Must Your Kids Be Carnivores?

July 17, 2002 -- The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, goes the old saying. Only in this case, maybe that should be vegetable.

For Reed Mangles, becoming a parent meant, naturally, that she and her husband would have their daughters follow their strict vegetarian diet.

"It would have been strange to have us be vegan and our kids not," says the mother of two from Amherst, Mass., who is a registered dietitian and nutrition advisor to the Baltimore, Md.-based Vegetarian Resource Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on vegetarianism.

For vegans — vegetarians who choose to eliminate all animal products from their diets, including dairy — ensuring proper nutrition often involves finding replacements for vitamins and minerals that are abundant in meats, cheeses and milk.

But the challenge becomes more difficult with children, whose nutritional requirements are even greater for some vitamins and minerals than for adults.

The good news, say experts, is that keeping these diets is now easier than ever given the wealth of soy and wheat — meat and dairy alternatives stocking supermarket shelves, as well as the recent emphasis on plant-based diets for promoting heart health and reducing cancer risk.

"There was sort of a stigma attached to vegetarian diets, but I think that has gone away," says Dr. Dennis Bier, director of the Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Today there are so many products available. It makes it much easier for people to adopt the diets and blend in."

Nutrients To Watch

But is vegetarianism all right for your kids? "You absolutely can raise a healthy child, teenager and adult on a vegetarian eating plan. That's a definite," says Sheah Rarback, a Miami-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, an organization of food and nutrition experts based in Chicago.

Important nutrients can be obtained from plant sources, although some are more abundant in animal sources. So Rarback stresses that in some cases more planning is needed, particularly with growing children. "It's critical that a teen or a child is getting all of the nutrition they need because of their growth issues," she says.

Here is a list of some things to watch for in vegetarian children's diets:

Calories: "In the first few years of life, children are growing the fastest and calories are a concern," says Bier. Because they are low in calories and high in fiber, plant foods can fill a young child up before they get the calories they need to grow. Vegetarian diets that include dairy products are more calorically dense than those that do not.

Protein: The protein requirements of children and adolescents are relatively high compared to adults, and eggs and milk products are rich sources. Beans, legumes and soy products like tofu are also important sources of protein.

Iron and Zinc: Both minerals are important for healthy growth and development throughout childhood, and girls may require more when they begin to menstruate. A main concern with vegetarian sources of these nutrients is absorption. "A toddler can eat a small amount of meat products that supply very highly [absorbable] levels of iron and zinc," says Bier. "Iron and zinc are available in plant products, but it is harder to [absorb them]." Non-meat sources of iron include dried fruits, enriched flour, dark leafy green vegetables, and bran. Zinc can be found in yogurt and dried beans.

Calcium and Vitamin D: These nutrients are important for the growth and development of strong bones. A major source in the typical American diet is dairy foods, so they may be in shorter supply if you eliminate this food group in a vegan diet. Dark leafy green vegetables are rich sources of calcium as well as many soy products.

B12: This vitamin found in animal products may be a concern for those following vegan diets. Fortified foods like cereals can help bridge the gap.

Conflict-Free Food

Even when parents take all the steps necessary to assure a properly constructed vegetarian diet at home, sometimes children will be placed in social situations that may make following the diet more difficult.

For example, Mangles says that she and her husband have made the decision to allow their kids to have cake and ice cream at a birthday party when preventing them from doing so would have created a difficult situation.

Some nutritionists advise flexibility whenever it is possible. "I would say for your own sanity, be as liberal as you can," advises Susan Adams, a registered dietitian and faculty member at the Washington State University Cooperative Extension in Seattle.

Another piece of advice is to do all you can to eliminate the possibility of conflict at mealtimes away from home. This may involve bringing along a dish you prepared at home or discussing your dietary needs with your host.

"In social situations, we've been pretty lucky," says Mangels. "We've got a lot of friends who will accommodate my children unbelievably."

And that sentiment may be echoed by more and more parents of vegetarians in the future.

"There is a consciousness about bringing more plant foods into the way we eat for everybody," adds Rarback. "Even if people are not going all the way to being vegetarian, they are beginning to make some small substitutions."