GRAND Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 25)

have no plans, ever, of introducing him to Swedish meatballs or covered turkey sandwiches. To be fair, we have it easier than some. We have, nearby, some very supportive friends and family. When I went vegetarian some 15 years ago, I was very much leaving the “known.” My mother, my brother, my sister and a handful of friends have since joined me. At Thanksgiving dinners these days, the leaf eaters just about match the meat eaters in numbers, and we’ve created a bloc that can demand a Tofurky on the main table next to the traditional fare. We can rest easy knowing that when Sam spends a day with grandma or Aunt Beth, his diet will be understood and respected. On my wife’s side of the family, things aren’t so easy. Sam’s other grandmother worries. Had she been at that party, she would have empathized immediately with the concerned grandmother. “It’s not illegal,” she might have said, “but Lord knows it should be.” As I say, she worries. She wants the very, very best for Sam and fears that Almost Vegan might not be it. Sadly, I don’t exactly know how to quell those fears. If her concerns were only about Sam’s health, it would be easy. If her concerns were about health, I could start with myself. Fifteen years meat free has not caused me to waste away. My recent echocardiogram wasn’t just good, it was fantastic. My blood work, perfect. Fifteen years vegetarian, five years vegan, and I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been. Then I’d point to the great big pile of research and writing that’s been done on the health benefits of a vegan/vegetarian diet. I’d read from the American Dietetic Association’s Web site, the part that says “well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence.” Or point out that, according to the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine, vegans are 25 percent to 50 percent less likely to have occurrences of cancer. I’d mention the University of Toronto study that showed that following a vegan diet can reduce “bad” cholesterol nearly as well as prescription drugs without any of the side effects. And I’d reference all those athletes—from Joe Namath to Scott Jurek to Carl Lewis and others—who have shown that going veg doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be physically fit. Or some of those thinkers—like Gandhi, Pythagoras, the Dalai Lama—whose brains developed just fine without meat in their diets. And then I’d have to go on to address some of the tougher, more thought-out concerns. What about B12? We’ve all heard that vegans don’t get enough. And what about bone health? Calcium? Protein? What about the rumor that vegan kids just don’t grow to be as big as other kids? The reality is that a well-balanced vegetarian or vegan diet—one that includes a variety of vegetable foods and a minimum of junk—can satisfy just about every nutritional need [see sidebar]. With the availability of fortified soy milks and cereals and vegetarian-formula daily vitamins, it would take some effort not to have all one’s Feeding the visiting vegan g’kid Websites like www.vegfamily. com are loaded with tips and recipes, and the Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg. org) has answers to many nutritional questions, with diet plans broken down by age. When you’ve got to feed a hungry 6-year-old, check out some of those online recipes (how about Vegan French Toast to get the day started?), or keep it simple: Breakfast: fortified cereal with soy milk (Silk’s Very Vanilla is “fortified for kids” and absolutely delicious) and a glass of juice Lunch: natural peanut butter and jelly on whole-grain bread; or grilled tofu hot dogs (often found in the produce or organic sections of bigger grocery stores) on whole-grain rolls Dinner: pasta with tomato sauce and veggies; or a can of vegetarian vegetable soup Snacks: soy fruited yogurt (Silk makes some terrific flavors); carrot and celery sticks with hummus dip; fresh or canned fruit; Tofutti Cutie ice cream sandwiches (when you absolutely must satisfy that chocolate and ice cream craving); the options here are just about endless JANUARY 2009 GRAND 25 http://www.vegfamily.com http://www.vegfamily.com http://www.vrg.org http://www.vrg.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - January 2009

GRAND�Magazine - January 2009 Grand View Contents Isn't it Grand? Grand Central Tips on Teens Grand Gestures Toddler Town Help! My Grandson's Being Raised Vegan! Cover Story: Casualties Leader of the Pack Reunions Together Time Resources Grand Finale

GRAND Magazine - January 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.