The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids - M.s.j., Dana Villamagna [46]
Good sources of vitamin D include fortified foods like vitamin D- fortified soy milk, as well as moderate sun exposure to the hands and face 2 or 3 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes for light-skinned children.
Vegan Voices
We cannot endorse or recommend any particular brand of supplement, but some vegan parents we surveyed mentioned these vegan and nonvegan vitamin brands as their family’s vitamin choice: Multigenics, Higher Nature, Animal Parade, Nature’s Plus, Rainbow Light, Trader Joe’s, and VegLife’s Vegan Kids. Most parents mentioned B12 as the main reason they provided a multivitamin for their children.
Zinc
Zinc deficiency is characterized by decreased taste, rough skin, inability of the eyes to react to changes in light, memory loss, and learning problems. In severe cases, hair loss, tremors, and weight problems have also been reported.
Good food sources of zinc include the following:
◆ Bran flakes
◆ Fortified breakfast cereals
◆ Lentils
◆ Tahini
◆ Textured vegetable protein (dry flakes made from soy flour that are rehydrated and used in many recipes such as chili or tacos as a meat substitute)
Vitamin B12
Severe B12 deficiencies can cause irreversible neurological damage and must be safeguarded against in vegan children’s diets with a dietary supplement and/or fortified foods. Mild to moderate B12 deficiency is characterized by fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea. Severe B12 deficiency causes anemia; numbness and tingling of arms and legs; recurrent upper respiratory infections; and other strange symptoms like sore tongue, paranoia, and nervousness.
Good sources of B12 are limited in the vegan diet. A vitamin supplement is the best way to ensure proper B12 intake in vegan children. Fortified foods like breakfast cereals, meat analogs, and nutritional yeast often contain B12.
Calcium
Calcium deficiency isn’t a condition generally noted in children by the mainstream medical community. A lack of meeting calcium needs in childhood, however, is a contributor to long-term bone health because the largest calcium stores are laid in the bones during the formative years. The American Dietetic Association states, “limited data suggest that calcium intakes of vegan children are below current recommendations.”
Good kid-friendly sources of calcium include the following:
◆ Blackstrap molasses
◆ Calcium-fortified orange juice
◆ Soy milk
◆ Tofu
Avoid caffeine in your child’s diet, not only because it can affect her behavior but also because caffeine contributes to calcium loss. It may be a minimal amount of calcium loss, but when many vegan kids’ calcium intake is already marginal, any loss is too much.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiencies are rare but can lead to blindness and can be life-threatening. (There is also such a thing as too much vitamin A, which causes toxicity and myriad symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and clumsiness.) A vegan diet is not likely to be deficient in vitamin A as long as your child regularly eats multicolored vegetables. If your vegan child is an extremely picky eater or completely avoids vegetables, she could become vitamin A deficient. Supplement with a standard multivitamin.
Good kid-friendly sources of vitamin A are these:
◆ Apricots
◆ Carrots
◆ Mangoes
◆ Watermelon
Parent Trap
More isn’t always better when it comes to vitamin and mineral supplements. There is a possibility of overdose or toxicity at higher-than-recommended levels. Unless otherwise advised by your child’s doctor, stick with a regular daily child’s multivitamin that does not exceed the standard FDA recommendations and a DHA supplement.
Protein
Studies suggest that vegan kids get as much or more protein than nonvegan kids. A severe protein or amino acid deficiency is called kwashiorkor and is rarely seen in developed countries. Typically, it’s found in newly weaned children in developing countries whose diets are