RDA Diets for a Child Vegetarian
A child's RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance or Recommended Daily Allowance) varies from that of an adult. Vegetarian children, and those on the more strict vegan diets, require a few special considerations beyond the basics of the USDA Food Pyramid.
Other People Are Reading
-
B12
-
Vegan diets contain no source of vitamin B12, so a fortified cereal, milk or other fortified food product must be consumed if the child eats no dairy or eggs. Children need between 1.2 and 1.8 mcg per day of B12.
Vitamin D
-
A child needs direct exposure to the sun (five to 30 minutes in duration, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., twice or more per week) in order to prime the body to produce its own vitamin D. Soy products, dark leafy greens and fortified alternative milks are good sources of dietary vitamin D; a child's minimum RDA is 400 IU.
-
Milk
-
There are many dairy substitutes available to help a vegetarian child reach the two cups (between ages 2 to 8) to three cups (over age 8) needed daily. Soy or rice milks, soy yogurt and soy cheeses are all good options, and many plant foods are also rich in calcium.
Grains and Protein
-
Children need six oz. of grains daily; half of those should be in the form of whole grains. They also need five oz. of protein, which can be found in beans, nuts or tofu for a vegetarian child.
Fruit and Vegetables
-
Children require 1.5 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables daily. Add a range of whole fruit and vegetable choices to a child's diet to take advantage of the variety of nutrients they possess.
Oil
-
Children should have a source of healthy oil in the diet. This can come from nuts or from corn, canola or soybean oil.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by galant @ Flickr via everystockphoto
