"Beach Runner" > wrote in message:
> Where's Usual Subjects calling VEGAN diet an eating disorder?
===================
I haven't seen "Usual Suspect" around here for a while. I noticed that he
disappeared about the same time that "Scented Nectar" did. I suspect that
they finally realized that they were perfect for each other, and they ran
away together and got married. And now they are having a wonderful, joyous
honeymoon on a tropical island eating a fruitarian diet and gleefully
discussing all of their common interests. I'm sure they will be very happy
together in the decades to come.....

-The Prehistoric Human



> Beach Runner wrote:
>
>> Far from being an eating disorder. I apologize for the wrong earlier
>> buffer.
>>
>>
>> Vegan Diets Meet Children's Needs - ADA
>>
>> American Dietetic Association: Vegan Diets Meet Children's
>> Nutritional Needs
>>
>> Monday June 18 2:15 PM ET
>>
>> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - With some careful menu planning, children
>> and even infants raised as vegans can get all the nutrients they need
>> for good health, according to two reports in the June issue of the
>> Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
>>
>> Because vegans shun all animal products, they may get too little of
>> some nutrients found in meat and dairy products, such as calcium and
>> vitamin B12. Nutrient deficiencies are a particular concern when it
>> comes to growing babies and children. But according to the reports, a
>> well-rounded vegan diet--sometimes supplemented with certain
>> nutrients like B12 and zinc--can provide children with all their
>> nutrition needs.
>>
>> What's more, vegan kids typically eat less fat and cholesterol and
>> more fruits and vegetables than other children do, note Virginia
>> Messina and Dr. Ann Reed Mangels. Messina is a professor at Loma
>> Linda University in California. Mangels acts as a nutrition advisor
>> to the Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore, Maryland. Vegans eat
>> only plant-based foods, using fidyl grains, legumes, fruits and
>> vegetables to fill all their dietary needs. A typical vegan
>> substitution would be to use soy milk in place of cow's milk.
>>
>> While these substitutions can work for babies and children, parents
>> need to ensure their children are getting enough of certain vitamins
>> and minerals, according to Messina and Mangels. For example, vitamin
>> B12, which is essential in children's neurological development,
>> exists naturally only in animal products. However, breakfast cereals,
>> soy beverages, nutritional yeast and vegetarian ``meats'' are often
>> fortified with B12, and are important sources of the vitamin for
>> vegans, the study authors point out.
>>
>> The researchers also advise that breast-fed infants of vegan mothers
>> get a regular supplement of vitamin B12, since maternal stores of the
>> vitamin may be low. Infant soy formulas are fortified with vitamin
>> B12 and other nutrients, but Messina and Mangels stress that regular
>> soy milk--like regular cow's milk--is inappropriate for babies
>> younger than one year. As with all infants, an iron-fortified cereal
>> is a good choice as a first solid food, the report indicates.
>>
>> By age 7 to 8 months, vegan protein sources that can be introduced
>> include pureed cooked beans, well-mashed tofu and soy yogurt, the
>> research team writes. Parents should also be careful about their
>> vegan children's supply of zinc, calcium, riboflavin (vitamin B2)
>> and--if sun exposure is inadequate--vitamin D. Key sources of zinc
>> include fortified cereals and certain nuts and beans such as lentils,
>> according to the authors. Calcium-rich vegan foods include fortified
>> tofu, soy milk and orange juice, as well as leafy greens and certain
>> beans.
>>
>> As for iron, good sources include beans, fortified cereals and
>> grains, and dried apricots and raisins. However, some nutrients,
>> including iron and zinc, are not absorbed as well when they come from
>> plant sources. So, Messina and Mangels note, parents may want to
>> consider zinc supplements and be sure to give their kids foods that
>> promote iron absorption--namely, foods rich in vitamin C.
>>
>> Children also need certain essential, unsaturated fatty acids, which
>> can be found in foods like flax seed, canola oil, nuts and soy
>> products. ``The wide availability of convenient vegan foods, many of
>> which are fortified, make it increasingly easy to plan healthful
>> vegan diets for children,'' Messina and Mangels write. ``Vegan
>> diets,'' they conclude, ``can meet the nutrition needs of children if
>> appropriately planned by a knowledgeable adult.''
>>
>> SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association
>> 2001;101:661-669,