If you are a vegetarian and a parent, you have probably thought about putting your child on a vegetarian diet. Not only would it save time by making meal planning easier, but for ethical reasons, you feel it is a better choice for your kids.
Conversely, you might not be a vegetarian, but have a child who is going through a vegetarian “phase,” where she refuses to eat meat, but doesn’t eat enough healthy foods to compensate for the nutritional gap.
No matter what your reason, you may have pondered whether or not a vegetarian diet is a healthy and maintainable choice for your family. You might have read that placing a child on a vegetarian diet could potentially stunt their growth.
These concerns probably stopped you from putting your child on a vegetarian diet up to now.
These concerns all carry weight. In fact, if a vegetarian diet is poorly planned, it can cause severe long term health issues, most notably for children, who are developing and growing–and who don’t have sufficient stores of vitamins.
If you are not prepared to put your family on a vegetarian diet plan, you probably shouldn’t. However, if you have done due diligence and you’re familiar with the nutritional detriments of vegetarians, then you are aware that these problems can easily be fixed with meal planning strategies.
You also know that putting your child on a vegetarian diet can greatly increase her health in both the long term. It can also reduce her exposure to animal products that contain hormones and preservatives, which have both been associated with developmental problems and cancer.
Even if you haven’t finished researching vegetarian diets, but are ready to start your child on one now, you must begin by ensuring that you plan meals to increase amounts of the following nutrients (that most vegetarians lack):
1. Protein: Ensure your child is eating enough protein by adding more sources, such as soy beans, wheat, isolated soy protein, and nuts.
2. Calcium: Ensure your child is getting plenty of calcium by adding leafy green vegetables and calcium-fortified processed foods to his diet.
3. Iron: Infuse more iron to your family’s diet by increasing servings of pinto beans, soy beans, tofu, and cereals.
4. Zinc: Enhance your child’s zinc intake by increasing his servings of almonds, peanut butter, and mushrooms.
If you work on compensating for these common nutritional deficiencies, you absolutely can place your child on a vegetarian diet without any negative consequences.
Ignore the mythology surrounding vegetarian diets and instead focus on meal planning and research.