10 Things To Know About Switching Your Family To A Plant-Based Diet by Whitney English MS, RDN and Alex Caspero MA, RDN of Plant-Based Juniors

So you heard about the amazing benefits of a plant-based diet and you want to give it a go - but you’re not sure where to start? We got you. We’re Alex and Whitney, dietitian nutritionists, authors of The Plant-Based Baby & Toddler, and mamas to a collective four predominantly plant-based babes. We help parents from all walks of life – vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, eggs-and-cheese-on-the-weekend-atarian – get more plants on the plate.

While going plant-based can seem a bit daunting at first, once you learn a few basics about plant-based nutrition and meal planning you’ll be good to go. It’s no harder than learning any other new skill you had to learn in becoming a parent – and if you’ve potty-trained already then you might as well consider yourself a parenting guru.

To help you get started, we’ve rounded up the top ten things we think all parents should know when making the switch to a plant-based diet.
 

1. Science is on your side.
Congratulations! You’ve just made a choice that will have widespread health benefits for your whole family. Research shows that kids following plant-based diets typically eat more fruits and vegetables, have lower cholesterol levels, and healthier body weights. And adults on plant-based diets have a lower risk of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

2. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
Not ready to ditch animal products all together? No worries – science is still on your side. While studies show that a vegan diet is beneficial to health, studies also show that vegetarian, pescatarian, and flexitarian diets all carry immense health benefits compared to a standard meat-heavy, Western diet.

Figure out what works best for your family and go with it. If that is fully plant-based, awesome. If that is predominantly plant-based, that’s awesome too. As we always say, let’s just aim to get more plants on the plate!

3. If this is brand new, ease in.
When it comes to lifestyle changes, people are much more successful when they make small, sustainable changes versus grand proclamations that are hard to stick to. Additionally, kids thrive on routine and familiarity. If one day you just decide to completely change their diet, it might not go over well with the littles.

If your goal is to eventually go fully plant-based, maybe dip your toes in by starting with a “Meatless Monday.” Try swapping your typical beef tacos for lentil walnut meat. Again, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing and it doesn’t have to happen all at once. We want your family in this for the long haul!

4. People will question your decision. Arm yourself with evidence-based information.
Whether it be your pediatrician or some random parent at the playground, people will likely have (unsolicited) opinions on the way you choose to feed your kid. If you’re getting negative feedback, fight fire with information.

The majority of health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics agree – appropriately planned plant-based diets are safe and likely beneficial for all stages of the life cycle including pregnancy, infancy, and childhood.

The key word is “appropriately planned” – that means kids are getting all the nutrients they need to thrive. This can absolutely be done on a plant-based diet. Plants are a rich source of many important nutrients for kids like protein, fiber, unsaturated fat, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and many others. 

Educate yourself on plant-based nutrition for children prior to making the switch to ensure you’re meeting your kid’s needs. Our new book, The Plant-Based Baby & Toddler, breaks down everything you need to know nutrition-wise and shows you how to translate that information to the plate.

5. Start with family favorites that are already plant-based.
As mentioned before, kids are creatures of habit. If you plop a pile of tempeh and kale on their plate when they’re used to chicken nuggets and fries, it’s not going to go over well. Start with meals that they already love that just happen to be plant-based. Some of our favorite “kid-friendly” foods include bean burritos, spaghetti, alphabet pasta, or whole-grain waffles and pancakes.

6. Offer 1-2 items your child already likes alongside new or “learning to like foods.”
Picky eating and “food neophobia” - a fear/aversion to new or unfamiliar foods- are completely normal, age-appropriate (but still frustrating) behaviors for young children. One strategy to encourage acceptance of new foods is to provide them alongside foods your child already likes. If you’re working to get your babe to enjoy beans, serve it alongside a couple items you know they will eat. This helps make the plate feel more approachable and prevents them from leaving the table hungry if they choose not to eat the new food.

7. Offer meals without pressure.
We get it. When you spend hours in the kitchen and your kid refuses to touch his meal, it’s completely normal to want to demand they take a bite. Fight the urge. Research shows that when kids feel pressured to eat, they eat less. The opposite is true too. When children are encouraged to eat less (of desserts, for example) or shamed about certain foods, they often end up eating more.

We use a tool called “The Division of Responsibility in Feeding.” This model divides up the roles of parents and kids at the table. It’s a parent’s job to decide what meal to serve, when, and where. It’s a child’s decision if they want to eat or not, and how much. Not only does this approach help reduce picky eating, it also helps promote self-regulation of satiety. This means an ability to listen to and respond to their own hunger and fullness cues which can lead to more positive eating habits in the future.

8. Meal plan to prevent classic “what am I going to cook tonight” meltdowns.
As busy moms, we know how challenging it can be to get a healthy meal on the table. Our best advice – plan ahead.

Once or twice a week we take an hour or so to prep staples like beans, chopped fruits and veggies, and a whole-grain option like rice or pasta that can be tossed together to make a quick meal. We also plan a couple of recipes that we’ll batch cook for meals throughout the week.

Of course, when meal planning falls by the wayside, we also always have a couple of 15-minute meals in our back pocket to save the day!

9. Supplement wisely.
Bottom line – all appropriately planned plant-based diets require supplements. We recommend B12 for all plant-based children and usually vitamin D and iodine as well, depending on the type of plant-based diet you’re following.

Despite what you may hear from the naysayers, all diets include supplementation in some form or another. In the U.S. for example, vitamin D is added to cow’s milk, iodine is added to salt, and folic acid is added to grain products.

We have a free supplement guide if you want to learn more about the specific supplements your child needs.

10. Your kids will still be exposed to animal-based foods – get clear on how you’re going to handle these situations.
With pizza, hotdogs, and cupcakes being the traditional kid’s birthday party fare, your babe is likely going to be exposed to animal-based foods frequently. Do you let them eat these foods in social settings or not? There’s no right answer. Again, this is a decision that you will have to make for your own family. Some people decide to be plant-based at home and allow flexibility when eating out, others decide to hold firm to their plant-based lifestyle in all situations. The important thing is that you are clear and consistent about your boundaries.

One option is to bring your own plant-based alternatives parties. There are so many tasty plant-based burgers, pizzas, and nuggets on the market and we doubt anyone will protest if you decide to contribute vegan cupcakes to the party platter!

We hope that these tips will help you and your family make a seamless transition to a plant-based diet! Keep in mind - change takes time. If your kids don’t buy in immediately, hang in there. Whether it be going plant-based or just trying to get them to eat their broccoli, nutrition with kids is a long game. You’ll be most successful if you try to relax and enjoy the ride!

Alex and Whitney are registered dietitian nutritionists and mamas to two predominantly plant-based kiddos each. Their platform, Plant-Based Juniors, is dedicated to educating parents and practitioners on plant-based diets for kids and helping all families get more plants on the plate. Their new book, the Plant-Based Baby & Toddler includes everything parents need to know to nourish their babes from birth and beyond plus 50 delicious recipes for the whole family.