Balanced diets for veggie kids

Remember the days of loading up on burgers after a high school football game? Or the family shouting “groovy!” when dad announced “we’re having steak for dinner!”?

Well, in many households those days have gone the way of your old 8-tracks. If you’re a parent or grandparent, you may have had a dinnertime standoff with a youngster who doesn’t like meat or chooses not to eat it for health, environmental, religious or social reasons.

The decision can send meal planning into a tailspin, not to mention leave you worried about whether your child is getting enough nutrients. If your child decides not to eat meat, consider meeting with a dietitian to discuss nutritional needs, advises Gretchen Van Der Bosch, a dietitian at Advocate’s Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. “Many parents feel they need to cook separate meals,” says Van Der Bosch, “But usually that’s not necessary.”

If the foods being served to the rest of the family make up a balanced meal, your child can still get adequate protein by simply substituting beans, cheese, yogurt, breads, cereals, nuts, low-fat milk, soy milk or tofu for the meat. In some dishes, such as casseroles and lasagna, meat can be easily replaced with soy or textured vegetable protein. Of course, these dishes also can be prepared without a meat substitute, and a high-protein food can be served on the side.

When frequently abstaining from beef, fish or poultry, however, kids run the risk of getting too little iron, which is especially important for teenagers, Van Der Bosch notes.

Children need plenty of iron-rich foods like broccoli, spinach, whole-grain breads, pinto beans and raisins. Eating foods containing vitamin C (like citrus fruit and tomatoes) along with iron-rich foods helps the body absorb iron. Vegetarian diets also may lack sufficient amounts of vitamin B12. Many cereals are enriched with this vitamin. And for vegans—people who don’t eat meat or dairy products—foods like collard greens, kale, tofu and soy milk can make up for lost calcium.

Some dietitians recommend that children who don’t eat meat take a multivitamin. Talk to a doctor or a dietitian about whether this is a good idea for your child. “The bottom line,” notes Van Der Bosch, “is that kids need a diet that includes nutrients found in all the food groups.”

Pasta Pizza
8	oz. uncooked capellini (angel hair spaghetti)
1	tbsp. plus 1 tps. olive oil, divided
1/3	cup chopped green pepper
1/4	cup chopped onion
1 1/4	cups low-fat pasta sauce
1/4	cup slices black olives (optional)
1/2	cup shredded part-skim or nonfat mozzarella cheese
1/4	tsp. Italian seasoning
Prepare capellini as directed on package. Rinse and drain. Set aside. In a 6-inch nonstick skillet, combine 1 tsp. olive oil, green pepper and onion. Cook over medium-high heat for three to five minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Set aside. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Spread capellini in skillet. Cook for four to six minutes or until lightly browned on underside. Turn pasta crust onto a plate. Slip crust back into skillet browned side up. Reduce heat to medium. Spoon sauce evenly over crust. Top with prepared vegetables and olives. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut pizza into wedges and serve. Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional Information per serving (one cup): calories: 221 fat: 6 gram (2 gram saturated) protein: 9 gram cholesterol: 5 mg sodium: 300 mg dietary fiber: 2 gram carbohydrate: 35 gram Diabetic Exchange: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat