Making sure kids who are vegan or vegetarian eat healthy

Tana Amen, BSN, RN Nutrition & Lifestyle Expert, shares advice for parents on whether a vegetarian or vegan diet is safe for kids and which nutrients to be sure they are getting
Vegetarian And Vegan Diets For Kids - Making Sure They Eat Healthy
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Making sure kids who are vegan or vegetarian eat healthy

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Is it okay for a child to have a vegan or vegetarian diet? What I would say to that is you need to be very careful for children to get enough protein. And also, to pay attention to the parts of a diet that are not always provided in a vegetarian diet: things like vitamin B12, amino acids, some amino acids that don't come naturally in a vegetarian diet, and the right ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids. So omega 6-fatty acids are inflammatory causing; omega 3 fatty acids decrease inflammation. So you have to make sure that those things are in balance. And since children are growing, you definitely want to make sure they're getting enough protein. So, Is it okay? I would say it's not that it's okay, or it's not okay. You just have to make sure they're getting everything they need. And that's what i would pay attention to like with anything. And don't assume that vegetarian is synonymous with healthy. So try to avoid the refined carbohydrates, too much pasta, the white poisons. Just because it's vegetarian or being it doesn't mean that they are not eating too much sugar and some of the same pitfalls that are in a standard American diet.

Tana Amen, BSN, RN Nutrition & Lifestyle Expert, shares advice for parents on whether a vegetarian or vegan diet is safe for kids and which nutrients to be sure they are getting

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Tana Amen, BSN, RN

Nutrition & Lifestyle Expert

Tana Amen is affectionately known as “The Brain Doctor’s Wife.” Working alongside her husband, award-winning physician and New York Times best-selling author Daniel Amen, Tana is a highly respected health and fitness expert, who graduated magna cum laude from Loma Linda University’s nursing program.  After school Tana spent years working at Loma Linda’s in their level A trauma unit as a neurosurgical intensive care nurse, taking care of some of the sickest patients in the hospital.  There she learned firsthand the value of diet and nutrition on brain health. Tana is the author of 4 highly successful books, including three brain healthy cookbooks and a coaching guide. Tana is one of the main consultants to The Daniel Plan, Pastor Rick Warren and Saddleback Churches’ Plan to get the world healthy through religious organizations. After the first year the church lost 250,000 pounds, but weight loss was only one of the stunning side effects of getting truly healthy.  Other common effects of The Daniel Plan were increased energy, better focus and mood, and a reduction of many medications for the participants. In May of 2013, Tana’s new book, The Omni Diet: 2 Weeks to Lose Weight, Reverse Illness and Control Your Genes will be out.

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