Your Child's Health
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[spacer] The Youthfull Vegetarian
[Picture]If you’ve banned meat from your diet, should you expect your children to join you at the salad bar? Dietitians say going vegetarian is OK at any age – even for infants, who can dine on breast milk or soy formula before moving to pureed vegetables, cottage cheese and soy products. Planning can ease parents’ concern that kids get enough protein and other nutrients to replace what they lose by skipping meat.

Some tips:

[Bullet]Kids who don’t eat meat but do eat eggs and dairy products don’t lose anything nutritionally, says Cindy Cunningham, director of clinical nutrition at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.
[Bullet]Those who shun all animal products, including eggs and dairy, risk vitamin B-12 deficiency and need a B-12 supplement. Vitamin B-12, crucial for development, is found only in animal products. A diet void of animal products may also be low in calcium and vitamin D without careful planning.
[Bullet]A child’s stomach may fill up more quickly on a bulky, plant-based diet, says Cunningham. Avoid strict limits on a vegetarian child’s fat intake to ensure enough calories.

Experts recommend 2,200 calories a day for a teen girl, for example. Fifty grams – about 200 calories – should come from protein. She can get nearly a third of that protein from a half-cup of cooked beans or lentils, or in two tablespoons of peanut butter. Dairy products, eggs, soy, breads, cereal and grains also provide some protein.

Don’t let children use vegetarianism to justify a junk food diet or hide an eating disorder.

Want more advice? Ask your doctor, or call the American Dietetic Association at 800-366-1655 to find a registered dietitian.

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