The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids - M.s.j., Dana Villamagna [38]
Start with the foods she isn’t closely attached to and switch them to foods that have the most comparable vegan substitutes. Then, add in the vegan foods that have distinct flavors but can be easily mixed or blended. For example, mix soy milk with cow’s milk in equal parts and gradually continue to add more soy and less cow’s until your child’s transition to soy is complete.
Try to avoid calling animal product-based foods “real.” For example, don’t say, “We’re using vegan mozzarella instead of real cheese on the pizza tonight.” Instead, name the food’s actual source: “cow’s milk cheese” or “rice cheese.” And even though “meat analog” is widely used in the veg community, it may sound rather foreign and unappealing to kids. Calling it a soy dog or a tofu sausage is much more likely to get a positive response from your child.
Basic Nutrition for Vegan Kids
Good news! According to the American Dietetic Association, vegan children’s diets typically meet or exceed recommendations for most nutrients, and vegan kids eat more fiber and less total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than omnivorous kids.
Parents of vegan kids tend to be highly aware of nutritional issues. From the results of our survey, we believe vegan parents take a much greater interest in their children’s food choices and overall nutrition than does the general parenting population.
That said, some nutrients need supplementation in vegan kids’ diets, and parents should pay close attention to still other nutritional needs if their children are 100 percent vegan. Let’s take a closer look at kids’ nutritional needs. (For further discussion of nutrient and vitamin recommendations, see Chapter 9.)
Calories
This is the age when caloric needs begin to differ depending on your child’s gender. Experts suggest a base daily calorie intake of about 1,200 calories for girls and 1,400 for boys ages 4 through 8. If your child is physically active—dancing, running, playing, swimming, perhaps participating in organized sports, etc.—those calorie needs increase.
If your child’s diet is heavy in high-fiber foods, be extra sure to include foods rich in good fats like nuts, nut butters, and avocadoes, and encourage more snacking. Fiber may lead her to feel full faster, which can result in her eating fewer calories than necessary.
Protein
Protein recommendations for vegan children are 20 percent greater than those for omnivorous kids because plant proteins aren’t digested as readily and plant amino acid quality is not as high as those from animal sources. Studies show most vegan kids’ diets meet protein needs through soy and other plant sources without issue. Use a variety of plant-based protein sources such as tofu, beans, seitan, tempeh, nuts and seeds, nut butters, and soy-based meat analogs to ensure a variety of amino acids.
Vegan children ages 4 through 6 require about 26 to 28 grams plant-based protein per day. At age 7, protein needs generally increase to 31 to 34 grams per day due to children’s increasing weight.
Vitamins
Vitamin D deficiency is a concern for all children because most don’t spend enough time outdoors in the sun without sunscreen for appropriate vitamin D synthesis. There’s a need to balance protection against sunburn and skin cancer with some sun exposure for vitamin D synthesis, which not only provides for strong bones but also myriad other functions in the body.
Vegan children don’t drink vitamin D-fortified milk, so it’s important that parents buy other products that are vitamin D fortified. Or vegan children should take a multivitamin that supplies vitamin D, as well as be exposed to at least 20 to 30 minutes of outdoor sunlight on skin that has not been covered with sunscreen two to three times a week. Vitamin D2, which is plant-based, is just as effective as vitamin D3, which is sourced from animal products.