Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
“Appropriately planned vegan, lacto-
vegetarian, and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets
satisfy [the] nutrient needs of infants,
children, and adolescents and promote
normal growth. Vegetarian diets in childhood
and adolescence can aid in the establishment
of lifelong healthy eating patterns and can
offer some important nutritional advantages.
Vegetarian children and adolescents have
lower intakes of cholesterol, saturated fat,
and total fat and higher intakes of fruits,
vegetables, and fiber than nonvegetarians.
Vegetarian children have also been reported
to be leaner and to have lower serum
cholesterol levels.”
21
—American Dietetic Association, the world's largest
association of food and nutrition professionals
the beginnings of heart disease in their arteries—a greater than
one-in-two odds that our kids have started hurting their hearts. It
should come as no surprise that adult cancers and heart attacks
can be caused by childhood diets. The famous Bogalusa Heart
Study found that high animal fat intake early in life is strongly
predictive of later heart disease. Meanwhile, vegetarian children
consistently have been shown to have healthier cholesterol levels.
Eating vegan foods is all about heart, and raising animal-friendly
children sets them up for life with a clear conscience—and clear
arteries.
For girls, healthy and humane diets are critical for so many spe-
cific reasons. Breast tissue is especially sensitive to cancer trig-
gers in the childhood and teenage years. In previous centuries, the
