CD-ROM Aktief 1995 #3/CDA3.iso/cooking/vegsocuk.zip/CHILDREN.TXT

Text File | 1995-03-13 | 14KB | 290 lines

                            VegSocUK Information Sheet
                              THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY


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                       VEGETARIAN NUTRITION FOR CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION

   Childhood nutrition has a significant influence on health and development
   throughout life.  As children grow, their nutritional needs are much greater
   than those of adults and the consequences of a poor diet will be long
   lasting. A good diet will protect against everyday illness and ensure the
   development of strong bones and teeth, firm muscles and healthy tissues.

   Choosing to bring up your child as a vegetarian is a positive step towards a
   healthy and morally sound diet for your child.  Nutritional research has
   shown that a vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients necessary for a
   child's growth and development. Well-informed dietitians, doctors and other
   health professionals now accept that vegetarianism is a healthy option for
   infants and children of all ages.
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1. THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD (AGE 1 - 5)

   The pre-school child, whether vegetarian or not, is almost totally dependent
   on others for its food. The eating habits of parents and other carers will be
   the ones that the child imitates and acquires. Some pre-school children are
   naturally sensitive to the use of animals for food and occasionally refuse
   all meats even if their parents aren't vegetarian.

   Whether vegetarian or not, it is vital that children have a well balanced
   diet. This is particularly important during the pre-school years, as this is
   a time of rapid growth and development. The nutrients to particularly watch
   are calcium, iron, zinc, protein, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

   Children should be offered a variety of foods which they can enjoy and should
   not be forced to eat anything if they are determined to resist. Food and
   eating should not be allowed to become an issue as children can be very fussy
   at this age.

   Good eating habits should begin now, as likes and dislikes will be influenced
   by what is offered in these early years. High fibre, low fat diets,
   recommended for adults, are not suitable for children of this age, as
   explained below. The emphasis should be on family eating habits that are
   healthy and sensible. Foods containing a lot of sugar and salt should be
   avoided.

   As they are growing very rapidly, young children need a lot of dietary energy
   (calories) relative to their small size. A diet that is too high in fibre or
   very low in fat will not provide sufficient concentrated energy or nutrients.
   Frequent meals containing food of relatively high nutrient and energy
   density are important, although young children often have marked fluctuations
   in appetite.

   Nutritious snacks between meals will help ensure that enough food is eaten.
   Try and avoid shop-bought sweets, biscuits and cakes, sweetened fizzy drinks
   and salty snacks such as crisps. Offer sandwiches, fruit, scone or malt bread
   and home-made cake or biscuit instead. Sweets given occasionally as a special
   treat will not do any harm.

   Unless your child is prone to being overweight you can try to increase the
   energy density of foods. Vegetable oil can be added to foods like mashed
   lentils or beans. Include nut and seed purees such as tahini and smooth
   peanut butter, cheese, yoghurt, soya products, such as tofu and
   veggieburgers, and if liked, avocado. Try to include as wide a variety of
   foods as possible, bearing in mind that children may be fussy or find some
   foods too strong in taste. Consumption of fresh, frozen or juiced fruit and
   vegetables should be encouraged.

   Assessment of a child's growth should be made over a period of time, as
   growth at this age is often very uneven and interspersed with sudden
   increases in height and weight.

  SUGAR AND TEETH

   Children naturally like the taste of sugar and sweet foods. Though sugary
   foods do provide calories, they have little else of nutritional value and are
   a major cause of tooth decay. Whilst it may not be practical to ban sugar
   altogether, it should be limited. It is better to discourage the development
   of a sweet tooth now. A small amount of sugar with otherwise healthy desserts
   such as yoghurt, soya puddings and rice pudding is fine and better than using
   artificial additives for sweetness.

  MILK

   Children under two should not be given semi-skimmed milk and children under
   five should not be given skimmed milk because it lacks the fat soluble
   vitamins A and D. Young children also need the energy from fat. Soya milks
   should be fortified with calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D if used as an
   alternative to cow's milk for young children.

  SALT

   Salt should be avoided in the diet of young children as their kidneys are not
   mature enough to cope with large amounts. Many common foods such as cheese,
   manufactured soup, packet meals and bread are quite high in added salt. Avoid
   too many salty snacks, such as crisps and other snack foods. Spread yeast
   extract thinly or use the low salt varieties.

  NUTS

   Whole nuts and seeds must be avoided until the age of five as young children
   can easily choke on them. Ground or pureed nuts and seeds are fine and
   nutritious, for example smooth peanut butter, tahini (sesame seed paste) or
   ground almonds.

   VEGETARIAN NUTRITION FOR CHILDREN (Part 2 of 2)

2. THE SCHOOL AGE CHILD (AGE 5 - 12)

   By school-age, a child's eating patterns and taste preferences will have been
   established by the family eating habits.  Children are now able to exercise
   some choice over what they eat and may decide on their own initiative that
   they don't want to eat meat. They may also be heavily influenced by their
   peer groups.

   Many of the processes that lead to modern adult nutritional diseases, such as
   heart disease, begin in childhood. Adult healthy eating advice to reduce fat
   and have enough fibre does apply to school age children. Reports on the diets
   of British school children show that they tend to eat far too much fat and
   sugar and not enough dietary fibre, iron and calcium.   Vegetarian children
   often start with an advantage as their diet is usually lower in fat and
   higher in fibre.

   Numerous studies on the growth of vegetarian children show that they grow
   just as well and in some cases better than their meat-eating counterparts. In
   later life vegetarians suffer less of the modern nutritional diseases
   particularly heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure, so you can rest
   assured that you are giving them the best start in life.

   Growing children still need plenty of energy and nutrient dense foods.  As
   they have small stomachs and large energy needs, their meals need to be more
   frequent and regular than an adult's. The school years before adolescence
   represent a time of gradual, steady growth and nutritional risks are lower at
   this time than during the pre-school years and later during the adolescent
   growth spurt.

   Children need to be encouraged to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables
   which provide a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals. Sometimes
   they prefer raw vegetables, such as carrots and broccoli. It is better not to
   force a child to eat what they don't like or food can become a battle ground.

   Fried, fatty and sugary foods, such as pies, chips, sweets and chocolate
   often provide a lot of calories but with few associated nutrients, hence they
   are often called "junk foods". If your child is eating a varied diet with
   foods taken from each of the vegetarian food groups, and very little junk
   food, then it is likely that the nutrient content of the diet will take care
   of itself, provided they are getting enough energy.

School meals

   Prior to 1980, a school meal was expected to provide one third of a ch