The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids - M.s.j., Dana Villamagna [26]
Parent Trap
A note on vaccines: because many vaccines are not vegan (and for many other reasons), some parents are choosing not to have their kids fully vaccinated, which is against current standard medical practice. For a more in-depth discussion of this topic and an alternative vaccine schedule, see The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears, and talk to your doctor about any concerns you have.
If you have any concerns related to your child’s diet or food-related health problems (constipation, diarrhea, allergies, hyperactivity, headaches, weight loss, being overweight, or slow growth, for example) be sure to keep a log of what and approximately how much she eats for a few days prior to the appointment to help your doctor clue in on possible causes.
If your child sees complementary health professionals such as a homeopath, naturopath, dietician, acupuncturist, or chiropractor, it’s important to let them know she’s vegan, too. Anecdotally, most of the professionals who work in complementary or alternative therapies are more open to vegan diets. However, as integrative medicine takes hold in mainstream Western medicine, more M.D.s and D.O.s seem to be accepting of (if not personally enthusiastic about) veganism.
Breast Is Best
Human milk is the only kind of mammalian milk on which little people were made to thrive and grow. If you’ve ever wondered why eating too many full-fat dairy products can make people overweight, look at how quickly babies grow on human breast milk! Breast milk makes babies grow nice and chubby quickly to give them reserves in case of illness and on which to grow strong and lean as they go through the energetic toddler years.
That’s So Vegan
Vegan moms’ breast milk is lower in environmental pollutants, including DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), chlordane, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In most cases, levels were just 1 or 2 percent of those seen in the general population.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) both recommend breast-feeding as the best form of infant nutrition. Breast-feeding your baby is the easiest way to ensure she is getting the best start in life. Breast milk has all the nutrients a baby needs, antibodies to guard against infection, and healthy fats to promote brain development. In addition to the nutritional benefits, breast-feeding requires proper jaw motion for mouth and teeth formation, and it promotes healthy emotional attachment between mother and baby. And there’s a whole host of long-term protective health benefits, including reduced risk for female cancers and diabetes, for breast-feeding mothers as well.
Many new moms say that the early days and weeks (sometimes even months) of breast-feeding are like riding a roller coaster: fun one moment, screams the next. You need support to get through problems that may arise. The best place to start is the La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org or 1-877-4-LA-LECHE [1-877-452-5324]). There you’ll find free, mother-to-mother breast-feeding information and support. Almost any breast-feeding problem can be overcome. The life-long health rewards for you and for your baby are worth the effort.
The AAP recommends all babies be exclusively breast-fed for the first 6 months of life and then to continue for at least another 12 months while introducing solids, or as long as is mutually agreeable between mom and baby.
What’s more, breast-feeding moms who eat a varied, healthful, and multiflavored diet—all hallmarks of a good vegan diet—often find their children have more adventurous