Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [152]
The strategies in this section can help to make time away from home easier and more stress free for your little vegan. Parties, away games, and competitions can all be healthy adventures with a little preplanning.
Planning ahead
When your child is going away from home, whether it’s for a day of school or an out-of-town event, it’s important to plan ahead. For daily school planning, it’s as easy as packing a lunch with a couple extra snacks and a juice box. For longer weekend trips or special events, you need to find out more information. Ask where your child is going, for how long, what meals will be provided, who else is going, and what the group’s expected schedule is.
Many events and trips can be successful for vegan children if they have a packed cooler of snacks and sandwiches. If your child will be staying overnight with access to a kitchen, send a vegan frozen entree in the cooler with ice packs.
Some kids love to try new things, and others want the comforts of home while they’re away. A lot of these feelings depend on age. An older teenager, for example, may feel confident enough going to dinner in another state with her soccer team. She can look at a restaurant menu and pick out vegan-friendly options or ask the server to help. However, because they aren’t yet making their own decisions, younger kids need prepared meals for the trip. Either way, make sure to pack lots of extra snacks and some fun foods that your kid loves. Placing a package of vegan cookies, muffins, or homemade banana bread in your child’s bag will ensure that she has a nice time.
Touching base with chaperones
If your kid is going away without you, talk with his chaperones well beforehand. Make sure these chaperones understand what a vegan diet is, and find out as much as you can about planned mealtimes and locations.
If your child’s group will be stopping at a specific restaurant while on a trip, call ahead and speak with the manager about preparing your child a vegan dish. Keeping everyone in the loop will ensure that your growing vegan has an excellent experience.
Chapter 23
The Vegan Athlete
In This Chapter
Understanding the macronutrient requirements for active vegan athletes
Getting enough vegan sources of iron and other important minerals
Maintaining healthy nutritional choices now and in the future
The human body can attain incredible levels of fitness on a vegan diet, and hundreds of competitive and professional athletes prove it. For instance, Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic Gold Medal track star, is often quoted saying “My best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.”
Visiting a gym or professional sporting event doesn’t usually bring to mind beans and vegetables. “Meat head” is a term more often given to weight lifters and their thick physiques. People committed to working hard physically to attain personal records, running at the top of their game, lifting more, and pushing their bodies to the ultimate edge of endurance can and do thrive on vegan diets.
Transitioning to a plant-based diet as an athlete can bring many benefits as well as a few challenges. Raising a vegan child who wants to participate in any type of sport — from tennis, swimming, and soccer to running, football, or ballet — should present few problems with proper planning. This chapter addresses the various nutritional hurdles that a vegan runner, or any other sports star, may encounter.
Macronutrients for Strength and Stamina
Whether running, biking, playing with a ball, or stretching to yogic nirvana on a daily basis, athletes need to include healthy meals as part of their training and avoid foods that can decrease stamina. Proper snacking and quality foods will improve your energy levels and physical ability, and still maintain your body’s ability to fight off disease.
Every athlete’s training should include vibrant, naturally energizing foods that help build the body’s muscle and stamina. To create this kind of energy, the body needs macronutrients — protein, fats, and carbohydrates