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Watch Your
Vegan Children as They
Grow Up Strong and Healthy
A
woman can prepare to raise healthy vegan children before she even
conceives. Studies show that healthy mothers produce the
healthiest babies.
Disease Proof Your Child
As early as possible, read Disease-Proof
Your Child
by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
This is the best book! It will answer every
question you have about raising vegan children. Buy your own copy. You
will refer to it often as your children grow.
Becoming Vegan by
Davis and Melina has an excellent chapter on nutrition for children.
We also like the book Pregnancy,
Children, and the Vegan Diet by Michael Klaper, M.D.
However, it was written in 1987 and is a little out of date.
Here
are more book suggestions and tons of info on raising vegan children.
Prepare for pregnancy and birth
Eat
high nutrient plant foods during the year before you
get pregnant. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and
beans from
every color of
the rainbow. This will saturate your tissues with antioxidants and
other healthy
phytonutrients. Continue to eat this way when you are expecting.
Once your baby is born, breast feed for as long as possible,
ideally a year or more. Be sure to read our section about vegan
nutrition and supplements. It is even more important when you
are pregnant and while breast feeding. Take an algae-source DHA
supplement.
A
low fat vegan diet will help you lose your pregnancy weight. This is
the perfect long-term diet for your entire family. However, do not use a low fat diet for
children under two.
Feeding a vegan toddler
-
During and after weaning, toddlers need a high fat diet for
the growth of their brain and nervous systems. Give them full fat
soy milk and avocado. Blend flax seeds, nuts, and nut butters in fruit
smoothies.
-
Toddlers
need protein because they are growing fast. Give them
cooked grains, beans and tofu. Don't let them fill up on fruit
or fruit juice. Fruits
are too low in protein.
-
Toddlers
need calories because they are using lots of energy. But
their stomachs are small and can't hold much food. Give them foods that
are more dense in calories, like bread, whole wheat noodles, and
starchy root vegetables.
Cook most of their vegetables. Don't give them too many low calorie
veggies. Feed them often.
-
Take your toddler out in the sun for 5 or 10
minutes a day if
possible. Make sure your little vegans get low doses of the
same
supplements
that you take. You can mix them in smoothies.
-
After
the age of two, your children should eat the same low fat food
that you eat. This will ensure that they do not join the growing
numbers of obese children.
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