VitalChild - Physicians group shows Vegetarian Diets Ideal for Children

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Physicians group shows Vegetarian Diets Ideal for Children
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include some less “bulky” foods like refined grains and fruit juices. Do limit juices, however, since children may fill up on them, preferring their sweetness to other foods.

Teenagers often have high energy needs and busy schedules. Keeping delicious, healthy snack choices on hand and guiding teens to make lower-fat selections when eating out will help to steer them away from dining pitfalls that often cause weight gain and health problems for adolescents. Caloric needs vary from child to child. The following guidelines are general ones.

FOOD GROUPS

Whole Grains

Whole grains include breads, hot and cold cereals, pasta, cooked grains (such as rice and barley), and crackers.

One serving equals 1/2 cup of pasta, grains, or cooked cereal, 3/4 to 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 bun or bagel, or 1 slice of bread.

Vegetables

Dark green vegetables” include broccoli, kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, bok choy, and Swiss chard.
Other vegetables” refers to all other vegetables, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked.
One serving of vegetables equals 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw (unless an amount is specified).

Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and Non-Dairy Milks

Legumes include any cooked bean such as pinto, kidney, lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas, navy beans, and chickpeas, as well as soy products, such as tofu, veggie burgers, soy “hot dogs” or sandwich slices, and tempeh.
One serving of legumes equals 1/2 cup of beans, tofu, or other item (unless an amount is specified).
Non-dairy milks include breast milk and soy formula for infants and toddlers, and rice-, soy-, and other vegetable-based milks for children at least 1 year of age. Choose fortified soymilk, such as Westsoy Plus, Enriched VitaSoy, or Edensoy, whenever possible, or use other fortified vegetable-based milks.
One serving of non-dairy milk equals 1 cup.
Nuts include whole or chopped nuts, nut butters, whole seeds, and seed butters.
One to two servings of nuts may be included in a healthy diet, but they are optional. One serving of nuts or nut butters equals 1 tablespoon.

Fruits

Fruits include all fruits, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked, and fruit juices.

One serving equals 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 1/2 cup fruit juice, 1/4 cup dried fruit, or 1 piece of fruit (unless an amount is specified.)

Daily Meal Planning for Children and Teens
1 to 4 Years Old	5 to 6 Years Old	7 to 12 Years Old	13 to 19 Years Old
Whole Grains, Breads, Cereals
4 servings	6 servings	7 servings	10 servings
Dark Green and Other Vegetables
2 to 4 tbsp dark green vegetables 1/4 to 1/2 cup other vegetables	1/4 cup dark green vegetables 1/4 to 1/2 cup other vegetables	1 serving dark green vegetables 3 servings other vegetables	1-2 servings dark green vegetables 3 servings other vegetables
Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and Non-Dairy Milks
1/4 to 1/2 cup legumes 3 servings breastmilk, formula, or non-dairy milk	1/2 to 1 cup legumes 3 servings soymilk or other non-dairy milk	2 servings legumes 3 servings soymilk or other non-dairy milk	3 servings legumes 2 to 3 servings soymilk or other non-dairy milk
Fruits
3/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups	1 to 2 cups	3 servings	4 servings
Be sure to include a source of vitamin B₁₂, such as any typical children’s multivitamin or vitamin-fortified cereals or soymilk.

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Ages 1 to 4 years

Breakfast: Oatmeal with applesauce, calcium-fortified orange juice
Lunch: Hummus on crackers, banana, soymilk, carrot sticks
Dinner: Corn, mashed sweet potatoes, steamed kale, soymilk
Snacks: Peach, Cheerios, soymilk

Ages 5 to 6 years

Breakfast: Whole grain cereal with banana and soymilk, orange wedges
Lunch: Missing Egg Sandwich, apple juice, carrot sticks, oatmeal cookie
Dinner: Baked beans with soy “hot dog” pieces, baked potato, spinach, soymilk, fruit salad
Snacks: Trail mix, graham crackers, soymilk

Ages 7 to 12 years

Breakfast: Strawberry-banana smoothie, toast with almond butter, calcium-fortified orange juice
Lunch: Hearty Chili Mac, green salad, bread
Dinner: Steamed broccoli with nutritional yeast, steamed carrots, oven fries, Berry Cobbler, soymilk
Snacks: Popcorn, figs, soy “ice cream”

Ages 13 to 19 years

Breakfast: Bagel with apple butter, banana, calcium-fortified orange juice
Lunch: Bean burrito with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole, rice, baked tortilla chips, and salsa
Dinner: Braised broccoli, carrots, yellow squash, and mushrooms, spaghetti with marinara sauce, cucumber salad, soymilk

Snacks: Hummus and baby carrots, fruit smoothie, Luna or Clif Bar

Oven Fries

Makes 4 1-cup servings
2 russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch (or larger) baking dish with baking parchment or foil. Scrub potatoes, but do not peel. Cut into fries or wedges. Place in a large bowl and toss with oil, paprika, and salt. Spread potatoes in a single layer in the baking dish and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.