Have you decided to go vegan to help animals and save the planet? If you nodded a yes, this is a great initiative because, with your effort, you’ll help save around 200 animals per year. However, when it comes to raising a vegan kid, you will hear all sorts of opinions and advice. Some of them may be concerns with respect to appropriate nutrition and the lack of easy vegan recipes for kids. But you need not to worry because there are plenty of recipes and it’s all healthy.
What does it mean to go Vegan?
Going vegan means that you will not consume anything made from animals. This includes meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products such as milk, cheese, and even honey. Today, alternatives to all of these foods are easily available. It also means eliminating the use of products made of animal or tested on animals, maintaining a lifestyle that is completely cruelty-free.
Prevention from Diseases
Plant-based diets are believed to protect individuals from the most common chronic diseases. When kids follow a plant-based diet, they not only receive benefits in the long run but also remain protected from common allergens like shellfish, eggs, dairy, and fish. If your child has chances of suffering from food allergies, a vegan diet is highly suitable.
According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an appropriately planned vegan diet is healthy and nutritious. It provides all the health benefits required to prevent and treat certain diseases. Furthermore, a vegan diet is suitable for all stages of the life cycle, such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, lactation, and more. It is also recommended for athletes.
Is a vegan diet protein deficient?
Most individuals will ask you whether a vegan diet consists of enough proteins. If you’re feeding your child healthy vegan recipes, you don’t have to worry about this question. A well-balanced plant-based diet has sufficient proteins required for the human body. In fact, they provide enough fiber, a component that a vast majority of people in the U.S. don’t get.
Some of the common sources of protein that you can include in vegan recipes for kids include:
● soy milk
● tofu
● nuts
● edamame
● oats
● seitan
● vegan meat products
● lentils
● tempeh
● beans
● peanut butter
● pumpkin seeds
How much protein do children need?
As per national dietary guidelines, the amount of protein required according to age is as follows:
● 1 to 3 years of age - 13 grams
● 4 to 8 years of age - 19 grams
● 9 to 13 years of age - 34 grams
● teenagers - 46 to 52 grams
The protein content in a cup of oatmeal is 4 grams while two tablespoons of peanut butter consist of 8 grams of protein.
A Breakfast Vegan Recipe for Kids
Start the day with a nutrition-packed smoothie. Use unsweetened almond milk or soy milk with blueberries, bananas, nuts, granola, and spirulina. Do not add too much liquid so that the consistency is similar to that of ice cream. When kids start the day with a smoothie packed with nutrients, you don’t have to worry too much about what they eat throughout the day. They’ve started the day with something healthy packed with fruits and veggies, so even if they eat snacks or bread for the remaining parts of the day, you can remain worry-free.