Here’s an excerpt from my current Healthy You Now column:
When new moms or moms-to-be find out that I am a vegan nutritionist, they often ask, “Are vegan diets okay for children?” Many of them have heard that it is not safe to raise children on vegan foods. They have heard the myths and misinformation that their children may become nutritionally-deficient, anemic, and even mentally or physically weak.
If you’ve been wondering the same thing, rest assured. Nothing could be further from the truth. Vegan diets provide optimal nutrition for all stages of childhood, from birth through adolescence. In fact, raising children on vegan foods is one of the best ways to ensure they have bright and healthy futures.
The fact is, vegan children grow up to be healthier, slimmer, and live longer than their omnivore (meat-eating) friends. Adopting a healthy vegan lifestyle offers children a better chance of avoiding obesity, preventing heart disease, and curbing the onset of Type II diabetes.
And get this: vegan children are not only healthier, they’re smarter, too. According to Latest in Clinical Nutrition: 2007, it has been known for three decades that vegan children have IQs that test 16 points above average and a mental age that is one year ahead of children who eat meat and dairy. Now that is some good news about our children’s health, for a change.
Read more here for tips and resources about raising healthy vegan children right from the start.
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