Veggie Kids

More and more children today are vegetarians either by having parents that raise them vegetarian or by choosing the lifestyle themselves (sometimes at a very early age!).  There is plenty of research which shows that a vegetarian lifestyle has enormous health benefits.  Vegetarians tend to consume more fiber, vitamins and minerals from a variety of sources. They also have lower cholesterol levels, and less likeliness of developing chronic illnesses such as obesity, atherosclerosis, asthma, and diabetes. Vegetarian foods are a more efficient energy source than animal products as they are easier for the body to break-down and leave a smaller carbon footprint.  There are often concerns about children being able to receive the nutrients that they need for proper growth and development when omitting meat from their diet.  Essentially, without meat, poultry and fish, we need to ensure that a child receives sufficient protein, iron and zinc.  There are plenty of veggie based protein and iron rich foods like tofu, lentils, chickpeas, beans and  zinc can be found primarily whole grains, wheat germ, lima beans, soy, and nuts.  As with all children, offer your veggie loving little ones 3 meals and 2-3 snacks daily so that they have many opportunities to receive the nutrition that they need.  If there are any concerns about growth or nutritional intake, discuss it with your child's pediatrician or pediatric dietitian.  

Start Your Week with a Meatless Monday

My family has recently revived our Meatless Mondays to decrease our intake of animal proteins (for both health and environmental reasons). So far so good! All of my cooking attempts have been pretty well received and I plan to post some of our recipes here on Mondays!

Meatless Monday is a national health campaign that was started in September 2003. A Meatless Monday means starting each week with a day without any meat products and replacing them with other protein sources like beans, legumes, tofu, nuts, tempeh, and lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Its goal is to help Americans prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer- four of the leading causes of death in America, by reducing the amount of fat consumed in their diet. Research has indicated that diets high in saturated fat (mainly from meat and high-fat dairy products) increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Many of these diseases that lead to death are preventable by making lifestyle changes such as increasing physical activity and decreasing saturated fat intake. Increasing fruit, vegetable and whole grain consumption (hence increasing fiber and antioxidant intake) has been shown to be protective of diseases like heart disease and cancer. Try making your Mondays meatless… check out www.meatlessmonday.org and www.meatlessmonday.com for ideas on getting started. As with any lifestyle change, start with small steps. Try a vegetarian dinner on Monday nights if the idea of an entire meat-free day seems like a daunting task. Send your kids with an extra veggie to school or possibly rice and beans or a veggie wrap instead of an entree that contains meat to work towards this goal. Have fun with it!

Beyond Olive Oil and Mayo

Sometimes it is hard to find ways to add calories AND add nutrition. There is only so much olive oil or mayonnaise to add. This is a great dip or spread (could call it a pate' but a bit too elegant for a kid's meal). It is full of B vitamins, zinc and protein and tastes just like the chopped liver that my Poppie used to make. Surprisingly so!

It is vegetarian not vegan and pretty easy to make. Like most recipes posted here, variations are included so you can make one that works best for your family and your child. This recipe is adapted from the Oakwood School cookbook submitted by a lovely vegetarian family. Personally, I prefer this with peas, try each variation and let me know how it works. -Patricia

1 onion finely chopped
1/2 cup lentils OR 1 1/2 cups cooked peas OR 1 1/2 cups cooked green beans
many recipes like this recommend using canned veggies for ease
1/4 cup cashews or 1/3 cup walnuts
3 hard boiled eggs

Saute the onions in olive oil until translucent, for a richer flavor, saute until golden ( carmelize them). Cook up the lentils, peas or green beans. They should be well cooked, not crispy.
Toss all of the cooked ingredients in a food processor with the nuts and eggs. Add some seasoning ( a little pepper, a little salt) and puree up. If it is too thick, you can add a bit more olive oil (more calories!)or water or soup stock.

Let sit for an hour or two to let the flavors combine and dip or spread.