growing up vegetarian (newspaper article)

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this was posted on another list i'm on....thought some

of y'all might be interested.

 

Published September 03. 2003 in the Gadsden Times

 

Growing up vegetarian

 

Influenced by family or on their own, many young

people turn to a meatless diet.

 

By Meredith Cummings

NYT Regional Newspapers

 

Kara and Erik Hestevold put their plates forward for

slices of chocolate cream pie. Not a bad way to wrap

up a recent meal for the Hestevold children and their

parents, Scott and Nita.

 

But this pie was not ordinary. Its secret ingredient

was tofu - whipped into a froth and mixed with

chocolate. That may sound unappetizing to some, but it

appeals to 9-year-old Kara and 14-year-old Erik.

 

The Hestevolds are raising their children as

vegetarians. About 1 million children ages 6 to 17 are

vegetarians, according to the Vegetarian Resource

Group, a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore.

 

Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish or fowl. Vegans do

not eat meat, fish or fowl and do not use other animal

products such as dairy or eggs.

 

Erik and Kara said they are sometimes teased, but that

it's not as bad as it once was. They take their

lunches to school each day and deal with offerings at

birthday parties and other social events.

 

" My true friends don't bug me about it, " Erik said.

" But then, some people will say things like, `Do you

take protein pills?' I've never heard of a protein

pill. The closest thing to a protein pill is a

bean. "

 

Books such as " Raising Vegetarian Children " and

" Cooking with Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon - A Cookbook

for Kids " sit in the Hestevolds'

kitchen, showing how this Tuscaloosa family differs

from neighbors who prefer the meat-and-veggies staples

of the South.

 

The Hestevold parents both ate meat for years before

becoming vegetarians for moral reasons.

 

Experts say that a well-planned vegetarian diet can be

a healthy alternative to standard meat-based menus for

all age groups. That includes during pregnancy,

lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence, the

group said in a statement published in the June

issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic

Association.

 

A representative of the American Academy of Pediatrics

concurred.

 

" We agree that vegetarianism, especially the

vegetarianism that does not eliminate milk, eggs and

so on, is compatible with the normal dietary intake of

a child and an adolescent, " said Dr. Fima Lifshitz,

director of pediatrics and a senior nutrition

scientist at the Sansum Medical Research Institute in

Santa Barbara, Calif.

 

Lifshitz, however, cautions that more extreme diets,

such as those that eliminate all animal products, can

be dangerous if not managed correctly.

 

There have been well-publicized cases of malnutrition

in children with restrictive diets.

 

Challenges

Parents say the challenges of raising vegetarian

children change over time, but most agree that one

issue is contending with other people.

 

Whether it's in-laws who don't agree with parents'

choices or helping children handle teasing or peer

pressure, parental duties can be difficult.

 

" Teaching our kids to navigate in a world which is so

fundamentally different from what we believe is right

as far as nutrition and animal welfare is sometimes

difficult, " said Melanie Wilson, publisher of

Vegetarian Baby and Child Magazine and

Vegetarianteen.com Online Magazine. She has two

daughters who are vegans, ages 5 and 18 months.

 

Parents who are thinking of raising children as

vegetarians - or switching to vegetarianism - must do

research, said Reed Mangels, nutrition adviser for the

Vegetarian Resource Group. For the first six or seven

months of life, a vegetarian or vegan baby's diet

should not differ from that of a non-vegetarian. But

once the time comes when meat would normally be

introduced to the baby, parents need to find

alternative sources of protein, such as yogurt,

cottage cheese, soy and dry beans.

 

Mangels, an author of books on vegetarianism, said

some parents mistakenly try to make their own baby

formula. If a vegetarian baby cannot be breast-fed,

she said, always buy formula from the store.

 

" Breast-feeding is the very best way to go whether

you're vegetarian or not, " Mangels said. " If that's

not possible, then infant formula is the only other

choice. I think that's important because sometimes

a vegetarian will say, `Oh, I drink soy milk so it

must be OK for my baby,' but that won't work for the

baby. "

 

Making the switch

The Hestevolds' decision to raise their children as

vegetarians was a natural one since they are

vegetarians. But some families decide to switch to

vegetarianism when their children are older.

 

Making the switch takes time, but children adapt

easily and soon can get the hang of new foods.

Meanwhile, providing familiar foods can help, Mangels

said.

 

Families switch to vegetarianism in many ways. Some

parents choose to have the whole family switch, often

when health concerns are an issue. Others let children

transition gradually, selecting what they want to eat

outside the home, for example, but having only

vegetarian food in the home. Still others simply set a

healthy example.

 

" I've also heard from a lot of families in which one

parent is vegetarian, but the other is not. Many

families, like ours in the beginning, get along just

fine because one parent agrees to raise the

kids vegetarian even though he or she is not, " Wilson

said. " My husband, for example, ate vegetarian at

home, but he would often order meat in a restaurant. "

 

" Many families experience some level of stress when

making the transition, and it's important to remember

that each of us is on his or her own path in life, "

she said. " There needs to be acceptance within the

family for members who choose to eat meat, for those

who occasionally eat meat, as well as for those who

are adamant about not eating any animal's products. "

 

Going veg as a teen

Some teenagers decide to become vegetarians for their

own reasons, because their friends are, or because

they have a newfound sense of moral, ethical or

environmental awareness. Wilson said when this

happens, many parents don't research vegetarianism and

are unable to help the teenager make healthy choices.

 

" Some do this because they think it's a phase which

will pass, others because they feel that it's an

insult to their parenting or beliefs that their child

has chosen vegetarianism, and still others because

they hope to force the teen back into eating meat by

not offering options, " Wilson said.

 

Lifshitz said these young people are particularly

vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies.

 

" The adolescents are the ones that worry me more

because they are often on their own, " without the

guidance of parents or others who know how to manage a

vegetarian diet, he said.

 

Nutritionists agree parents of vegetarians must play a

major role in educating their children, whether teens

or babies, about nutrition, just as any parents do.

Scott Hestevold, for example, said his children have

been taught to plan meals with complete protein, such

as dishes that combine pasta with legumes.

 

" With all the information now available about the

long-term health benefits of plant-based diets, there

is really no question that the vegan diet is safe - in

fact, it offers the most disease-fighting protection

of any dietary pattern, " said Amy Lanou, nutrition

director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible

Medicine in a statement on the group's Web site.

 

" Studies show that a meat-free vegan diet rich in

fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes offers

clear advantages to growing bodies, " said Lanou,

author of " Healthy Eating for Life for Children. " " In

fact, some research has even shown that vegan diets

may offer advantages for developing minds as well. "

 

Lifshitz, however, recommends that parents of

vegetarian children substitute protein foods including

eggs and milk for meat. If the family wants to go

vegan, Lifshitz said, they should take vitamin and

mineral supplements " just to be sure. "

 

He said the greater the variety of foods that children

have available, the better their nutritional needs

will be met.

 

" All foods are good in moderation, " he said. " Any

extremes of avoiding certain foods carries risks. "

 

Lifshitz said some cultures, such as those in India

and other parts of Asia, have a long history of

raising children on vegetarian diets. Parents there

have experience in managing the diet to avoid

malnutrition. Parents in cultures without the same

dietary history may not have that know-how, he said.

 

Some parents find that by adopting a vegetarian diet,

their children learn more about various food groups.

 

" When it comes to vegetarianism, now they can

sometimes be more adamant than we are, " Nita Hestevold

said of Erik and Kara.

 

Although the Hestevolds said they never expect anyone

else to become vegetarian because of them, and don't

push their values on others, sometimes their friends

want to see what it's like to be a vegetarian.

 

" Most of my friends have tried being vegetarian, " Kara

said, smiling. " One tried and almost did, but they

just couldn't stay away from meat. "

 

posted by jamie r.

Vegetarian-for-all

http://cooking-lists.com/mailman/listinfo/vegetarian-for-all_cooking-lists.com

 

 

 

 

 

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