If you are a parent, the next natural question after starting to use medicinal plants is whether this style of eating works for the whole family. Babies, school children and high school students all have different dietary needs from each other, as well as adults. Stanford professor and pediatrician Lisa Patel, a doctor, says she was asked so much if vegetable-based food is safe for children that she is now proposing a set of guidelines to the American Academy of Pediatrics that parents should be aware of when following this way of eating.
Unlike the vegan diet, which completely avoids animal products, plant-based food is more nuanced. Meat can still be eaten if desired (not the focus of the meal) and other animal products, such as dairy products and eggs, are still on the table. However, plant foods (including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and fruits) are the main focus of most meals.
The flexibility of the eating plan is exactly the reason why pediatric nutritionist Jennifer Hyland, RD, is a fan. “As a pediatric nutritionist, I prefer to eat plant-based rather than vegan or vegetarianism because it still leaves room for meat,” she says. That said, she says that children need a lot less meat than some might think. Although Hyland and Dr. Patel say that plant-based eating can be safe for children – great, in fact – they say there are some pitfalls and you need to be more attentive to nutrients.
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The pros of a plant-based diet for children
Both Dr. Patel and Hyland say that there are some definite benefits of a plant-based diet for children of all ages. One important thing: it usually means more vegetables, which is particularly important for children. “Most children are not getting the amount of vegetables they should be eating,” says Dr. Patel. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 90% of people in the United States (including children) do not consume enough vegetables in their diet and 80% of people do not eat enough fruit. The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025 recommends that children aged 2 to 18 eat between one and two and a half cups of vegetables a day (depending on their overall caloric intake) and between one and two cups of fruit a day (again, depending on the general caloric intake).
Hyland says that many of the parents who ask her about plant-based nutrition for children are primarily concerned with protein. She says this is not something to worry about, not just because there are plenty of non-meat protein sources for kids, but they also don’t need as much protein as many might think. “For babies, if they are drinking two cups of milk a day and eating just a little meat, their protein needs are being met,” she says. Hyland adds that schoolchildren need 120 grams of protein per day and teenagers need 150 to 180 grams per day. “In addition to meat, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables and tofu are great sources of protein for children,” she says.
Here are some other sources of plant-based protein that an RD loves:
“The main thing to keep in mind – for both adults and children – is that a diet must be balanced with fiber, protein, carbohydrates and fats,” says Dr. Patel. She adds that the beauty of plant-based eating is that this completeness often occurs naturally when following the diet plan. Beans, for example, are a good source of fiber and protein. Likewise, peanut butter is rich in protein and healthy fats.
Both experts emphasize that choosing nutrient-rich whole foods over nutrient-poor and highly-processed foods is the most important thing to keep in mind, regardless of the diet plan you follow. Since plant-based eating is built around these types of nutrient-rich foods, following the style of eating can make it easier.
What to pay more attention to when following plant-based feeding in the family
Although both experts say that plant-based eating can certainly be healthy for children, they say that some nutrients need to be more careful. One of them is vitamin B-12, found mainly in meat and important for the production of energy and mood. According to the National Institute of Health, children need between 0.4 micrograms and 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B-12 per day, the latter of which can be found in 120 grams of meat or fish (the size of a deck of cards). But Hyland says families that don’t eat meat or fish every day can also use some fortified cereals as a nutrient. “If your child is not really eating meat or fish, you can consider a vitamin B-12 supplement,” she adds.
Another nutrient that Hyland says parents should be aware of is iron, which is essential for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Children need 11 to 15 milligrams of iron per day. “Meat is usually the main source of iron, but it can also be found in beans, broccoli and some fortified cereals,” she says.
Vitamin D – which supports the growth of bones and teeth, affects your mood and more – is another difficult nutrient to obtain without animal products. If dairy and eggs are still part of your family’s vegetable-based eating plan, Hyland says your child’s vitamin D needs should be met, but if you don’t have milk or eggs in the fridge, this is another nutrient to consider. . “Most alternative milks are not good sources of vitamin D because they are made mostly of water,” she says. Like adults, children need 600 micron units of vitamin D a day. Spending 10 to 30 minutes in the sun a day should get you there, but if you live in a place that is not particularly sunny, you can consider a vitamin D supplement for your child, if you plan on drinking milk. and house without eggs.
It is worth repeating that a vegetable-based diet does not require cutting meat entirely out of the picture; it just means making it more lateral than the center of the plate. In choosing his meat, Hyland says that some make healthier choices for children (and adults) than others. “A little red meat is good because it is a particularly good source of iron, so eating it a few times a week is healthy, but on the other hand, I recommend lean chicken and turkey, which are low in saturated fat,” he says. Is it over there. “It is also beneficial for children to eat fish a few times a week, because it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.”
The last important piece of advice Hyland gives families who eat plant-based foods is to focus on whole foods, not just stock the most modern labeled herbal products in the supermarket. “Sometimes I see parents giving their kids a bunch of protein bars and other snacks loaded with carbohydrates and sugar that aren’t necessarily healthy to carry, even though they’re ‘plant-based’,” says Hyland. “You want to focus on nutrient-rich foods, no matter what your style of eating plan.”
She also recommends explaining to children why you are eating plant-based foods – whether for health, environment, religion, etc. – and be careful not to demonize any particular food. (Like calling certain foods “good” or “bad” or referring to things like a “treat” or “guilty pleasure”, all of which attach moral values to food.) “If you do that, it can lead to a disordered eating or fear of certain foods, “she says.
The end result is that plant-based feeding can I be healthy for children, with these guidelines in place. Hey, whenever you don’t have to cook something totally different for your kids, it’s great news for any parent. Now, making them really eat your vegetables, this is the next obstacle …
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