It is recommended that vegan children not have high fiber diets but it seems so hard to avoid it. Fiber is in a lot of staples in my home such as dried beans, peas, fruit (the skin is where it’s hanging out), sunflower seeds, almonds, lentils, sweet potatoes, apples, etc. Nugget eats at least one if not two of these foods a day.
Fiber fills up tummies making them feel more full which may make the kiddos eat less throughout the day. It also can inhibit the absorption of fat into the body. Two reasons it’s not very good for little ones growth.
However, fiber is important to the body to ease elimination (have you ever dealt with a constipated little one? I have-definitely hard to watch them go through that). According to HealthyChildren.org fiber also has been shown to prevent heart disease.
Soluble fiber helps to slow the rate of glucose digestion and absorption in the body. This type of fiber can be found in dried beans.
Insoluble fiber comes from plant leaves and peels that soak up water in the body and help clean house.
Talk about a rollercoaster ride of what to give your little ones-on the one hand vegan diets involve most if not all of these foods (in my house all of them) and they provide a fantastic amount of nutrients but on the other hand you have to watch out for too much of a good thing or you could have a baby whose growth rate is not where it should be. A parent can’t win.
I’ll admit-Nugget has a lot of #2 diapers in a day lately which is leading me to believe it’s time to monitor more closely the amount of fiber she’s taking in. Of course her favorite foods involve seed butter, nut butter and sweet potatoes. This is going to be a major exercise in self control (for me!) to not fall back on the tried and trusted menu items too often in a single day.
*Resources:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Childhood-Nutrition.aspx
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041500.asp
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm
*image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons/ little blue hen (I need to get my own camera fixed. Boo.)
VeganBaby 
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