Striving to have your children eat a rainbow every day is one of the best ways to show your kids how much you love them. A fun tool to get them motivated is Wegmans chart. To some my view may seem pushy or judgmental regarding nutrition but, when evidence is laid out in front of you and common sense is applied but you ignore it then I become extremely passionate about the subject, especially regarding children. Often people don't realize that what they are, or aren't, feeding their children is actually setting them up for health failure. Once people do learn, and then continue to allow the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet to rule their family, then I do not understand complaining when medical visits, bills or diseases start taking a toll. This may sound harsh, but I feel that if someone learns the proper nutrition needed to better arm their child(ren) for a healthy future. but still do nothing to implement that, then the caregiver is a major factor in them developing very preventable diseases. Visit http://www.tcolincampbell.org for more details regarding preventable diseases.
Not to say that 100% of illnesses are avoidable, however, studies show upwards of 90% of chronic diseases are, and this is through proper nutrition beginning as early as possible. To help drive this message home, and allow yourself to gain a better understanding, I highly recommend that every parent/guardian purchase Disease-Proof Your Child, Feeding Kids Right by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Fuhrman details the reasons why nutrition is so important and how to accomplish this. He also gives some easy and tasty recipes at the end of the book. (*Note - he does use tofu, which we also limit due to it being heavily processed - tempeh is a better choice, and whole foods is the best choice).
Relax, I'm not saying everyone has to become vegan, however, the less amount of animal products you consume, the better. The less amount of processed foods, the better. Although my children and I are vegan, I freely state that two of my children were vegetarian for the first few years, rather than vegan. My husband is vegetarian, not vegan. In avoiding animal products I feel I am giving my children the building blocks as to how, and why, we live the way we do. Our family has seen first hand how eating plant based and gluten free has relieved our celiac disease, allergies, skin issues and my rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and it has eased sjogren's syndrome. Making the transition from the SAD (I seriously did not make that acronym up, I promise) way of life to a more plant based life is possible, and most animal foods are now available in vegan form.
Using faux meats can make the transition easier but, everyone - omnivores, plant based, vegetarians and vegans - need to be careful to avoid eating too many processed alternatives (i.e. faux meats, cheese, snacks, etc.). Processed foods and drinks in any form lack nutrition, and should be kept at a minimum. Exposing children to the amazing flavor of whole fruits, veggies and grains at an early age sets the stage for them being able to actually enjoy those health filled foods instead of scrunching up their noses. Dousing veggies with oils, dressings or cheese is not the answer either. To transition out of this habit start cutting back on how much oil, dressing or cheese you are using. Each time they are exposed to more of the vegetable flavor, their taste buds will begin to adjust and, at some point, you will only be steaming the veggies and adding spices as flavoring enhancers instead of masking the true vegetable flavor. As for meats, once you have transitioned using compassionate meats (faux meat alternatives), then start to gradually replace those by using whole grains and foods such as quinoa, organic brown rice, lentils, beans and mushrooms, and only use faux on occasion. Just as those who consume the Standard American Diet do, adding spices of all kinds can be used with your plant based meals to create delicious recipes, not to mention the health benefits herbs and spices offer.
Speaking of recipes, let's get started...
Universal Avocado Dip (my youngest child's absolute favorite thing!!)
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado (cut in half and pit removed)
1/2 Tbsp. pure lemon juice
1/2 -1 tsp. real sea salt or himalayan pink salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper or chili powder
Directions;
1. Squeeze each avocado half so that the fruit comes away from the skin and allow fruit to fall into a bowl.
2. Mash avocado with a fork or spoon and then add lemon juice, salt and pepper.
3. Mix well and serve.
Tip = for a really smooth dip, place all ingredients into a food processor and blend. Dip veggie straws, Beanitos (great alternative for those allergic to corn), sprouted tortilla chips or veggie slices (my favorite is sliced cucumbers). You can also use as a condiment in place of mayo.
Lentil Taco's
Ingredients:
1 c. brown/green lentils (will yield about 2 cups cooked)
2 c. pure water
1 c. finely chopped mushrooms of choice (cremini, bella, etc)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. tamari (GF soy sauce) or soy sauce
1 tsp. chili powder (this is kid friendly, or if you're like me and can't tolerate too spicy, feel free to add more to suite your taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
12 organic hard taco shells (cook according to package directions), soft taco's or extra greens for a taco salad
optional add in's - vegan sour cream, vegan cheese (Daiya or Follow Your Heart make great vegan shreds, but we actually like to buy their block version and shred it ourselves), organic greens, tomatoes, avocado, salsa.
Directions:
1. Rinse lentils then place lentils and water in a pot, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and cook on low 20-30 minutes until water is absorbed.
2. While the lentils cook start chopping veggies. Heat large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes.
3. Add onions, cook 1 minute then add mushrooms and walnuts (the mushrooms will release liquid and the nuts will release oil to help cook the onion instead of adding oil). Cook mixture until onions are soft and mushrooms are well browned.
4. Add tamari and all spices, mix well then add all the lentils, mix again.
5. Cook mixture about 5-10 minutes on low to heat through, while this cooks prepare taco shells.
Tip - when using mushrooms, prior to cooking or chopping, remove stems and gently scrape out the gills that are on the inside, this removes the bitter taste that many people do not like about mushrooms.
The more you cook with whole foods, the more you and your family will crave the healthy choices over the cholesterol laden choices. For additional recipes check out vegweb for anything from appetizers to slow cooker meals.
The next post will be more recipes and information regarding supplements, vitamins and natural remedies for kiddo's on a plant based diet.
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