures Good Health for Kids

on Meat-Free Diets

By Melinda T. Willis

 

 

July 17 — The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, goes the old saying. Only in

this case, maybe that should be vegetable.

 

Properly constructing a vegetarian diet with an eye on important nutrients can

ensure healthy kids. (PhotoDisc)

 

For Reed Mangels, becoming a parent meant, naturally, that she and her husband

would have their daughters follow their strict vegetarian diet.

" It would have been strange to have us be vegan and our kids not, " says the

mother of two from Amherst, Massachusetts, who is a registered dietitian and

nutrition advisor to the Baltimore, Maryland-based Vegetarian Resource Group

(VRG), a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on

vegetarianism. www.VRG.org

For vegans — vegetarians who choose to eliminate all animal products from their

diets, including dairy — ensuring proper nutrition often involves finding

replacements for vitamins and minerals that are abundant in meats, cheeses and

milk.

But the challenge becomes more difficult with children, whose nutritional

requirements are even greater for some vitamins and minerals than for adults.

The good news, say experts, is that keeping these diets is now easier than ever

given the wealth of soy and wheat — meat and dairy alternatives stocking

supermarket shelves, as well as the recent emphasis on plant-based diets for

promoting heart health and reducing cancer risk.

" There was sort of a stigma attached to vegetarian diets, but I think that has

gone away, " says Dr. Dennis Bier, director of the Children's Nutrition Research

Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. " Today there are so many

products available. It makes it much easier for people to adopt the diets and

blend in. "

Nutrients To Watch

But is vegetarianism all right for your kids? " You absolutely can raise a

healthy child, teenager and adult on a vegetarian eating plan. That's a

definite, " says Sheah Rarback, a Miami-based registered dietitian and

spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, an organization of food and

nutrition experts based in Chicago.

Important nutrients can be obtained from plant sources, although some are more

abundant in animal sources. So Rarback stresses that in some cases more planning

is needed, particularly with growing children. " It's critical that a teen or a

child is getting all of the nutrition they need because of their growth issues, "

she says.

Here is a list of some things to watch for in vegetarian children's diets:

Calories: " In the first few years of life, children are growing the fastest and

calories are a concern, " says Bier. Because they are low in calories and high in

fiber, plant foods can fill a young child up before they get the calories they

need to grow. Vegetarian diets that include dairy products are more calorically

dense than those that do not.

Protein: The protein requirements of children and adolescents are relatively

high compared to adults, and eggs and milk products are rich sources. Beans,

legumes and soy products like tofu are also important sources of protein.

Iron and Zinc: Both minerals are important for healthy growth and development

throughout childhood, and girls may require more when they begin to menstruate.

A main concern with vegetarian sources of these nutrients is absorption. " A

toddler can eat a small amount of meat products that supply very highly

[absorbable] levels of iron and zinc, " says Bier. " Iron and zinc are available

in plant products, but it is harder to [absorb them]. " Non-meat sources of iron

include dried fruits, enriched flour, dark leafy green vegetables, and bran.

Zinc can be found in yogurt and dried beans.

Calcium and Vitamin D: These nutrients are important for the growth and

development of strong bones. A major source in the typical American diet is

dairy foods, so they may be in shorter supply if you eliminate this food group

in a vegan diet. Dark leafy green vegetables are rich sources of calcium as well

as many soy products.

B12: This vitamin found in animal products may be a concern for those following

vegan diets. Fortified foods like cereals can help bridge the gap.

Conflict-Free Food

Even when parents take all the steps necessary to assure a properly constructed

vegetarian diet at home, sometimes children will be placed in social situations

that may make following the diet more difficult.

For example, Mangles says that she and her husband have made the decision to

allow their kids to have cake and ice cream at a birthday party when preventing

them from doing so would have created a difficult situation.

Some nutritionists advise flexibility whenever it is possible. " I would say for

your own sanity, be as liberal as you can, " advises Susan Adams, a registered

dietitian and faculty member at the Washington State University Cooperative

Extension in Seattle.

Another piece of advice is to do all you can to eliminate the possibility of

conflict at mealtimes away from home. This may involve bringing along a dish you

prepared at home or discussing your dietary needs with your host.

" In social situations, we've been pretty lucky, " says Mangels. " We've got a lot

of friends who will accommodate my children unbelievably. "

And that sentiment may be echoed by more and more parents of vegetarians in the

future.

" There is a consciousness about bringing more plant foods into the way we eat

for everybody, " adds Rarback. " Even if people are not going all the way to being

vegetarian, they are beginning to make some small substitutions. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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