How to Introduce Your Kids to a Vegan and Plant-Based Diet
For parents of children who are picky about food, introducing any new product into their diet can be a challenge. This task becomes even more difficult when parents try to teach their kids to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, especially when they do it at an older age.
Good news? There are many more opportunities now than in the past. Caroline Scott-Hamilton , nutritionist, vegan chef, cookbook author and TV host, notes that plant-based foods have become more affordable and tastier over the years.
“I’ve been a vegan for 23 years and now it’s insanely simple,” she says. “There are alternatives to pretty much everything – ice cream, meat substitutes [and] great cheese substitutes. Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger, non-vegans eat this, and many think it tastes the same, but healthier and healthier for the planet. “
The variety now available obviously includes the food itself, but information now prevails. Scott-Hamilton notes that social media platforms have websites, apps, influencers and personalities – and even recipes from large companies and plant-based or vegan-based restaurant chains.
“The information is there and widespread, and you don’t have to dig anymore,” she says.
Scott-Hamilton says that for children, especially older ones who have eaten meat before, these options make it much easier to introduce new foods or replace old ones.
“Kids still have evolving palettes, so it’s easier to switch them,” she says. “You can make meatballs, burgers, bolognese sauces and the like with alternatives without feeling like they’re missing out on flavor or texture.”
We asked Scott-Hamilton for some more tips for parents trying to educate kids of all ages about the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Start slowly and acquire a strategy
If your child is on a non-plant-based diet, it will likely be difficult to change all aspects of their diet overnight.
“Children will be children,” says Scott-Hamilton. “They like what they like, so it’s really hard to go full steam with them.”
Finding vegan substitutes for kid-friendly meals is a good starting point. There are vegan versions of staple foods for kids like chicken sticks, macaroni and cheese. For parents trying to ditch convenience foods altogether, it can also be a challenge to get them to switch to convenience or ditch them. But there are also ways to make fun, kid-friendly food that has healthy ingredients hidden in it.
“There are ways to add vegetables to food,” says Scott-Hamilton. “You can make really delicious smoothies and hide some green vegetables in there, you can turn the smoothies into popsicles. Food that is pleasing to children can be easily manipulated without their knowledge. “
Their age is also a factor. As with any of us, as children get older, it becomes more difficult to change habits or lifestyle changes.
“If they are, say, 10 years old, it’s harder to get them to switch,” says Scott-Hamilton. “When it comes to each individual child, you have to do it slowly and wisely – replacing nuggets with vegan ones, or not going completely vegan right away, doing it gradually, changing things, making them use to flavors. The older they are, the harsher it can be, because they are more ingrained. It’s easier when they’re younger, but that doesn’t mean they won’t cross over to the other side. The food is so delicious now that in many cases they won’t notice the difference. ”
Parents can start slowly, especially with older children, with things like “Meatless Mondays,” where they start with a vegan meal one day a week. Scott-Hamilton also suggests swapping ground beef on Tuesday tacos for plant-based tacos every week or even biweekly to get started.
“Start with what they already like and then show them alternatives,” she says.
Understand the main products
When it comes to children, plant-based diets are not very different from non-plant diets in one thing: the basic foods children need are the same. A lot of fresh vegetables and fruits are very important.
“Vegetables are huge whole grains, so try to stay away from processed foods like pasta and bread,” says Scott-Hamilton. “The sooner you can teach your child to eat clean, the easier it will be to maintain these habits into adulthood. Start them a balanced meal with lots of vegetables and healthy fruit and nut snacks, homemade mixes and things like avocados; the more whole, plant-based it can be, with a little fun here and there, the easier it will be for them to make those healthy decisions on their own. ”
Avocados are a good example of a nutrient-rich and versatile food that can be a key part of a vegan diet for kids. They are also high in fiber, and many children do not get enough fiber in their diets, whether they eat plant-based foods or not. And if the texture or color of the avocado doesn’t appeal to the child, this is something that can be easily hidden and combined with other foods.
Spinach is another nutrient-rich food that kids may not like on its own, but can be easily hidden in smoothies or baked in other dishes.
Make kids a part of the process
We talked earlier about the importance of parents cooking with their kids , and Scott-Hamilton recommends going further than just cooking.
“Especially with older children, but also younger children, it’s important to bring them into the kitchen to really understand how to prepare food and where it comes from,” she says. “Often times, babies grow up when they’re fed and don’t appreciate the time it takes to prepare food, and don’t think about where they come from, what they do before, during and after with your body.”
In addition to learning basic culinary and kitchen skills, it is also important to involve them in the process of choosing groceries in the store or even growing them.
“Even adults are so out of touch with the cooking process that they don’t appreciate the time it takes to cook one strawberry,” says Scott-Hamilton. “Observing the process from start to finish helps the kids see the big picture, rather than ‘This is just food on my plate that is being served to me.’ It gives them a more comprehensive view and they are going to show more interest in their own health, resilience or animals – whatever they cling to. “