Episode 58: Vegetarian Diet for Kids

Today on the podcast we will be discussing vegetarian diets for children. Are they healthy? Can kids get all the nutrients they need? And how you can ensure your kids won’t become deficient in nutrients from a vegetarian diet. 

The topic for this week’s episode was suggested by one of our listeners and we are always open to hearing your ideas for podcast topics, so get in touch with us via email or direct message on Instagram if you have any suggestions for podcast topics.

In this episode I will be discussing:

• The benefits of eating more plant foods;
• How all experts in the nutrition field agree on one thing and that is that consuming more plant foods will benefit your overall health and wellbeing by:
  • Reducing inflammation, 
  • Reducing many risk chronic health conditions;
  • Reducing our carbon footprint;
  • Improve microbiome diversity and gut health.
• The potential downsides of a vegetarian diet and I share a personal story of becoming a vegetarian in my late teens;

During the next two podcast episodes we are bringing awareness to some of the things you need to think about for vegetarian diets for kids and in this episode we talk about 3 main nutrients:

• Protein
  • The importance of protein;
  • Animal vs plant sources;
  • The importance of variety;
  • Practical ways to increase protein in the diet.
• Iron
  • The role of iron and why it's so important for children and women;
  • Signs and symptoms of deficiencies;
  • Iron testing;
  • Best plant-based sources;
  • The difference between Heme and nonheme iron;
  • Plant-based sources of iron have a lower absorbability rate;
  • Some nutrients and a specific probiotic for improving iron absorption.
• Vitamin B12
  • The role B12 has in the body;
  • Sources of B12;
  • Why vegetarians and vegans need to be careful of their B12 levels & screen for B12 deficiencies regularly;
  • Despite B12 being only naturally found in animal products - I discuss some of the ways vegetarians can increase their B12 levels.

We will be covering other important minerals to consider for a vegetarian diet in Part 2 which will be released next week.

Episode Links:
If your family is consuming a vegetarian diet and you suspect your child may be lacking the above nutrients, you may be interested in supplementing with nutrients. Our naturopath Sarah can assist with organising blood work pathology and prescribing the correct nutrients for your child's needs.

To book an appointment - click here. 

This episode is proudly sponsored by my membership, the Natural Super Kids Klub. If you would like to become a member of the Klub to get more helpful resources to help you raise a happy and healthy family click here and pop your name on the waitlist.

If you loved this episode, leave me a review! I would really appreciate it. Also, let me know your biggest takeaway from this episode by sending me a direct message on Instagram @naturalsuperkids or shoot me an email at jessica@naturalsuperkids.com.