The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids - M.s.j., Dana Villamagna [6]
And hot dogs aren’t the only problematic animal-based food when it comes to cancer. Bad compounds called HCAs (heterocyclic amines) form in beef, pork, chicken, and fish cooked at high temperatures in methods such as barbecuing, grilling, and broiling. National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers have identified 17 different HCAs that result from cooking muscle meats at high temperatures. According to the NCI, studies have shown an increased risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers with high intakes of well-done, fried, or barbecued meats.
Diet alone cannot protect against all cancers, and cancer survival rates have risen dramatically in the past 25 years. Still, vegan kids don’t eat hot dogs or muscle meats—one less worry for parents, thanks to veganism.
Allergies
Dangerous food allergies and pesky, bad-mood-inducing, stomach-cramping food sensitivities plague many children. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates 1 in 26 kids battle a food allergy. Over 90 percent of the most severe food allergies in childhood are caused by eight foods:
◆ Cow’s milk
◆ Fish
◆ Hen eggs
◆ Peanuts
◆ Shellfish
◆ Soy
◆ Tree nuts (and seeds)
◆ Wheat
But vegan kids don’t have to worry about dairy (including the more mild but still bothersome lactose intolerance), egg, seafood, or meat allergies.
Puberty Slow-Down
According to information published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), “diets rich in animal protein, found in meat, eggs, and dairy products, appear to reduce the age of puberty.”
PCRM sites a study from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2000, which found that girls who consumed higher levels of animal protein compared to vegetable protein between 3 and 8 years of age began to menstruate earlier. Doctors say that early onset of menses increases women’s chances of female cancers. And hey, don’t kids grow up too fast these days anyway, without puberty coming early, too?
Illnesses, Pathogens, and Toxins
A top-tier reason not to eat meat or serve it to your children: mad cow disease (or any other food-borne illness associated so often with animal products). Vegans can let their kids lick the beaters from cookie and cake batter without the fear of them ingesting salmonella bacteria, which raw eggs (as well as other poultry) may contain. Soft cheeses may harbor the bacterium listeria, most dangerous for pregnant moms and their unborn babies. Drink raw (unpasteurized) cow’s milk—very popular in the nonvegan, health-conscious community—and run the risk of ingesting salmonella, E coli, and listeria. Undercooked pork carries the concern of parasites, and eating large fish now means ingesting mercury, to the extent that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns children and pregnant or lactating women not to eat fish more than twice a week.
Bottom line: vegan kids bypass almost all those animal-product-borne pathogens and problems.
Parent Trap
Unfortunately, food-borne pathogens are not limited to animal products. Outbreaks of E coli on spinach and tomatoes have prompted the FDA to issue a number of widespread food recalls. To protect your child, wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly—which cuts but doesn’t eliminate risk (only cooking does that)—and peel foods that make sense to do so. Watch health news for outbreaks and recalls. If an outbreak occurs, avoid the risk altogether until the outbreak ends.
The Best of Everything
Veganism is based on what’s quickly becoming common sense in nutrition and disease prevention. The federal government’s “Fruits and Veggies—More Matters” campaign (formerly called “5 A Day”) encourages all Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables. For kids whose families follow a plant-based diet, that’s already a no-brainer.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s Cancer Project teaches health-care providers, patients, and kids how to eat delicious, plant-based, antioxidant-rich,