Eating Vegetarian

Vegetarian London


Eating Vegetarian

Vegetarian London

Is A Vegetarian Diet Safe For My Child?

If you are vegetarian parent, you have probably considered putting your child on a vegetarian diet. Not only would it save time and make meal-planning easier, but for dietary and ethical reasons, you believe it is a better choice for your child.

Conversely, you might not be a vegetarian yourself, but have a child who is going through a vegetarian "phase," where she rejects meat, but doesn’t consume enough healthy foods to compensate for the nutritional gap.

Whatever the case is, you may have wondered whether or not a vegetarian diet is sustainable, healthy choice for your child. You may have heard that putting your child on a vegetarian diet could potentially stunt her growth.

These concerns probably prevented you from putting your child on a vegetarian diet up to this point.

And all of these concerns are legitimate. In fact, if a vegetarian diet is poorly planned, it can cause serious short and long term health problems, especially for children, who are growing and developing--and who do not yet have sufficient stores of vitamins.

If you aren’t well-prepared to put your child on a vegetarian diet, you definitely shouldn’t. However, if you have done your nutritional research and you are familiar with the nutrients vegetarians commonly lack, then you know that these problems can easily be overcome with some meal planning.

You also know that putting your child on a healthful vegetarian diet can greatly improve her health in both the short and long term. It can also reduce her exposure to animal products that contain hormones and preservatives, which have been linked to developmental problems and cancer.

If you haven't researched vegetarian diets thoroughly, but you are anxious to start your child on one now, you should start by ensuring that you plan meals to boost amounts of the following nutrients (that most vegetarians lack):

1. Protein. Make sure your child is consuming enough protein by adding additional sources, such as wheat, soybeans, isolated soy protein, and nuts.

2. Calcium. Ensure your child is consuming enough calcium by adding calcium-fortified processed foods and leafy green vegetables to his diet.

3. Iron. Add more iron to your child’s diet by increasing servings of soybeans, pinto beans, tofu, and cereals.

4. Zinc. Enhance your child’s zinc intake by increasing his servings of almonds, peanut butter, and mushrooms.

If you concentrate on compensating for all of these common nutritional deficiencies, you absolutely can put your child on a vegetarian diet without any negative health consequences.

Just ignore the mythology surrounding vegetarian diets and instead focus on research and meal-planning.


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Vegetarian London - The latest News

Hotel Review: Hilton London Tower Bridge - New York Times


New York Times

Hotel Review: Hilton London Tower Bridge
New York Times, United States - Nov 28, 2008
Available 24 hours, with a full restaurant menu that includes heart-smart and vegetarian options until 10 pm Mushroom ravioli in a zingy red pepper coulis ...

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Mark Espiner: The Berlin Experiment - Tagesspiegel


Mark Espiner: The Berlin Experiment
Tagesspiegel, Germany - 13 hours ago
I might take your advice on having a vegetarian sausage. Anyone know where I can get a good one of those? Please leave a comment or any thoughts you might ...

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The new vegetarian Chickpea, tomato and bread soup - guardian.co.uk


guardian.co.uk

The new vegetarian Chickpea, tomato and bread soup
guardian.co.uk, UK - Nov 28, 2008
... drizzle with plenty of olive oil and finish with a generous scattering of freshly shredded basil. • Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi in London.

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'Delight' as Mallett leaves jungle - The Press Association


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The Press Association - 21 hours ago
On leaving the show, Mallett, who claims to be vegetarian, said: "Bother, whoops, shame, I'm disappointed." Paddick returned to camp where he complained ...

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BHP head to focus on downturn after Rio failure - Reuters


Reuters

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Kloppers also served two years in the South African army, has a taste for Bob Dylan songs, is a vegetarian, and is well-liked by his staff. ...

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Did vegetarian diet kill off 2000-lb cave bears? - MSNBC


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In part because they were vegetarians. The new extinction date, 27800 years ago, coincides with a period of significant climate change, known as the Last ...

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