NY Newsday: Advice On Raising Vegan Children

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(A welcome article after all the negative press for veganism thanks to the

couple who starved their baby and used veganism as grounds for defense of the

abuse. Newsday takes letters at:

http://cf.newsday.com/newsdayemail/email.cfm )

 

Newsday (New York)

April 1, 2003 Tuesday ALL EDITIONS

 

PART II, Pg. B06

Advice On Raising Vegan Children

By Dawn Wotapka. STAFF WRITER

 

A lifelong vegan diet can be healthful, medical experts say, offering less

cholesterol and more fiber than animal- based foods. But they warn that vegan

parents should take care to ensure their children get the nutrition they need.

 

Because a vegan diet is so restrictive - allowing no meat, milk, cheese, eggs,

fish, poultry or other animal products - many doctors advise all vegans to visit

a dietitian.

 

That's especially advisable if a baby or young child is being raised without

animal- based food, said Dr. William Sears, a California pediatrician who wrote

" The Family Nutrition Book " (Little Brown & Co., $18.95).

 

" You could certainly be a vegan from birth, " said Sears, who also advises

breast- feeding vegan mothers to take daily multivitamins.

 

If vegen infants are not breast-fed, they should get fortified soy formula

containing lactose, protein, carbohydrates and fat, experts say. Soy milk is not

an adequate substitute because it lacks enough calories, said Cynthia Sass, an

American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and a vegan.

 

After the first year of life, children can drink soy milk with nutritional

values matching cow's milk. Parents should add a daily supplement of iron,

vitamin B-12 and zinc - important for energy, maximum growth and bone density,

Sears said. He also suggests an Omega-3 pill to replace meat's essential fatty

acids.

 

" Coupled with the fact that toddlers are picky eaters, you run into a problem

with undernourishment, " he warned.

 

Calorie counts also are important, said Dr. Karen Cullen, an associate professor

of pediatrics with the Children's Nutrition Center at Baylor College of Medicine

in Houston. Grains and vegetables are less calorie-dense then meat, so

youngsters, whose stomachs fill quickly, may not consume enough calories to grow

properly. Nutritionists suggest diets rich in nuts, legumes, vegetables and

tofu.

 

Teenagers also need more calories, a blend of about 15 percent protein, 60

percent carbohydrates and 30 percent fat, to support growth spurts, Cullen said.

Teens should be reminded that chips and soft drinks are not a healthful vegan

diet.

 

Sass pointed out that many mainstream groceries carry numerous vegan products.

" It's kind of a good time to be vegan right now, because there's a lot more

options than there were 10 years ago. "