Veggie Health for KidsEvery nutrient a child needs and how to get it.A guide for parents showing why vegetarian/vegan diets are the healthiest option for children. World turned upside down! / What You Need and Where You Get It / How Animal Products Affect Children / How Animal Products Affect Adults / Conclusions What You Need and Where You Get It All diets need to be properly planned – for vegetarians no more and no less than meat eaters. All the food you eat – fat, carbohydrate, protein – provides calories. Calories equal energy and so all foods are referred to by the amount of energy (calories) they provide. That’s why it’s meaningless when food manufacturers make claims such as ‘Less than five per cent fat’. That amount of fat probably accounts for one-third of the calories in the sausages or whatever it is they’re urging you to buy.
Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are our main and most important source of energy. There are three types: 1) fast-releasing, such as table sugar, honey, white flour, sweets and syrups; 2) slow-releasing complex carbohydrates, such as wholegrains (oats, bread, rice, pasta, rye); and 3) fibre – the indigestible part of fruits, vegetables and grains, essential for the digestive system to work properly. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reckons we should all be eating far more slow-releasing carbohydrates than we do. A vegetarian diet – based as it is on carbohydrate-rich plant foods – is the perfect way of doing that. Two slices of bread (about 100g) contains 45g carbohydrate; 50g serving of breakfast cereal 47g; 150g serving of lentils (cooked) 26g. Fibre 200g can baked beans contains 7.4g fibre; 200g cooked wholewheat pasta 7g; 50g average-sized apple 1g. Protein Good sources of protein are pulses (beans, lentils), dairy products, free-range eggs, nuts, seeds, cereals and grains (bread, pasta, rice). Soya beans – in the form of soya milk, tofu (soya bean curd), imitation meats and soya sausages – are equivalent to meat in the amount and type of protein they provide. They also have the advantage of containing strong antioxidant (disease-busting) properties, are rich in fibre and phytoestrogens – chemicals that are thought to have anti-cancer properties – and are high in the essential fats lacking in many people’s diets. Not only does soya contain no cholesterol it can actually help lower cholesterol levels in the body! The large amount of evidence linking soya to good heart health has even led the US and UK to allow health claims on certain food products containing soya. 200g (about half a can) baked beans contains 10.4g protein; 200g cooked pasta 8g; 150g cooked kidney beans 10.4g; 25g almonds (small packet) 5g; 1 slice bread 4g.
Fat Facts There are two types – omega-3 and omega-6. Omega-3 fats are found in dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, some nuts (especially walnuts), seeds (especially linseed – also called flax) and soya beans and oils extracted from them. Omega-6 fats are found in seeds such as sunflower and sesame seeds, corn, some nuts (again walnuts) and soya beans and their oils. The most common supermarket oils – general vegetable oil blends – tend to be high in omega-6 fats but very low in omega-3 fats. Using only these types of oil may mean you miss out on the vital omega-3 fats. Walnuts and linseeds are rich in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and in the right proportions that the body needs. Essential oils (especially omega-3 ones) are easily damaged by light or heat so they should be refrigerated and only used cold as dressings. It’s also best to refrigerate seeds and nuts for obvious reasons. One to two handfuls of nuts and seeds or two to four tablespoons of these polyunsaturated essential oils each day is all you need. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat and is great for cooking as it is much less prone to damage. There’s also good evidence to suggest that olive oil helps lower cholesterol and may be part of the reason why traditional Mediterranean diets result in lower rates of heart disease. And don’t believe the hype surrounding oily fish as a necessary part of the diet for obtaining important dietary omega-3 fats. Government surveys have found that all fish contain poisons such as mercury, dioxins and PCB’s. Research also shows that it is plant oils, not fish oils, that are most protective of the heart – in fact plant oils give twice as much protection to the heart than do fish oils! (See also VVF Fishing for Facts report.) 1 slice of bread contains 1g fat; 220g can baked beans 1g; 25g packet of almonds 14g fat (most of which are the beneficial types). Calcium
Calcium is vital for healthy bones and teeth – in fact, almost our entire calcium supply is bound up in just these two areas of the body! Calcium is also involved in the working of many hormones, blood clotting, regulation of blood pressure, muscular contractions and the sending and receiving of electrical nerve impulses. Although dairy products are well known to be calcium-rich, cow's milk is not necessarily the best source as it also contains saturated fat but contains no fibre, iron or vitamins C, E or beta-carotene. And despite all you read, drinking cow's milk is no guarantee of healthy bones (see Osteoporosis). Vegan diets which include regular servings of dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, watercress and parsley; pulses, seeds (especially sesame and tahini – sesame seed paste) and nuts (especially almonds) are unlikely to be calcium deficient. Most soya milk is fortified with calcium and because it contains no animal protein, it doesn’t cause calcium to be lost from the body like dairy and meat do (see Osteoporosis). When you stop to think about it, drinking the milk of another species is a very strange thing to do, particularly when no animal has a need for it after weaning – and that includes humans. We do it out of habit and because it is heavily promoted. Imagine drinking the milk of your pet dog or an elephant. Sounds ludicrous – but no more so than drinking the milk of a cow! “Ideally the infant should be exclusively fed human milk for
the first year of life...After the first year of life the child requires
no
milk of any type. The child, like us adults, can thrive without cow
milk ever crossing his lips.” 100g tofu (soya bean curd) contains 510mg calcium; 1 slice white bread 45mg; 100g broccoli 40mg; 25g almonds 60mg; 5g serving tahini (sesame seed paste) 34mg; 100ml serving fortified soya milk 120-140mg. This compares with 57mg for eggs and 115-120mg for milk. Iodine Iodine is needed to produce thyroid hormones, which help to control metabolism so determining how fast you burn up foods. In infants, thyroid hormones are responsible for development of the nervous system, including the brain. Dairy produce and seaweed (nori, kelp, etc.) are iodine-rich and so are foods which contain seaweed, such as carrageenan, used as a thickening agent. Other sources are Vecon vegetable stock and dark green vegetables. 10g dried seaweed contains 50mcg iodine; 5g serving Marmite 2.45mcg; 100ml whole cow's milk 15mcg. Iron Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body and everyone needs a good supply. Leading health advisory bodies agree that iron deficiency anaemia is no more common in vegetarians than meat-eaters. This is because there are plenty of iron sources in a veggie diet – pulses (any kind of bean, lentils, chickpeas, peas); dark green leafy veg. such as broccoli, fortified breakfast cereals, wholegrains such as wholemeal bread, dried apricots, prunes and figs, black treacle and even plain dark chocolate or cocoa. The body isn’t that great at absorbing iron but the great thing about a veggie diet is that it is loaded with vitamin C from fresh fruits and vegetables which can increase iron absorption sixfold. Drinking tea can reduce iron absorption so avoid your cuppa when eating iron-rich foods. 200g lentils contains 7mg iron; 200g baked beans 3mg; 2 slices wholegrain bread 2.5mg; 50g serving fortified breakfast cereal 3.3mg. Zinc Zinc is involved in growth, the health of the immune system (so helping to fight infection) and plays a crucial role in enzyme activity. Enzymes are chemicals which help speed up all the reactions that go on in the body (eg digestion of food) and zinc helps keep these enzymes working properly. Good sources include pulses, wholegrains, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds. 200g lentils contains 2.8mg zinc; 200g wholegrain pasta 2.2mg; 25g brazil nuts 1.05mg; 25g sunflower seeds 1.3mg. Vitamin A Vitamin A is needed to maintain a healthy immune system, for the growth and development of tissues, for vision and healthy skin. There are two kinds – one found in plants, called beta-carotene, and one in meat called retinol. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A and it acts as an important antioxidant (see page 12). Animal vitamin A – retinol – is not an antioxidant, is found mostly in liver and taken in large quantities during pregnancy can cause birth defects. Foods rich in beta-carotene include green leafy vegetables, carrots, peppers, apricots, watercress, spinach, parsley, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and mangoes. 50g cooked peas contains 125mcg vitamin A; 10g cooked carrots 756mcg; 200g serving chickpeas 42mcg. B Complex Vitamins Vitamin B1 helps to release the locked up energy in carbohydrates and fats, it aids the functioning of the brain, heart and nerves and helps the body cope with stress. Good food sources include wholemeal bread, yeast extract, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, oats, black treacle and fortified breakfast cereals. When wheat flour is refined to make white flour, thiamin is lost so it has to be fortified with it during manufacture 50g fortified cereal contains 0.50mg vitamin B1; 1 slice wholegrain bread 0.15mg; 25g sunflower seeds 0.40mg; 5g yeast extract 0.16mg. B2 (Riboflavin) Riboflavin helps to release energy from fats, carbohydrates and protein and aids healthy skin, hair and nails. It’s widely available in plant foods such as yeast extract, wholegrains, almonds, seeds, black treacle and dates. 5g yeast extract (such as Marmite) contains 0.55mg riboflavin; 50g fortified cereal 0.65g; 100ml fortified soya milk 0.24mg.
Niacin Niacin is needed to release energy from foods and for maintaining skin, nerve, brain and digestive health. It is found in yeast extract, wholegrains including wholemeal bread, dates, nuts and seeds, peas and potatoes. 200g wholegrain pasta contains 2.6mg niacin; 2 slices wholegrain bread 3.8mg; 5g yeast extract 2.9mg; 10g peanut butter 1.25mg. B6 (Pyridoxine) Vitamin B6 is needed for breaking down protein, producing red blood cells and absorbing zinc. It is easily obtained from wholegrains, avocados, bananas, prunes, beans, dried fruits, seeds and nuts. 100g banana contains 0.29mg vitamin B6; 100g avocado 0.36mg; 50g fortified cereal 0.90mg. Folate (Folic Acid) Folate helps with the making of blood, forming DNA (your genetic blueprint), using protein and is important in preventing defects in the developing foetus. It is found widely in a vegetarian diet in dark green leafy vegetables, pulses, avocado, nuts and beansprouts. 100g broccoli contains 64mcg folic acid; 25g hazelnuts 18mcg; 200g lentils 60mcg. Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) Cobalamin is essential for a healthy nervous system and blood formation and is made by bacteria in the soil. Your liver has stores for up to three years. Traces may be found on un-washed veg. but this isn’t a reliable source. Vegetarians can obtain vitamin B12 from dairy products and free-range eggs and there’s a growing number of products now fortified with B12, including some breakfast cereals, yeast extract, some margarines and soya milk. It’s thought that vitamin B12 from fortified foods is better absorbed than B12 from meat, poultry and fish. 5g Marmite contains 0.75mcg vitamin B12; 100ml fortified soya milk 0.5mcg; 50g fortified cereal 0.85mcg. Vitamins B6, B12 and folate are now thought to help keep the heart healthy by lowering levels of a chemical in the body called homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine have been linked to increased risk for heart disease and strokes so it is vital that adequate amounts of these B-vitamins are supplied daily in the diet. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Your body can’t store vitamin C so it needs to be eaten every day. It’s an important vitamin – involved in wound healing, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels and healthy gums. It is also an important antioxidant, helping to keep the immune system fighting fit. Vitamin C also helps the body absorb iron. It is present in a wide range of plant foods but there is none in animal products. Rich sources are berry fruits such as blackcurrants, citrus fruits such as oranges as well as green leafy vegetables, kiwi fruits, broccoli and tomatoes. Potatoes contain some vitamin C and are an important source, particularly in winter. 100g cauliflower contains 27mg vitamin C; 50g orange 27mcg; 100g banana 11mg. Vitamin D 50g fortified cereal contains 1.05mcg vitamin D; 100ml fortified soya milk 0.75mcg. Vitamin E (Tocopherol) 200g cooked brown rice contains 0.60mg vitamin E; 20g serving peanut butter 1mg; 25g sunflower seeds 9.4mg. Free Radicals and Antioxidants The main antioxidants are beta-carotene and vitamins C and E and these actually protect you against disease by neutralising free radical damage. None of these vital protectors is found in meat or cow’s milk but they are plentiful in plant foods. New antioxidants are still being discovered and Flavenols are one such group. Again they are found only in plant foods. One of the Flavenols is called lycopene, found in red foods such as tomatoes. |
by Laura Scott (MSc Nutrition), VVF Senior Nutritionist A guide by the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation Copyright: Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation 2004. |
