Feeding infants and young children is key to their development and adequate growth, so when talking about diets without food of animal origin in the smallest there is always controversy and debate, but is it healthy for babies and toddlers to carry a vegetarian diet?
Vegetarian diets for children
We always think that vegetarian diets are advisable for the health of the organism, but when it comes to children the vision is different and several cases of children with health problems and who carried vegan diets have generated controversy on the subject.
The most recognized was the case of Chiara, a girl of only two years who had to receive intensive care because of different deficiencies and health problems caused by a poorly controlled vegetarian diet.
After that, another case of a 14-month-old baby with severe malnutrition weighing like a three-year-old baby was known when he should at least double that value. In this case, the baby also had a vegan diet and that has added so that all today look with evil eyes to those vegetarian parents who decide that their children carry equal food .
What should be healthy for children and adults today is considered to be harmful among the youngest in the family, but is it all the fault of vegetarian eating? What happens if you plan it correctly?
A proper vegetarian diet is not harmful to children
As you can imagine, children do not adopt a vegetarian diet of their own choosing, but at such early ages parents decide to feed them. Thus, a large part of the conflicting cases, such as those shown above, are due to a lack of parental diet planning and, often, little awareness of the importance of certain nutrients for growth and development.
The American Dietetic Association believes that a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthy at all stages of life and can help prevent disease, but should always be properly planned and in this way, will only offer advantages in adults and children, including babies.
It is clear that while the baby receives breast milk, it is the mother who must carry a well-planned and balanced diet so that the child receives key nutrients for growth such as omega 3, iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine and zinc.
When the child stops receiving breast milk, it is essential to supplement with vitamin B12 , something of great importance in all vegetarians to prevent nutritional anemia and problems associated with it. Also choose good sources of iron and accompany with vitamin C to promote their proper absorption, for example: offer lentils or green leaves together with an orange juice.
On the other hand, there are many plant foods rich in calcium and we can facilitate their absorption ensuring a good share of vitamin D if the baby is exposed to the sun on a daily basis about 15 minutes minimum. Although vitamin D and omega 3 supplements are also common in vegetarian children , but their administration depends on medical assessment.
Likewise, proteins are key to proper growth and development and they can be obtained by a young child complementing plant proteins to obtain all the amino acids that the body needs.
What is important is to remember that a vegetarian diet well planned in an adult is not suitable or suitable for infants and young children, as they have special needs and therefore, their food deserves a specific planning .
An omnivorous diet deserves special attention in the first months of life and a vegetarian or vegan diet requires more care even though it avoids food groups with nutrients that the body needs to grow and develop properly.
As we have said, a vegetarian diet in infants and toddlers can be very healthy, but it always requires proper planning for it.
Kulisha watoto wachanga ni muhimu kwa maendeleo yao na ukuaji wa kutosha, kwa hivyo wakati wa kuzungumza juu ya lishe bila chakula cha asili ya wanyama kwa watoto wadogo kuna ubishi na mjadala, lakini ni afya kwa watoto wachanga na watoto wadogo kubeba lishe ya mboga? Chakula cha mboga kwa watoto: Sisi daima kufikiri kwamba vyakula vya mboga ni bora kwa afya ya mwili, lakini linapokuja watoto maono ni tofauti na kesi kadhaa za watoto wenye matatizo ya afya na ambao kubeba vyakula vegan wamezalisha utata juu ya suala hili. Mfano wa kwanza ni wa Chiara, msichana mwenye umri wa miaka miwili tu ambaye alilazimika kupata huduma ya wagonjwa wa hali ya juu kwa sababu ya matatizo mbalimbali ya afya yaliyotokana na lishe ya mboga isiyoweza kudhibitiwa vizuri. Katika kesi nyingine, mtoto wa miezi 14 mwenye utapiamlo mkubwa alikuwa na uzito wa mtoto wa miaka mitatu, na wakati huo alipaswa angalau mara mbili ya thamani hiyo. "Kama mtoto alikuwa na chakula cha mboga, na kwamba ina aliongeza hivyo kwamba wote leo kuangalia kwa macho mabaya kwa wale wazazi mboga ambao kuamua kwamba watoto wao kubeba chakula sawa. """ "Kile kinachopaswa kuwa na afya kwa watoto na watu wazima leo huonwa kuwa na madhara kwa watoto wadogo katika familia, lakini je, ni kosa la kula mboga?""" Ni nini kinachotokea ikiwa utapanga kwa usahihi? Chakula cha mboga cha kawaida si hatari kwa watoto, kama unavyoweza kufikiria, watoto hawachaguli chakula cha mboga kwa hiari yao, lakini katika umri mdogo wazazi huamua kuwalisha. Kwa hivyo, sehemu kubwa ya kesi zinazopingana, kama zile zilizoonyeshwa hapo juu, zinatokana na ukosefu wa mipango ya lishe ya wazazi na, mara nyingi, ufahamu mdogo wa umuhimu wa virutubisho fulani kwa ukuaji na maendeleo. Chama cha American Dietetic Association (ADA) inaamini kwamba chakula cha mboga au vegan ni afya katika hatua zote za maisha na inaweza kusaidia kuzuia magonjwa, lakini lazima daima kupangwa vizuri na kwa njia hii, itatoa faida tu kwa watu wazima na watoto, ikiwa ni pamoja na watoto wachanga. "Kama mtoto anapata maziwa ya mama, ni lazima mama awe na chakula cha kutosha na kinachostahili, ili mtoto apate virutubisho muhimu kwa ukuaji kama vile ""omega-3,"" ""mashine,"" ""kalsiamu,"" ""vitamini D,"" ""vitamini B12,"" ""iodini"" na ""zinki.""" Wakati mtoto anapoacha kupokea maziwa ya mama, ni muhimu kuongeza vitamini B12, kitu muhimu sana kwa mboga zote kuzuia upungufu wa damu wa lishe na matatizo yanayohusiana nayo. Chagua vyanzo vyema vya chuma na vitamini C ili kuendeleza upatikanaji wao sahihi, kwa mfano: kutoa lentils au majani ya kijani pamoja na juisi ya machungwa. Kwa upande mwingine, kuna vyakula vingi vya mimea vilivyo na kalsiamu na tunaweza kuwezesha kunyonya kwao kuhakikisha sehemu nzuri ya vitamini D ikiwa mtoto anafunuliwa jua kila siku kwa angalau dakika 15. Vitamini D na omega-3 ni muhimu kwa watoto wenye ugonjwa wa kibofu, lakini kwa watoto wenye ugonjwa wa kibofu, matumizi yao yanategemea tathmini ya daktari. Kwa hiyo, protini ni muhimu kwa ukuaji na maendeleo sahihi na inaweza kupatikana na mtoto mdogo kwa kuongeza protini za mimea ili kupata asidi zote za amino ambazo mwili unahitaji. Ni muhimu kukumbuka kwamba chakula cha mboga iliyopangwa vizuri kwa mtu mzima haifai au haifai kwa watoto wachanga na watoto wadogo, kwani wana mahitaji maalum na kwa hivyo, chakula chao kinastahili mipango maalum. Chakula cha omnivorous kinastahili uangalifu maalum katika miezi ya kwanza ya maisha, na chakula cha mboga au vegan kinahitaji uangalifu zaidi, hata kama kinaepuka vikundi vya chakula na virutubisho ambavyo mwili unahitaji kukua na kuendeleza vizuri. Kama tulivyosema, chakula cha mboga kwa watoto wachanga na watoto wadogo inaweza kuwa na afya nzuri, lakini daima inahitaji mipango sahihi kwa ajili yake.