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Children Prove Vegan and Vegetarian Diets are Healthy
Source: Examiner.com by Lindsay Nixon Date: 8/26/09
While some parents and pediatricians believe a vegan or vegetarian diet is unhealthy for children, studies and real-life experiences suggest quite the opposite.
According
to the American Dietetic Association, "Well-planned vegetarian diets —
even a vegan diet — can supply all the nutrients that children require
for their growth and energy needs." In fact, it is the official
position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada
that "appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total
vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and
may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain
diseases." The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada
also recognized that "Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for
individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy,
lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes."
Additionally,
according to Sue Gilbert, M.S., Nutritionist, "Kids are almost natural
vegetarians" she explains. "Many have a hard time chewing tough things,
which often eliminates meat, and they love animals. Once they make the
connection between the hamburger and the cow, many pass on the meat."
Just
ask Elena, a thriving 12-year-old who has been a vegan since birth,
"Even though I sometimes get teased by my friends, I like being a vegan
because animals are not being hurt because of me." Elena also went on
to say, "Plus, meat looks yucky, especially the chicken in the school
cafeteria which sometimes has blood in it." Elena's favorite foods are
her mom's recipes for vegan lasagna, mac n' cheese, scrambled tofu and
cherry-chocolate mousse pie.
Nick, who is now 19, went veg in
2005 when he started working at Sonic as a burger flipper, "I
originally made the switch to a vegetarian diet for health reasons,
then I met other vegetarians and realized that the animals can benefit,
too. Soon after, I switched to a vegan diet." Nick's father was and is
still not supportive of Nick's lifestyle, though Nick's mother was and
is now a vegetarian herself. "I am really proud of my mom for going
vegetarian!" he says. As for life as a vegan teen, Nick has only had
positive experiences, "I never really made a big deal about my diet to
others, unless I was asked. I simply packed a lunch and would eat it
while the other kids ate their food. Of course, over time people began
to wonder what I was eating so I would let them know and they were
always interested. They were excited to see what I'd bring, actually."
Nick continued, "I'm very happy about my switch to a vegan diet and my
mom is too!" Nick was also the runner-up for 2009's Cutest Vegetarian
Alive Award.
Janessa, now a vegan, was raised as a vegetarian
since birth along with her older brother and remembers peer pressure
and her choice to remain vegetarian fondly, "When I was in 1st grade
and my brother in 4th, my mother flew us out to visit my grandpa. My 6
foot tall, southern accent, meat eating grandpa. He strongly
disapproved of the two of us not eating meat and said, "I'll give you
anything you want. Anything. Just take a bite of this hot dog."
Janessa, then 6-years-old dared to ask, "Anything? Even... a Barbie
Dream house?" Still Janessa and her brother did not take a bite, even
when allowed to make their own decisions. "My mom raised us healthy and
with the power of choice" Janessa explained. "I could have chosen, at
any time, to eat a chicken nugget in the school cafeteria. I could have
chosen to have a whopper at Burger King rather than wait until I got
home for a sprout and tofu sandwich. But I did not want to."
As
Janessa pointed out with her sprout and tofu sandwiches, vegetarians
and vegans tend to enjoy diets that are high in fiber but low in
cholesterol and saturated fats -- all the makings of a healthy diet.
Morever, most vegans and vegetarians eat an abundance of fruits,
vegetables, legumes and grains. Non-vegetarians, on the other hand,
generally eat diets high in animal products such as milk, eggs and
dairy products and processed foods. Most children also do not meet the
current recommendations for most plant foods, particularly fruits and
vegetables, despite the fact plant foods are highlighted in the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. In fact, the most common vegetable eaten by
Americans is the potato, usually in the form of a French fry or potato
chip. Looking at these two diets side-by-side, it is clear that a
balanced vegan or vegetarian diet rich in whole foods is the healthier
choice.
Studies have also shown that vegans and vegetarians
tend to have a lower body mass index than meat eaters and are at a
lower risk for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2
diabetes. In the last three decades, the number of obese children and
teens in America has more than tripled and obesity has become an
overall American epidemic. According to findings in the July 18 issue
of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report, 25.6% of adults reported being obese in 2007
compared to 23.9% in 2005. "The epidemic of adult obesity continues to
rise in the United States, indicating that we need to step up our
efforts at the national, state and local levels," Dr. William Dietz,
director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and
Obesity, said in a news release. "We need to encourage people to eat
more fruits and vegetables [and] engage in more physical activity."
Statistics
from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention also show that the
prevalence of overweight children is steadily increasing. Data from two
NHANES surveys (1976–1980 and 2003–2004) revealed for children aged 2–5
years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 13.9%; for those aged 6–11
years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 18.8%; and for those aged
12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.4%. The Journal of
American Medicine also reported that rates of overweight and obesity
remain high with 31.9% of children and adolescents aged 2 through 19
years at or above the 85th percentile of the 2000 BMI-for-age growth
charts. Weight-related diseases such as type II diabetes are also at an
all-time high among children and teenagers.
Looking at these
facts it is hard to deny that a vegetarian or vegan diet is the
healthier choice for children and teens, especially when those diets
can help end the epidemic and prevent children and adults from becoming
obese or developing type II diabetes. According to a cohort study
reported in the May issue of Diabetes Care and supported by the
National Institutes of Health and the School of Public Health at Loma
Linda University, which compared the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in
vegetarian and non-vegetarians, "vegan and vegetarian diets may protect
against obesity and type 2 diabetes" explained co-author Serena
Tonstad, MD, PhD. "The protective effects of vegetarianism against
overweight may be due to avoidance of major food groups, displacement
of calories toward food groups that are more satiating, or other
factors... Investigators have suggested that the portfolio of foods
found in vegetarian diets may carry metabolic advantages for the
prevention of type 2 diabetes."
The study showed that vegans
had the lowest BMI (23.6 kg/m2) and there was a progressive increase in
BMI with increased content of animal products in the diet: 25.7 kg/m2
in lacto-ovo vegetarians, 26.3 kg/m2 in pesco-vegetarians, 27.3 kg/m2
in semi-vegetarians, and 28.8 kg/m2 in non-vegetarians. The prevalence
of type 2 diabetes also increased with increasing consumption of animal
products: 2.9% for the vegan diet, 3.2% for the lacto-ovo diet, 4.8%
for the pesco-vegetarian diet, 6.1% for the semi-vegetarian diet, and
7.6% for the non-vegetarian diet.
Still, there are other healthy
benefits, aside from a lower risk for obesity and type II diabetes for
vegan and vegetarian children.
Just ask Meredyth whose 3
1/2-year old daughter, Emma, has never been sick, "As far as her health
goes, Emma has never been sick. When she does get a runny nose, it
lasts a day and it's gone. She once had a stomach flu, but it lasted a
day. It took me much longer to recover from the same flu." Emma has
been a vegetarian since birth but mostly eats a vegan diet, with the
exception of the occasional piece of organic cheese at home. "Truth be
told, I think Emma would be a happy camper on a Raw or high Raw diet
since most of her favorite foods are fruits, veggies, and dried
fruits." Meredyth admits.
Susan, Elena's mother, has enjoyed a
similar experience, "Elena was raised vegan and has always been the
healthiest kid in her school. I can count the number of colds she's had
on one hand--make that three fingers. She even managed to make it
through the 3rd grade without ever missing a day of school." Elena's
picture of perfect health has also impressed her doctors. "When Elena
was three and had her blood drawn for those "well-visit" tests, all the
doctors in the practice came into the examining room to see the child
with such a low cholesterol level. When I told them that it was
because she'd never eaten meat or dairy, several of the doctors said
that they needed to eat that way themselves." Susan explained.
Kate,
who has been raising both of her sons vegan since birth, say her kids
are "Healthy as oxes. My pediatrician, who is not vegan or vegetarian,
sees how my boys are thriving, and says that we are doing everything
right with their diet."
Likewise Janessa, commenting on her
health as a child vegetarian and now as a vegan adult said, "I was
brought up with a diet of whole foods, local ingredients, and a bright
fresh garden. I was always a healthy kid. To this day I don't get sick
nearly as often as my peers."
Nick has also experienced
improved health since going vegan, "I never get sick anymore. I have
only been sick once since I made the switch four years ago and it went
away in less than 48 hours."
Still more benefits such as
energy, happiness, improved attention span and proper digestion are
noticed by parents of vegan and vegetarian children.
Just ask
Carrie who has noticed positive attributes in her children due to their
vegetarian diet that is mostly vegan, except for the occasional piece
of birthday cake or cheese pizza at birthday parties, "I have noticed
that my children appear nourished and energized by their food. After a
meal they will be ready to go outside and play. I notice that with a
lot of other children, their meals seem to zap their energy levels."
Carrie's oldest, Mairin, now 6, has also grabbed the attention of her
teachers. "Teachers have also commented on Mairin's behavior after
lunch, compared to that of her classmates. They have told me that
Mairin comes back from lunch full of life and ready to learn while her
peers often come back lethargic and cranky." Carrie explained. "My
husband and I have also heard from different teachers that notice a
difference in Mairin's appearance, that her eyes seem to sparkle after
she's returned from lunch." Still Carrie has noticed other positive
differences in her children compared to their peers. "One thing that
annoys me is that people often assume that vegetarian children are
sickly and unhealthy. My children are anything but. They are both
very slender, but very strong, and are very rarely ill. When they do
become ill they recover much quicker than their peers."
Kate
describes her boys as "HUGE, playful, energetic, smart and full of
life." Kate explains, "Will, 3-years-old, and Rory, 20 months, have
been in the 90-100% percentile for height and weight since about three
months old. Neither boy is fat, they are just big and healthy and
bursting with energy. They both love books, trucks and being outside
playing t-ball, soccer or on the playground. They have an amazing
amount of stamina. I have taken to training for triathlons just to keep
in condition to keep up with them!"
Similarly, Kristie, who
switched her youngest child to a vegan diet at 18 months, debunks the
myth that vegan children are unhealthy. "I did not notice any changes
in Jackson at first" she said, "Except for his excellent pooping
skills. Yes, I said pooping skills!" Kristie then went on to say,
"Jackson continued to grown and develop just as he always had. It's
been a little over a year since our diet change and he's tracking along
in his growth rate at the same rate he was before he was a vegan."
Kristie continued, "Jackson is also an amazing talker at 2
1/2-years-old. He's full of energy and he rarely gets sick. When he
does, he's quick to heal." She said. "I think Jackson is the poster
child for a healthy vegan toddler. He proves that he can survive and
thrive without eating "foods" that used to have a face. He proves that
a growing, changing toddler can continue to develop and advance just as
his counterparts. Jackson's in excellent health and will continue to be
so because he's being fueled by foods that are meant to foster
excellent health."
Even pediatricians seem to be on board with raising children vegan or vegetarian.
Just
ask Susan, who has had an array of veg-friendly pediatricians caring
for her daughter, "We never looked for a specifically vegan-friendly
doctor, but from day one, every doctor we'we have been to has been
supportive." Susan explained.
Meredyth also has a supportive
pediatrician, "My daughter's pediatrician is very supportive of our
diet," she said. "When I first mentioned it, I was pretty nervous. I
was expecting the pediatrician to tell me how important meat, eggs and
dairy are for a growing child. As it turned out, the pediatrician
herself is vegetarian, formerly vegan and wants to be vegan again."
Kate,
however, sought out a veg-friendly pediatrician, "I knew I wanted to
raise my sons vegan since I strongly believe it is the healthiest
lifestyle available. Before I had my children, I chose a pediatrician
that was supportive of my choice to raise my children vegan. I have
worked closely with our pediatrician to make sure that my boys are in
the best health they could be. They have their blood iron levels
checked along with their regular yearly exams, and the levels are
always perfect."
However, all diets need special attention
and care to ensure a child is getting everything he or she needs. When
children are vegan or vegetarian, parents should ensure their children
are getting enough calcium, iron, protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and
zinc. A daily multivitamin is a great way to supplement these needs and
many foods, such as soy milk, orange juice and nutritional yeast are
fortified with calcium, vitamin D and B12. A balanced diet that
includes a variety of foods is another way to ensure optimum nutrition.
For example, Meredyth gives her daughter a vegan multivitamin regularly
along with smoothies with flax seeds, larabars and raw walnuts to
ensure Emma gets her omega-3's. She also feeds Emma coconut based vegan
yogurts for the probiotics and healthy fats. Likewise, Kate makes sure
to give her boys a multivitamin with plenty of B-12 in it. She also
feeds them a varied diet with plenty of greens and raisins to get
natural sources of iron.
Even children who are not vegan or vegetarian may still benefit from regularly eating healthy, delicious vegetarian foods.
Just
ask Tara, a vegetarian mother of two whose kids are not vegetarian. "My
husband is not a vegetarian and our boys are not a vegetarian, yet."
She says. Still, Tara's boys eat many vegetarian and vegan meals. "They
love vegetarian corn dogs, vegan brownies, vegan chocolate muffins,
vegan chocolate-zucchini muffins, vegan blueberry breakfast cake, vegan
alfredo, tofu fish sticks and more recipes I'm forgetting!" Tara also
thinks her youngest, Ethan, may be a natural vegetarian, "Ethan LOVES
veggies and beans. It's so nice to share all of Mommy's foods with at
least one member of our household." she said.
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