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For Health

• Vegetarian kids who eat a well-planned, balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients can greatly increase their chances of growing into healthier adults.
• If you want to enjoy the many advantages of being vegetarian, it is very important to find out everything you can about the diet, including How To get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
  
  Check out the information below to help you get started:
  
  
  • Vegetarian diets that include many different kinds of nutritious plant foods can provide more than enough protein to keep kids healthy. Excellent protein sources for vegetarians include beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
  • Many people believe that dairy products are the only good sources of calcium. Fortunately for vegetarian kids, calcium is also available in healthy amounts from a variety of green leafy vegetables, broccoli, soymilk , and other plants. Kids who get their calcium from plants also avoid the unhealthy fat and cholesterol found in cow's milk.
  • Meat is the main source of iron for many people but vegetarians can get plenty of the nutrient too. In fact, vegans often end up getting more iron (because they eat more vegetables) than meat-eaters do.
  • Many doctors, organizations and others who are concerned about the health of Americans now encourage people of all ages to eat more fruits and vegetables. There is even a new food group pyramid that's been created just for vegetarians.
  • Some people might wonder how vegetarians get vitamin B-12. This very important vitamin is usually found only in animal products, but vegetarians can get enough of it too. Soymilks and cereals that have the vitamin added to them, as well as B-12 in the form of pills, can provide what you need to be healthy.
  • It isn't always necessary to eat meat, milk and eggs to be big and strong. In fact, vegetarian kids can grow just as fast and tall as those who eat meat.
  • Since vegetarian kids typically eat less foods containing harmful fats and cholesterol, they often have a better chance of avoiding many serious illnesses later on in life.
    
    
• Now that you have some information about the health advantages of vegetarianism, share what you've learned with your family, and ask them to join you in finding out more. Another good way to spark your family's interest is to ask them to try preparing and sharing a vegetarian meal with you at least one day a week.

Attention Parents:
For a list of references consulted for this section, please click here. For additional nutrition information, please click here.