Health Tips for December 9

Health Tip: Eating a Healthy Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet doesn't have to lack nutrients or variety. There are plenty of delicious and nutritious meat substitutes to include in a vegetarian diet.

The United States Department of Agriculture offers these suggestions:

• Choose low-fat proteins, such as beans, lentils or rice.
• Replace meat with vegetables in dishes such as pasta, pizza and stir-fry.
• Consider serving soy sausage substitutes, veggie burgers, bean burgers or soy hot dogs.
• Avoid high-fat dairy drinks and substitute with soy beverages.
• Ask for meat substitutes or no meat in dishes at restaurants.
• Ethnic menus -- such as Asian or Indian -- tend to offer a variety of vegetarian dishes.

Health Tip: If Your Child is a Vegetarian

If your child is a vegetarian, it's important to make sure that he or she eats a varied, balanced and healthy diet.

Here are some guidelines, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• For children up to age 1, breast milk or a fortified, soy formula should be the primary source of nutrition.
• Do not limit dietary fat for children younger than age 2.
• Young children should drink plenty of milk or a fortified substitute to make sure they get enough calcium, protein, vitamin D and riboflavin.
• Give your child a vitamin B12 supplement if no animal products are eaten.
• Make sure your child gets plenty of iron from foods such as spinach, raisins, iron-fortified cereals and whole grains, prunes and prune juice.