In the past, vegetarian and vegan diets were associated with being a hippy. Things are changing, and plant-based lifestyles are becoming more and more mainstream. Many vegetarian or vegan parents have strong beliefs and are choosing to raise their children with the same diet and lifestyle. As a parent, this is completely logical. 

Who wants to be cooking two separate meals? Vegan and vegetarian diets vary in terms of what foods are allowed and what foods are not, and can fall anywhere from quite liberal to extremely strict. Should kids be on a restricted diet at all? What risks are involved with these types of diets?

One of the biggest risks with these diets are nutritional deficiencies. Depending what types of foods are restricted, children (and adults) may be put at risk for deficiencies. Because children have higher needs for growth, they are more at risk than their parents.

First off, we have to separate vegan and vegetarian. Vegetarian diets may or may not include eggs, dairy, and even fish. Because of this, some vegetarian diets are nutritionally complete. The less restrictive the diet, the more variety of nutrients that diet can provide.

Vegan diets are much more restrictive because they eliminate any foods of, or containing, anything of animal origin. This includes meat, dairy, eggs, and anything with traces of animal product as an ingredient. 

These diets are high contenders for a potential deficiency in B12, calcium, iron and other nutrients. Vegan kids will need a lot of high Calorie foods like nuts, nut butters, seeds, beans, and vegetable oils to make sure they’re getting enough Calories and protein for adequate growth.

There are many benefits to these diets and they can be very healthy. For one, they eliminate a lot of processed and high calorie foods that we don’t need. Secondly, they are often high in plant-based foods which provides a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants, and low in Calories and harmful fats. 

The key to following a vegan or vegetarian diet successfully is planning and knowledge. Knowledge of what nutrients are in which foods, and planning a variety of foods to make sure you get enough of each. Again, this is particularly important for vegans due to the highly restrictive elements of the diet. It’s a lot of work if done properly, but it can be done. If you’re not able to or don’t want to spend the time to plan properly, I wouldn’t recommend this diet for you or your kids. Alternatively, you can visit a Registered Dietitian to get help with planning.

Since nutrition labeling became mandatory in 2005, many people have started to take advantage of this extra information and be proactive about their health. As a parent, reading labels for yourself can be confusing enough. You might look for things like sodium for your high blood pressure, or fat content for your waist line or cholesterol levels. But should you be looking for different things for your children? This partly depends on the age of your child. Do you know what to look for on a nutrition label for your kids?

For children, there are certain nutrients that are of concern:

Sodium (salt): young children (under the age of one year) are not recommended to have foods that are high in salt (such as deli meats) because their kidneys aren’t fully developed and extra sodium puts extra stress on them. Unfortunately, many processed and packaged foods are very high in salt, including snack crackers and soups. For young children it’s best to limit their intake of processed and packaged foods.

Fat: Unlike adults, young children should not be on a low-fat diet. Children under 2 should be drinking full-fat (3.25%) milk and eating full-fat yogurt. As children get older you can switch them to lower fat dairy products. However, just like adults, intake of unhealthy fats (saturated and trans) should be limited. Try to avoid trans fats from processed and packaged foods altogether.

Fibre: Whether it’s adults or kids, fibre is always a good thing. High fibre foods fill you up faster and slow the release of sugar into the blood, which helps control hunger and blood sugar levels. Fruits and vegetables are always high in fibre. For cereals and other foods, look for 3-4g of fibre per serving. However, if your child has a small appetite, fills up easily, or is underweight, you may actually want to limit high fibre foods in favour of getting your child to eat more Calories. Speak to your physician or dietitian if you are concerned with your child’s growth or appetite.

Iron: Iron is especially important for young children under the age of one and those that don’t like a lot of meat. Iron will be listed as a percentage daily value (DV) which can make things confusing. If you’re child doesn’t eat a lot of meat, look for high iron foods with more than 15% DV for iron. Good non-meat sources of iron are: iron-fortified cereals, beans (kidney, pinto, navy, etc) and lentils, such as chickpeas.  

Sugar: Excess sugar intake in children and adults can lead to unhealthy weight gain. Many processed and packaged foods have tons of sugar added to them. Check the ingredient list for words such as “high-fructose corn syrup”, “glucose”, “sucrose”, and “syrup”. These words mean “sugar”. The best way to avoid added sugar is to cook as much as you can from scratch, but sometimes convenience foods win out. When grocery shopping, look for items where sugar is not in the first 5 ingredients on the list.

Not too long ago studies were coming out showing that kids were watching less Tv than ever before. At first glance, this seemed like a great thing, but this information was puzzling when compared to the sky-rocketing obesity rates. 

Turns out those researchers forgot one relatively new (at the time) but very important thing - computers. Researchers soon came up with the term “screen time” to refer to all time spent in front of a screen, including computers, video games, cell phones, movies, and of course, Tv. As soon as screen time was taken into account, things changed dramatically. 

Newer studies show that, although Tv time is down, screen time is up. Way up. A recent survey found that kids in Grades 6 through 10 spent 5 1/2 hours in front of a screen on week days, and 7 1/2 hours on weekends. That’s a full-time job! Obviously, any time spent in front of a screen is time spent not moving. On top of this there are many hours spent doing other important, but inactive, things such as schoolwork. 

In my previous post about television commercials and child weight gain, I explained that television advertising has a strong influence on what children under the age of 12 eat. One good thing (and this may be the only good thing) about non-television screen time is that your child isn’t likely to be exposed to as many commercials targeted at children. However, even this is changing. 

Many companies have realized their young audience has migrated from the living room floor to the computer desk, and have shifted their marketing plans accordingly. Big companies such as Nestle, Kraft and McDonald’s are developing websites that are fun for kids, enticing them to play for hours while being bombarded with marketing. For older kids, new studies have shown that teens with more screen time have lower quality relationships and spend even less time with family than other teens.

What you can do:

1. Limit all screen time - If you limit Tv time for your kids (and you should be doing this), make sure you include all screen time.
2. Find new hobbies - often times kids (and adults) resort to Tv because they’re bored or just want to relax. Brainstorm some other activities you can do with your kids instead of using the Tv or computer, such as playing a board game together or going for a bike ride.
3. Be a role model - Just like nutrition, when it comes to screen time, it’s important to set a good example for your kids and minimize your own screen time.

By now we all know the wonderful things about vegetables and how important it is for kids to get enough to meet their vitamin and mineral needs. Telling kids to eat their vegetables because they’re “good for you” doesn’t always swing their vote, and getting to to their greens can sometimes feel like pulling teeth.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help peak your child’s interest in vegetables. Here are some tricks and tips for getting your kids to go for the good stuff:

For some reason, juice seems to have become synonymous with children. These days, we serve juice without even thinking. We send juice boxes to school in lunches, we serve it with meals and snacks, and drink it when we’re thirsty. My question is: what’s wrong with water?

My issues with juice are simple. First, it’s used as a substitute for water. So often I see people downing the sweet stuff like it’s going out of style. The problem is that juice is loaded with Calories and sugar that you could avoid with plain old water. The truth is, nutritionally, juice is not far off from soda. Think about how many oranges you would have to squeeze to get 1 cup of juice. 3? 4? That’s a lot of oranges! What you’re left with in that cup of juice is the sugar and Calories from 3 or 4 oranges, and none of the fibre. Juice should be a treat, not a regular thirst-quencher.

Secondly, there are too many impostors out there. “Cocktails”, “beverages”, and “punches” abound grocery store shelves and the packaging would have you believe there’s nothing but fresh-squeezed juice in the carton. Not so. Many of these other “beverages” have tons of additives and added sugar. As if we needed more sugar in our sugary drinks!

Juice isn’t all bad. It does have some vitamins and minerals, but so does whole fruit. However, whole fruit also has fibre, less Calories, and the fill-up factor that juice doesn’t have. Kids do not need juice. Period. Although studies have shown that drinking 100% fruit juice may not contribute to obesity like other sugary beverages, it is still a concentrated source of sugar and Calories and so, should be viewed as a treat like other sweets. If juice is a regular thing in your household, now may be a good time to try to cut back. If you’re going to have juice, there are a few things you can and should do.

As parents, we have an inherent need to make sure our kids eats enough, but when your child turns into a picky eater it can be extremely frustrating. If your child won’t eat the food you’ve served to the rest of the family it becomes very tempting to make them something you know they will eat. This, is when the “short order cook” parent is born.

If you’ve just served the rest of your family a hot, balanced meal, but find yourself in the kitchen 2 minutes later making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you are a short order cook. 

The upside of being a short order cook (S.O.C.) is that your child eats and you feel better knowing they will not starve. However, the downsides to being a S.O.C. heavily outweigh the good. The most obvious downside is that once you start to be a S.O.C., it’s a tough cycle to break. You don’t want to be making separate meals until your kids go to college. Another downside is that children won’t learn to try new foods and, over the long term, they may not be getting a wide enough variety of nutrients. Although the intention is good, being a S.O.C. often does more harm than good. 

What to do about it?

STOP! The first step is to stop making different meals for different people in your family. Kids need to learn to eat with the rest of the family, and that includes the types of foods. The second step is to try to incorporate at least one food that your child likes into most meals you preparing, and respect them if there is a food they genuinely dislike. Remember, it’s your job to decide what, where and when to serve food, and the child’s job to decide if they eat and how much. Finally, be patient! It can can 15-20 exposures to a new food before a child will try it. 

If you’ve been a S.O.C. for a while, your children may put up a fuss and refuse to eat at first. As long as your child is growing well, don’t worry about it. Make it clear to them that this is what you have prepared to eat and there will be no more food until the next meal or snack time. Your child will eat when they’re hungry enough. Offer them snacks and meals at regular intervals and they will soon try the foods you offer.

There are so many things you want to teach your kids: to be polite, wash their hands, keep their rooms clean. But what are you teaching your kids about food? In the past 30 years it seems food has been largely forgotten or simply taken for granted. Part of the reason the obesity epidemic is as bad as it is, is because at some point we stopped learning about food and we became so busy with our daily lives that we turned to convenience foods. We let other people make our food and we don’t know where it comes from, who made it, or what’s in it.

It’s a vicious cycle. If our parents weren’t around to teach us how to cook or relied on convenience foods, that is what we know and what we will inevitably pass on to our children. We need to break that cycle. We are now learning what the industrial food system has done to our health, and we are beginning to make positive changes. Knowledge is power and it’s extremely important to teach your children about food.

And remember, the best way to teach your kids about healthy foods is to be a good role model!

Switching baby from breast milk or formula to solid foods can be a stressful time, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some common questions and answers related to switching baby to solid foods:

When should I start introducing solids?

We now recommend introducing baby to solid foods at 6 months of age. Research has shown the introducing solids earlier may increase the risk for infections or allergies, and can prevent baby from getting enough Calories. Despite the myth: introducing solids earlier does not help baby sleep. Introducing solids too long after 6 months may cause some delays in growth, nutrient deficiencies or aversions to textures. 

What foods should I introduce first?

At 6 months of age, baby’s iron stores begin to run out, and breast milk doesn’t provide enough iron. For this reason it is important to offer iron-rich foods at 6 months of age, such as iron-fortified cereals, meats, egg yolk, beans and lentils. Providing a source of vitamin C with iron-rich foods, such as sweet potato, squash, and broccoli will help baby absorb the iron better. 

Slowly introduce new foods, one at a time, every 3 days. This allows time to watch if an allergy develops. Introduce foods from a variety of food groups to ensure baby gets adequate nutrients.

*Always breastfeed (or give formula) first before offering solid foods. Milk will still provide the majority of nutrition and Calories at this stage.

What about textures? 

Baby needs to start with smooth textures, such as pureed, strained and mashed. Over time, as they develop better oral-motor skills, they can progress to grated, minced lumpy and diced textures. Around 9-12 months baby should be able to handle soft, finely chopped and finger foods.

When can I switch to cow’s milk?

You can start to introduce whole (homo) cow’s milk at 9-12 months of age. If your child is eating solid foods really well, 9 months is ok, otherwise it is best to wait closer to 12 months.

*Soy, rice and other vegetarian beverages do not have the same nutrition as breast or cow’s milk and so are not recommended before 2 years of age. 

What foods should I not feed my baby?

• Egg whites and honey should be avoided until one year of age.
• Low fat milk products should not be given to baby until 2 years of age. 
• Excess salt and sugar. Extra sugar does not provide nutrients, and salt his hard on baby’s kidneys. 
• Allergin foods: if you have a family history of allergies, talk to your doctor or dietitian about which foods to avoid and until what age. 

Does my baby need supplements? 

Exclusively breastfed infants (for the first 6 months of life) will need a 400IU vitamin D supplement until 1 year of age, even after they start eating solid foods. Multivitamin drops with vitamins A and C are not required for healthy term infants. After one year of age, babies should continue to get 200IU of vitamin D until they are getting 2 cups of vitamin D-fortified milk per day.

Things to remember: 

• All babies are different - don’t compare your child to other children. Let your child go at their own pace, and don’t stress about it
• Don’t take advice from friends and family. Recommendations and research changes all the time. Take advice from a health professional.
• Babies have small stomachs and will not eat a lot right away. Offer frequent meals and snacks, 1-2 tsp at a time, and slowly increase as baby wants it.
• Babies do not need juice! If you’re going to give juice make sure it’s 100% fruit juice and limit to 2-4 ounces in a cup, non-diluted.
• Gagging is normal as baby gets used to new tastes and textures. Choking is NOT normal.

Kids love to create things and work with their hands. Cooking with your kids is a great way to use their imagination and spend some quality time together. It’s also a great way to teach kids about food, where it comes from and how to prepare healthy meals. Teaching your kids to make healthy meals and eating together as a family has been shown to reduce the risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Some benefits of cooking with your kids:

• Builds self-esteem
• Promotes eye-hand coordination
• Teaches valuable lifelong skills
• Fosters independence
• Practice with numbers and math 
• Provides an opportunity to talk about food and important nutrients for growth
• It’s fun!

It’s also true that kids are more likely want to eat with the family and try new foods if they’re involved in the cooking. When cooking with your kids, let them be involved in the entire process from deciding what to make, to setting the table. This will help build their decision-making skills and gives you a chance to guide them to make good choices, without doing it all for them.

Can start anytime

Kids can start being a part of the kitchen at almost any age. Young kids under age 5 can start with safe, simple duties such as washing veggies, snapping peas, mixing batters and dipping bread in egg for french toast. Older children can do more advanced jobs like cracking eggs, reading recipes, grating cheese and progress to cutting vegetables (with supervision).

If your kids aren’t too keen on the idea of cooking initially, start small with something that they like and that doesn’t take too long (such as fruit smoothie popsicles) and build up to bigger snacks and meals. Baking cookies is a fun thing to do, but be sure to add variety and involve your kids in making healthy balanced meals as well. 

A great recipe to start with is low fat, whole grain pita pizza! 

If you’re like most parents, you’re concerned with what habits your children are picking up, including those related to food and eating. You, as the parent, have a tremendous influence on your child’s attitudes about food and their eating habits, starting at a very early age. It’s not enough to simply encourage your children to take on healthy eating. The best thing you can do to foster healthy eating habits for you kids is to be a good role model. Children are like little sponges and are paying attention to and absorbing everything you do. They will pick up likes and dislikes, as well as your attitudes about food. Have you asked yourself what messages you are sending? 

We all have bad habits, and sometimes we do them without even realizing. Becoming aware of them is the first step in making positive changes. Some common habits that you don’t want to pass on to your children are: 

• Snacking all day long
• Eating in front of the Tv
• Eating when bored/stressed/upset
• Skipping breakfast
• Consuming a lot of fast food or convenience foods
• Drinking a lot of juice or pop
• High intake of sugary snacks
• Frequent dieting or preoccupation with weight or food
• Negative comments about weight or self image
• Eating dessert regularly

These habits can not only start your child on poor nutritional habits, but can encourage an unhealthy feeding relationship as well (link to healthy feeding relationship). It’s very important that your children see you practicing healthy habits in order for them to adopt healthy habits themselves. What you do is more important than what you say. 

Tips for being a healthy eating role model:

• Eat and prepare foods with your children
• Eat at the table as a family with no distractions
• Provide and eat a variety of healthy foods
• Avoid skipping meals
• Moderate portion sizes
• Try new foods, offer them to your children but don’t force them to try it
• Limit high fat and high sugar foods in the home
• Drink water and milk, limit juice and sodas
• Focus on and talk about why healthy foods are good for you, rather than why “bad” foods are bad
• Make an effort to make home-cooked meals
• Be physically active

Making positive changes and adopting these habits is good for everyone in the family and will set your child up for lifelong healthy habits.