Vegetarian Child’s Diet
Eating habits of children
Eating
habits are set in early childhood. Choosing a vegetarian diet can give your
child—and your whole family—the opportunity to learn to enjoy a variety of
wonderful, nutritious foods. Offer your child a wide variety of grains, fruits,
vegetables, nuts, seeds, and soy products, keep it simple and make it fun, and
they’ll learn good eating habits that will last them a lifetime.
Children
raised on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes grow up to be slimmer
and healthier and even live longer than their meat-eating friends. It is much
easier to build a nutritious diet from plant foods than from animal products,
which contain saturated fat, cholesterol, and other substances that growing
children can do without. As for essential nutrients, plant foods are the
preferred source because they provide sufficient energy and protein packaged
with other health-promoting nutrients such as fiber, antioxidant vitamins, minerals
and healthy fats.
The complex carbohydrates
The
complex carbohydrates found in whole grains, beans, and vegetables provide the
ideal energy to fuel a child’s busy life. Encouraging the consumption of brown
rice, whole wheat breads and pastas, rolled oats, and corn, as well as the less
common grains barley, quinoa, millet, and others, will boost the fiber and
nutrient content of a child’s diet. In addition, it will help steer children
away from desiring sugary sweet drinks and treats.
protein
And
though children need protein to grown, they don’t need high-protein, animal-based
foods. Different varieties of grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits supplies
plenty of protein, making protein deficiency very unlikely.
healthy fats
Very
young children need a bit more healthy fats in their diets than their parents. Healthier
fat sources include soybean products, avocados, and nut butters. Parents will
want to make sure their child’s diet includes a regular source of vitamin B-12,
which is needed for healthy nerve function and blood. Vitamin B-12 is abundant
in many commercial cereals, fortified soy and rice milks, and nutritional
yeast. Growing children also need iron found in a variety of beans and green,
leafy vegetables and when coupled with the vitamin C in fruits and vegetables,
iron absorption is enhanced.
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