WFPB for toddlers and young children
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:08 am
Hello all,
My husband and I have been light consumers of processed foods and meat over the last 10 years, exercise regularly and maintain healthy body weights. However, as we have aged we've both experienced joint pain, lethargy and decreased mental stamina that we hope to combat and have recently committed to going entirely WFPB. We have learned so much in the past several weeks and are excited about this lifestyle change.
I work as a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in helping children with feeding and eating issues (20 years), so of course what I am learning will have a major impact on my professional life and what I share with parents and other service providers. Feeding therapy and treating children with significant eating issues has exploded in the last two decades and it is no wonder why. While a small percentage are due to identifiable developmental and physical issues, most of the cases I see are a result of lifestyle and lack of experience. Many of the young children on my caseload live on fast food and junk and are centrally obese. I've seen several clients recently be diagnosed with precocious puberty (6 & 7 year-olds!) which is no doubt related to their high fat, high meat consumption of fast foods. Many families rarely cook. Family meals at home are infrequent to no existent and are often eaten in the car or in front of a screen. The majority of the school lunches brought from home are filled with pre-packaged brown foods - energy bars, cookies, chips, and crackers, as well as sugary yogurts and pouches children suck down. Furthermore, children regularly experience severe constipation, poor exercise tolerance, self-regulation difficulties, and are diagnosed with eczema, food allergies and ADHD in exploding numbers!
Can you direct me to literature and research as well as programming for toddlers and young children that I can incorporate into my own practice and share with families? There is so much erroneous and conflicting information (from seemingly reputable and good-meaning sources), especially as it pertains to the "necessity" of animal protein and calcium from dairy, and concern that a WFPB diet does not contain enough fat or nutrients for optimal growth and cognitive development. It is a battlefield! Where do I start? Thank you!
My husband and I have been light consumers of processed foods and meat over the last 10 years, exercise regularly and maintain healthy body weights. However, as we have aged we've both experienced joint pain, lethargy and decreased mental stamina that we hope to combat and have recently committed to going entirely WFPB. We have learned so much in the past several weeks and are excited about this lifestyle change.
I work as a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in helping children with feeding and eating issues (20 years), so of course what I am learning will have a major impact on my professional life and what I share with parents and other service providers. Feeding therapy and treating children with significant eating issues has exploded in the last two decades and it is no wonder why. While a small percentage are due to identifiable developmental and physical issues, most of the cases I see are a result of lifestyle and lack of experience. Many of the young children on my caseload live on fast food and junk and are centrally obese. I've seen several clients recently be diagnosed with precocious puberty (6 & 7 year-olds!) which is no doubt related to their high fat, high meat consumption of fast foods. Many families rarely cook. Family meals at home are infrequent to no existent and are often eaten in the car or in front of a screen. The majority of the school lunches brought from home are filled with pre-packaged brown foods - energy bars, cookies, chips, and crackers, as well as sugary yogurts and pouches children suck down. Furthermore, children regularly experience severe constipation, poor exercise tolerance, self-regulation difficulties, and are diagnosed with eczema, food allergies and ADHD in exploding numbers!
Can you direct me to literature and research as well as programming for toddlers and young children that I can incorporate into my own practice and share with families? There is so much erroneous and conflicting information (from seemingly reputable and good-meaning sources), especially as it pertains to the "necessity" of animal protein and calcium from dairy, and concern that a WFPB diet does not contain enough fat or nutrients for optimal growth and cognitive development. It is a battlefield! Where do I start? Thank you!