Vegetarian Meal for Your Little One & Vegetarian Facts!

Veggie Burger

I was speaking with my friend Dani last night and she used to love meat and especially hearty dishes like ribs. I asked her why she became a vegetarian, she did so for health purposes – many families these days are vegetarian families and there are many great ways to make sure your kiddos get the nutrients they need.

“I can’t eat that, I’m a vegetarian!”

You may have heard kids in the cafeteria or at a birthday party say this as they passed on a burger and grabbed a slice of cheese pizza instead. Did you wonder what a vegetarian is exactly? A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat, and mostly eats foods that come from plants, like grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Did you know…there are many types of vegetarians?
Here are some of them:

• semi-vegetarian: eats meat, but only fish and chicken
• pesci-vegetarian: eats only fish
• lacto-ovo vegetarian: eats no meat, but will eat dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) and eggs
• ovo-vegetarian: eats eggs, but no meat or dairy products
• vegan (say: vee-gun): eats no meat or animal products

Can Kids Be Vegetarians?
Kids can be vegetarians, but they can’t do it alone. They need grown-ups to help them make sure they get the vitamins and minerals they need. Eating a nutritious diet helps kids develop and grow as they should. Meat is a good source of protein, iron, and other important nutrients. So someone who’s a vegetarian needs to take care to replace those nutrients with non-meat foods.

CLASSIC VEGGIE BURGER RECIPE

These easy meatless burgers are prepared with bulgur wheat, canned pinto beans, grated carrots, and Swiss cheese. Cook the patties in a skillet!

Serving: 4 ppl

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (from 2 medium carrots)
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 buns
• Sprouts, for serving
• Avocado slices, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
1.  In a large bowl, combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water. Cover tightly and let sit until bulgur is tender, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove liquid, then return bulgur to bowl. In a food processor, pulse pinto beans until coarsely chopped. Add beans to bulgur, along with Swiss cheese, carrots, scallion, and egg. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.

2.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add 1/2 cup bean mixture and press lightly with a spatula to flatten. Make 3 more patties, working in batches if necessary (add more oil for second batch), and cook until browned and cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Serve burgers on buns with sprouts and avocado slices.

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Chicken vs. Veggies – Vegetarianism & Kids

Did you know that Chelsea Clinton served meat at her wedding? I recently found out she was a vegetarian. In a random conversation with friends, we discussed the new questions that may arise from her being newly married such as “When do you want kids?” or maybe even “Will they be vegetarians like you?”

Vegetables and kids … the two words are usually used in a context where the child isn’t such a big fan of veggies. But raising a child as a vegetarian is not as unnatural as it may sound. Most parents who are vegetarian receive questions such as: Why are you a vegetarian? Will you raise your kids that way? Or do you think parents should choose their preferred diets for their kids, or let the children choose what they want?

Vegetarianism is a popular choice for many adults and families nowadays. But many parents may wonder if kids can safely follow a vegetarian diet and still get all necessary nutrients. Most dietary and medical experts agree that a well-planned vegetarian diet can actually be a very healthy way to eat.

However, special care must be taken when serving kids and teens a vegetarian diet, especially if it doesn’t include certain proteins, dairy and egg products. It is important to understand the nutritional needs of kids for their health and growth.

There are Different Types of Vegetarian Diets
Before your child or family switches to a veggie diet, it’s important to note the various kinds of vegetarian diets because they are all very different. Major vegetarian categories include:

• ovo-vegetarian: eats eggs; no meat
• lacto-ovo vegetarian: eats dairy and egg products; no meat
• lacto-vegetarian: eats dairy products; no eggs or meat
• vegan: eats only food from plant sources

And many other people are semi-vegetarians who have eliminated red meat, but may eat poultry or fish (commonly referred to as pescatarian).

The Choice of Vegetarianism
Kids or families may follow a vegetarian diet for many reasons – ethics, philosophy, economics and religion, to name a few — but in recent years, there are many nutritional studies linking large amounts of meat with certain chronic diseases, which has caused many people to change their meat-eating ways.

Nutrition for All Ages
It is good to ask your doctor or a registered dietitian to help you plan your child or family’s vegetarian diet. A well-planned vegetarian diet can meet kids’ nutritional needs and has some health benefits. For example, a diet rich in fruits and veggies will be high in fiber and low in fat, factors known to improve cardiovascular health by reducing blood cholesterol and maintaining a healthy weight. Depending on the type of vegetarian diet chosen, kids may miss out on some of these important nutrients if the parents don’t monitor the diet. Here are nutrients that vegetarians should get and some of their best food sources: 

• vitamin B12: dairy products, eggs, and vitamin-fortified products, such as cereals, breads, and soy and rice drinks, and nutritional yeast
• vitamin D: milk, vitamin D-fortified orange juice, and other vitamin D-fortified products
• calcium: dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, dried beans, and calcium-fortified products, including orange juice, soy and rice drinks, and cereals
• protein: dairy products, eggs, tofu and other soy products, dried beans, and nuts
• iron: eggs, dried beans, dried fruits, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, and iron-fortified cereals and bread
• zinc: wheat germ, nuts, fortified cereal, dried beans, and pumpkin seeds

The less restrictive the vegetarian diet, the easier it will be for your child to get enough of the necessary nutrients. In some cases, fortified foods or supplements can help meet nutritional needs.

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