728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Toddler Nutrition › Veggie Baby

Veggie Baby

Tips and Facts from a Vegetarian Lifestyle Expert

By Melanie Wilson

Pages:  1  2  3  

With childhood obesity an epidemic, soft drinks sold in schools and junk food a part of the everyday diet, it's more important to raise kids on a healthy diet right from the start. Studies show that children who are exposed to healthful foods early on – vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes – develop a taste for these nourishing choices.

Whether you're a vegetarian yourself or considering becoming one and raising your children on a meatless diet, you may have questions and concerns. Most of us were raised eating meat. We learned in school that there were four basic food groups, and the meat group was an essential part of the plan. That nutrition picture is outdated, which is why the USDA has reworked their recommendations and published the My Pyramid Plan.

One Size Does Not Fit All
The premise behind the government's current plan is that while there are basic requirements for nutrients that everyone needs, each individual can meet those requirements from a variety of different foods and in amounts matching one's activity level. Simply plug in an age and amount of daily exercise to get customized recommendations for what to include in your daily diet. For example, a 2-year-old getting fewer than 30 minutes of exercise per day needs:

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.