The Globe and Mail posted and Q&A session with a doctor about adolescent vegetarianism. It begins:

The question

“My 12 year old wants to become a vegetarian. How can I support her but ensure she is getting proper nutrition?”

The answer

“A vegetarian lifestyle is becoming more and more popular among families with children and adolescents. It may be driven by an increased respect for the environment, or simply by scientific data, mostly showing health benefits, such a reduced risk of cancer, a longer lifespan and a reduced risk of becoming obese.”

Read the specific nutrition recommendations here >>

But you don’t have to be an expert. The parent of a vegan or vegetarian teen can often ensure they are meeting their nutritional needs simply by giving them some soy milk. Here’s what Vegan Health says about vegan teens:

“Drinking one cup of soymilk fortified with vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D each day can go a long way towards giving you the nutrition that might otherwise be lacking in a vegan diet. And if you were to drink two cups, you would really be covered.”

For more information on raising vegetarian and vegan children, be sure to take a look at these resources:

• Vegan Health page on vegan teens: http://veganhealth.org/articles/teens
• Keeping Kids Healthy section on vegan kids: http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/treatmentguides/veganchildren.html
• The American Dietetic Association recommendations for feeding vegan and vegetarian infants and toddlers: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=8060.
• The ADA’s guide to important vegetarian nutrient sources (for all ages): http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6374
• The American Dietetic Association’s recommendations for getting children and teens to eat their fruits and veggies (for ALL children, not just vegan and vegetarian children): http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6749
• Vegan Health info page on vegan pregnancy and children: http://veganhealth.org/articles/preginfchil
• The Vegetarian Resource Group’s paper on vegetarian and vegan kids: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s paper called “Vegetarian Diets: Advantages for Children” http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=264

Also, take a look at the section on children here at Vegan Soapbox:

• http://www.vegansoapbox.com/topics/children/

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