Many people are raising their children vegan because of ethical, environmental, and/or health reasons. Making this decision can often be difficult without family or community support. However, by becoming well-educated on vegan nutrition, you can feel confident that you are feeding your child a healthy diet that will benefit them into adulthood.
Breast milk should ideally be the first foods for our vegan babies. Not only does it provide specific nutrition for the growing babes, but is helps to boast their immune systems against illnesses. A mother who eats an organic diet can further help eliminate toxins in her breast milk.
Once our babes are sitting on their own (usually around 6 months), they will start taking an interest in solid foods. An example of some of their first foods can be very soft, one centimeter squared chunks of fruits, veggies, and grains (puffed rice, pastas, etc.). Once they get the hang of eating foods (and get more teeth), you can start offering them more options from your plate. If breast milk is still being offered on demand, there should be little worry that the babe is getting enough nutrition.
As your child gets older, you can offer them the things that most kids like eating. Some of these items include: nut butter and jelly sandwiches, spaghetti and marinara sauce, humus and pita, oatmeal, waffles, meat substitutes, dairy-free milks, fruits, veggies, etc. The list of options is endless and even vegan “junk food” tends to be on the healthier side. The library should have some vegan cookbooks in their collection and a great website for vegan recipes is www.vegweb.com.
As long as your child is eating a variety of foods, they should be getting a balanced diet. Additionally, the foods that are part of a vegan diet are low in cholesterol and saturated fats and high in fiber (all characteristics of a healthy diet), and may also lead to a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and Type II diabetes. A great resource on family nutrition is “Raising Vegetarian Children: A Guide to Good Health and Family Harmony” by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina.
It is important that our children don’t be made to feel like outcasts because of their diets. We can help ease them through the challenges of childhood by planning ahead. For birthday parties, we can contact the hosts and send along some vegan options to share. We can also pack their lunches with food items that won’t make them feel different than the other children (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and carrot sticks seem to be a lunch staple for most children).
For some great articles on vegan parenting, check out www.vegfamily.com.