Children are going vegetarian more and more according to a new survey cited on ABC News. It appears that instead of shunning their vegetables, it’s meat they won’t eat. To some parents it takes the term “picky eaters” a step further. Parents of one child said he refused to eat meat as young as 3. Kids are doing it for humanitarian reasons in contrast to the growing obesity and heart disease in our country from devouring hundreds of thousands of animals per year.
Some 360,000 kids across the country, which is 1 in every 200, want a meat free diet and parents are concerned for their health, particularly because many of these families were not vegetarian to begin with. Parents are suddenly scrambling to find how they can fulfill the protein requirements for their children in other ways. And many parents watch diligently to make sure the kids know that vegetarian means that they will actually eat vegetables and fruits!
The medical community says that getting enough adequate protein is not the only issue, adequate caloric intake is important too. We all know meat represents the bulk of caloric intake at every meal, so eating enough to make up those lost calories in a balanced way is important. Problems arise when children slowly start navigating toward what is called and “all white” diet of sugary cereal, white bread, white pasta, etc. We all need diets that are colorful and by just following a bright color scheme is the first step in a well-balanced vitamin and mineral rich diet.
Good substitutes for protein include nuts, soy, beans (legumes), and whole grains. Some ideas for snacks are hummus dip (ground chickpeas) and veggies, peanut butter and jelly on whole grain or soy bread. BTW according to dailygreen.com “The FDA says so far, no brand name peanut butter sold in grocery stores is linked to the outbreak. Your Jiffy, Skippy and Peter Pan should be safe.” There are also tasty, crunchy soy nuts, all types of summertime bean salads, and whole grains like oatmeal with fruit. If dairy is not a problem include milk and eggs, and there is always fish sticks.
If a vegan diet is designed correctly it can be as healthy for a child as an adult. But it’s important to be aware of signs of malnutrition, which usually shows up in the hair, skin, and nails first. Mouth and eyes breaking out or tearing is another sign. As a cosmetologist, I was schooled to see the signs of poor health in these areas. I remember a client of mine that was recovering from breast cancer. The client had a huge mane of thick hair. As time when on, her hair became brittle, and changed texture. The thinner it became the more I urged her to go to her doctor. Unfortunately, the cancer went to her brain. It showed up in her hair long before she became lethargic or began to lose weight.
I also remember suffering from malnutrition myself. In my early 20’s, I went on the Atkin’s Diet. This was way before the diet was altered to include fruits and veggies low on the glycemic scale like now. I ate fried pork rinds, meats, fats, and literally no fruits and vegetables. I’ve always been health conscious and didn’t plan on being on this diet longer than 2 weeks, and took 2 multiple vitamins a day to make up the loss. Oh I lost 10 lbs. in two weeks all right, but my lips swelled like I just had injections. When I went to my doctor, he said I was malnourished, and “my God what kind of diet did you go on?”
So parents need to keep an eye on what and how much their vegan kids are eating, as well as, charting their growth. The good thing about these kids is that they impress their families with a veritable eye opener to humanitarian issues we should all be embracing in this country. Many of the families of vegan kids are opting to go meatless at least once a week. We’ve been doing this at my house for years especially on Monday after a weekend of pigging out. In the winter, Monday is soup day. In the summer, it’s more than likely salad day. And sometime during the week a meatless but tasty pasta dish or ratatouille with melted, gooey part skim mozzarella cheese and smoked provolone is always welcome.
By cutting back this way, along with a garden in the summer, people can weather this recession much better than most too. It’s good for our food animals, our health, and our pocketbooks. Perhaps if we all cut back on meat as we should, we might be able to get rid of industrialized farms for good.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/peanut-butter-recall-55020203