Tag: vegan children

Where to Get Nutritional Advice for Young Vegans and Newbies

Just a quick post to pass on this link fom The Vegan Society which gives nutritional advice for young children, 11-18 year olds and those new to vegan eating. It includes the importance of breakfast, calcium, omega 3, Vitamin D, iodine, B12 etc. with suggestions for meals and sources of these nutrients.

It is by no means comprehensive and it is important to do your own research regarding the issue of using supplements or not.

My view is that it is always better to get your nutrients from real food where possible, supplements come in such a variety of forms, strengths and quality, often have fillers and they are expensive and not always absorbed sufficiently by the body.

Isolating particular nutrients doesn’t always work since when they occur within real food, they are accompanied by lots of micro-nutrients which aid their metabolism and absorption, which isn’t always the case with supplements.

This is why it is important to consume foods containing Vitamin C with foods containing iron, for instance. That’s also the reason not to peel where appropriate as these micronutrients are found just under the skin.

However, there are cases where supplementing might be appropriate, but it is wise to seek advice from a qualified practitioner.

This article is a good start, along with Teen Vegan, a safe not-for-profit social network for 12-19s with lots of advice, opportunities to volunteer making care packages for local homeless people and summer camp activities.

Another great resource is Vegan Fitness TV (recently renamed Family Fizz TV) on YouTube. They are a family of four, the parents are very into fitness, training etc but are very down-to-earth, using convenience foods as well as fresh foods and regularly test out new products. The two young girls in the family also have their own channel.

Vegan Kids (What an 11 year old eats in a day)

Vegan Kids (What a 5 Year Old eats in a day)

The two sisters do their own videos, they are delightful, so confident, lively and have a lot of fun.

Don’t forget, all the recipes on this blog are Vegan and Gluten-free and and you can find additional advice on Becoming Vegan in the blog Menu.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Where Do I Get My Protein on a Vegan Diet?

Here:

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And here:

(I would add Nutritional Yeast, Kale, Sunflower seeds, Romaine Lettuce, Sprouted Seeds & Beans, Mushrooms and Corn to that last)

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The truth is, it is extremely difficult in Western society to be deficient in protein.

You don’t even need thick steaks if you’re a bodybuilder or any other kind of meat or dairy product if you’re a top-notch athlete: there are many top bodybuilders, ironmen, ultra-marathon runners and other sports people who are vegans.

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Several members of the US Rio Olympic team are on a plantbased diet. Champion tennis players Serena and Venus Williams are on plantbased diets and Novak Djokovic recently opened his own vegan restaurant. Arnold Schwarzanegger is advocating transitioning to a plantbased diet! Former President Bill Clinton changed to a vegan diet when he had bypass surgery. Carl Lewis, champion athlete, also competed on a vegan diet.

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Almost all wholefoods contain some protein to varying amounts, so all you need to do is eat a wide variety of *real* foods, as opposed to processed, chemical-laden sugary ‘foods’ that call themselves vegan and you will get all the quality protein and nutrients you need.

Excessive protein intake can overload the kidneys, make them work harder and cause dehydration.

Research from Australia and the US shows that a varied vegan diet is healthy for both children and adults. Even the the latest US eating guidelines advise more plantbased foods.

I had a meat-eating pregnancy and a vegetarian pregnancy, guess which was healthiest and easiest? The vegetarian one by far. My children were brought up vegetarian, one has always been a keen sports enthusiast and an on-again-off-again vegan, athlete, orienteer, climber and cyclist, while the other has done gymnastics, horse-riding, running, become a lifeguard and gym enthusiast, but nowadays mostly enjoys yoga, swimming and cycling.

One family member has to have a low protein diet for medical reasons and has been plantbased all his life, he’s an outdoor activities leader and specialises in canoeing and climbing.

The babies and toddlers in our family are initially brought up vegan, until they want to choose foods for themselves. Even the ones who choose to occasionally include meat still have a mostly vegetable and fruit content to their diet and all are active, with the older ones being keen cyclists, swimmers, basketball players and Kung fu exponents!

Vegan food is not all brown and boring!* (see below for links to recipes).

It’s mostly about educating yourself and cooking from scratch as much as possible, but you can still find quality vegan convenience food and snacks. And you don’t have to spend hours creating special meals. That certainly wouldn’t work in our household! There are recipes in the blog menu for both savoury, sweet and raw vegan meals as well as some healthy snacks. Instagram is also a great place to find vegan accounts and websites for advice and recipes.

Resources: Vegan Family TV a YouTube channel run by a couple with two young children, it’s fun and informative about their everday lives as vegans. They regulalry try out new products and the girls do their own broadcasts.

The Vegan Society has an article which includes protein requirements and protein sources.

PS Here is a link to a short, informative article about the current trend for protein shakes, protein-added products, the possible overdosing on protein and its feared health repercussions in 10-15 years’ time, especially on teenage boys and men:

Are You Overdosing On Protein?

*See 3 Vegan Meals with Chilli, Quinoa, Tacos & Steamed Veg (but no Quorn!)

Rocket (Arugula) Salad with Sweetcorn, Walnut Slaw, Crisp Red Apple & Lemon Tahini Dressing

Berry Chia Breakfast Jar

Warm Apricot & Ginger Rice Salad with Tamari-Splashed Garlic Mushrooms

Copyright: Chris McGowan