Young Children And The Vegetarian Diet

Is it OK to raise children on a vegetarian diet? The short but scientific answer is yes. You were probably looking for a somewhat more detailed explanation, though.

Not eating meat is not an obstacle for children who are raised on a balanced diet and who do not have nutritional deficiencies. In fact, evidence suggests that vegetarian children are less likely to be obese. Vegetarian foods can still provide all the good fats you need — unsaturated fats and fatty acids.

A vegetarian diet is less likely than omnivorous diet to contain an excess of saturated fats; the kind of fats that makes you fat and clogs your arteries up.

Some people are concerned about a lack of protein. The simple fact is that it is almost impossible to eat a diet that is too low on protein, even if you don't eat meat. For those who eat eggs, eggs are a fantastic source of protein. Those who don't eat eggs still have plenty options: all kinds of beans (including soy bean products like tofu), quinoa, nuts and seeds and whole grains. Even veggies like spinach and broccoli contain protein.

Calcium is not going to be a problem for your vegetarian kids either, especially if you do use milk and dairy products as we do in our family. Turnip greens, bok choi, kale, spinach, Chinese cabbage, sesame seeds, parsley, alfafa, and seaweed are just some random non-dairy sources of calcium. There are many more.

Iron is yet another biggie that many people, including those who are themselves vegetarian, think about a lot. Many take iron supplements just in case. I would not advise any parent of vegetarian kids to supplement their children's diet with iron pills unless they have actually been diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia. These supplements are not readily absorbed and can easily lead to constipation. Nettle tea is a better, more natural source of iron as well as almost all other vitamins and minerals.

You may not need to artificially boost your iron intake at all, however. Vegetable sources of iron include spinach, red lentils, kidney beans, peas, broccoli, kale, soy beans or derivatives like tofu, dried apricots and prunes, beets, brown rice and kelp. Again, this is non an exhaustive list.

Finally, we will take a look at vitamin B12 — the “meat vitamin” you may be wondering about too. Meat is indeed the most well-known source of B12, but you may be surprised that it turns up in quite a few other foods as well. Think bananas, dates, greens, peanuts, and especially in bean sprouts and raw sunflower seeds.