On this episode, I welcome Whitney of Plant-Based Juniors. Whitney is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer and parent to a plant-based babe. We discuss:

• Pediatric plant-based nutrition
• The biggest misconceptions when it comes to a plant-based diet
• The benefits of a plant-based diet
• Basic tips to help your kid love veggies
• Plant-based formula/alternative for cow’s milk
• The Plant-Based Juniors visual guide to meal planning for parents
• Nutrients to prioritize and supplement on a plant-based diet
• Nutrients that may be lacking on a plant-based diet

00;00;08;22 – 00;00;27;27

Dr. Mona

Welcome to this week’s episode where I welcome Whitney, who is a registered dietitian and mom and one of the founders of plant based juniors and coauthor of the new book, The Plant Based Baby and Toddler. And she’s joining me today to talk all about plant based nutrition for our children. Thank you so much for joining me, Whitney.

 

00;00;27;29 – 00;00;31;04

Whitney

Thank you so much for having me. Mona, a pleasure to chat with you today.

 

00;00;31;11 – 00;00;46;01

Dr. Mona

Well, I’m so excited about this because even as a pediatrician, I don’t know nearly as much as I would want to know about plant based nutrition. And I just think it’s such an important resource to have your education expertise. Why did you start plant based juniors? Yeah, so.

 

00;00;46;05 – 00;01;14;05

Whitney

Plant based juniors is really the community that my partner Alex and I were looking for when when we first became pregnant and thought about raising kids. Even as dietitians, you know, we didn’t learn that much about children’s nutrition one, but definitely not much about pediatric plant based nutrition in our programs. So we were kind of learning it all on the go on our own, doing the research as new moms or before we became moms.

 

00;01;14;08 – 00;01;40;08

Whitney

And what we were finding was there really wasn’t one kind of one stop shop that had accessible, credible, evidence based nutrition information on how to raise plant based kids. Really, when we started doing this, the only nutrition book, that kind of addressed pregnancy, for example, plant based pregnancy was written ten years ago by a dietitian and some of the information was already outdated.

 

00;01;40;15 – 00;02;05;04

Whitney

So Alex and I, we had actually met about ten years prior at a at a conference and stayed in touch over the years, and it was when I was pregnant and Alex had her, her newborn son, Vander, that we started getting to talking and we were like, what are you doing about this? Have you heard this information? Because it’s one thing to follow a plant based diet on your own and feel really confident about that, which Alex and I had been doing.

 

00;02;05;05 – 00;02;08;23

Whitney

But when you have a life in your hand, someone else’s life.

 

00;02;08;25 – 00;02;09;02

Dr. Mona

You know.

 

00;02;09;02 – 00;02;35;13

Whitney

You start questioning things a lot more. And and so we started swapping information back and forth and we and we really realized that if we were having this much trouble tracking down, factual information on how to do this, then the average parent out there was probably left empty handed a lot of the time, and often having to turn to non evidence based information or influencers online to get information on how to raise their kids.

 

00;02;35;13 – 00;02;42;29

Whitney

So, we realized there was really a gap in the market and we said we need to put this information out there. And that’s how plant based juniors was born.

 

00;02;43;01 – 00;03;01;08

Dr. Mona

That’s great. And thank you so much for doing this. I just think that there again, needs to be more education about this. I myself am not fully plant based, but I do find the value in it. And we we live a 70% plant based life. So for me, it’s important that I understand for my own awareness, but also just for my patients too.

 

00;03;01;08 – 00;03;11;14

Dr. Mona

Like I mentioned, this resource that you all are providing. What do you think is the biggest misconception about plant based diets for babies, toddlers, children, that you have come across?

 

00;03;11;16 – 00;03;31;04

Whitney

Well, there’s just so many misconceptions out there. Before I share that, I just want to say Alex and I are also not fully plant based. We consider ourselves predominantly plant based. So, you know, the amount of, of animal products that’s in our diet varies, probably on a on a weekly basis. We’re probably about 90 to 95% plant based or vegan, if you want to call it.

 

00;03;31;04 – 00;03;56;29

Whitney

But we do allow for some flexibility in the diet, and that’s really the message that we want to put out there to all families is that you don’t have to be plant exclusive in order to reap the massive benefits of a predominantly plant based diet. We really want to be be an all inclusive community where anyone who’s interested in any plant based, whether it’s vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, can come and get this evidence based information.

 

00;03;57;01 – 00;04;19;29

Whitney

Because really, in order to make a dent in the growing global chronic disease crisis that’s going on and the climate crisis, we need everyone to reduce meat and animal products in their diet. And we think by by putting forth a really welcoming, message and showing people that it’s not black and white, that we can get more people on board with this mission.

 

00;04;20;02 – 00;04;21;11

Dr. Mona

Oh, I agree completely.

 

00;04;21;19 – 00;04;42;15

Whitney

Yeah. So but to answer your question about the biggest misconception. Yeah. So we we hear so many misconceptions and we are very quick to try to help clear those up because we want to get more people in the door, get more people eating plant based. But I think the number one thing that we hear is that a plant based diet is unsafe, or that kids will have nutrient deficiencies if they eat this way.

 

00;04;42;17 – 00;05;14;28

Whitney

And the fact is, the majority of major health organizations, disagree with this, that the majority of major health organizations agree that a plant based diet is not only safe, but likely, has many health benefits. And this is for all stages of the life cycle from pregnancy, infancy, breastfeeding, childhood, and through older adulthood. The one caveat here is that the majority of them, specifically the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, includes a language appropriately planned, appropriately plan.

 

00;05;14;28 – 00;05;38;27

Whitney

Diets are safe. And and the point there is that any diet, whether it’s plant based, paleo standard Western diet, any diet can be unsafe if it’s not appropriately planned. So again, this is really why we started plant based juniors. We wanted to be a resource to parents to make sure that they’re appropriately planning their children’s diets and making sure that all nutrient needs are met.

 

00;05;38;29 – 00;05;59;04

Dr. Mona

And as a pediatrician, like I mentioned, I feel like I can be better educated about all of this information. Do you find that a lot of your clients come to you with concerns about their pediatricians not being supportive about plant based diets? Do you think that they are and they just don’t have enough information? What are your thoughts about pediatricians and what they know about plant based nutrition?

 

00;05;59;05 – 00;06;20;12

Whitney

Well, I do think the tide is turning and that a lot of medical professionals are becoming more open to plant based nutrition, especially as more of these health organizations are coming out and saying that they’re safe and, you know, supporting this overall shift towards a more plant predominant diet. We very frequently hear from our followers that they get pushback from their pediatricians.

 

00;06;20;20 – 00;06;40;27

Whitney

We actually wrote a whole I think it’s a blog post. Or it might be in our email newsletter. A point by point fact sheet on how you can combat some things that your pediatrician might say to you. Even my own pediatrician, for example, questioned my plant based diet several times with my son. And I talk about this in our upcoming book.

 

00;06;40;27 – 00;07;15;10

Whitney

She was asking about iron and whether or not I would provide eggs in my son’s diet so he could get some iron. Little did she know that eggs actually also contain a compound called phosphor ten, which inhibits iron absorption. So while while we do hear that pediatricians are somewhat open to it, a lot of them just don’t have the proper education on on it to address this, maybe that their clients bring up, but also myths that they hear from other professionals and and therefore aren’t very prepared to educate their clients on how to properly administer the diet.

 

00;07;15;12 – 00;07;37;13

Dr. Mona

And through this conversation, we’ll be going over some of the common questions that I get asked as a pediatrician, but also that I could ask through my social media account. And so we’ll start kind of from the beginning. So if we have a mom who is choosing not to breastfeed or can’t breastfeed and chooses, formula root, is there a formula that’s recommended for plant based families if they’re not breastfeeding?

 

00;07;37;16 – 00;08;04;17

Whitney

Sure. So there aren’t a lot of plant based formula options on the market. And we don’t like to point out any specific brands, because what you pick is going to depend on so many different factors, including financial reasons, accessibility, etc.. But the main option for plant based families is going to be a soy based formula. And we like to educate people because there are so many, massive fears around soy is that, number one, soy itself is is perfectly safe for growing kids.

 

00;08;04;18 – 00;08;39;23

Whitney

We have, decades of research supporting this, and even some research showing that soy foods can be beneficial. Particularly for young girls. There’s some research showing that women who start eating soy early in life have a reduced risk of breast cancer later in life. The earlier they start their soy consumption. But if we’re talking specifically about soy formula, there’s also a large, large body of research showing that kids who consume soy formula have the same growth and and reproductive functioning as kids that are fed cows milk formula.

 

00;08;39;23 – 00;09;04;24

Whitney

So it’s an absolutely safe, adequate option for plant based kids. I will say, however, that, there is not a fully vegan option on the market. I don’t believe, I think the soy formulas that are out there typically use, a lanolin, which is sheep skin derived form of vitamin D, but they are still going to be your closest plant based option.

 

00;09;05;01 – 00;09;17;21

Whitney

One more thing. That’s important to mention about the soy formula is that it is, not recommended by the AARP for premature babies or those with congenital hypothyroidism, but for all other babies, it’s a perfectly safe option.

 

00;09;17;28 – 00;09;39;13

Dr. Mona

Really great. Thank you so much. That is a common one I get. And then the other common one has to do with if we are transitioning a child to calcium, but we want a plant based alternative, nutritionally speaking. We know that there are many different options. I also know that so many pediatricians or so many people, I often just just say pediatrician, think that almond milk is superior.

 

00;09;39;13 – 00;09;49;28

Dr. Mona

When we know nutritionally it may not be as equivalent. What are the best plant based alternatives? Looking at it from a nutritional equivalent to what we are getting from cows milk lens.

 

00;09;50;02 – 00;10;09;04

Whitney

Yeah, yeah. This is such a big myth that we hear. I actually ended up doing like a two part, 30 minute iGTV series on this one. Sutter under plant based Juniors page because we got so much pushback for sharing our option and all these people started jumping in and saying, like, I make homemade almond milk and it’s great.

 

00;10;09;04 – 00;10;30;24

Whitney

And here’s why. Here’s the thing. Almond milk is essentially, especially if you’re buying it from the store, very expensive flavored water. There is not a lot of nutrients in an almond milk. And if we’re talking especially about young toddlers who have small stomachs, who fill up very quickly, we want to get the most bang for our buck in everything that they put in their mouth.

 

00;10;31;05 – 00;10;53;11

Whitney

So we really want to be giving them the most nutrient dense, beverages specifically as possible, the only appropriate beverage, for children, we believe in the toddler years, especially as a replacement for cows milk would be fortified unsweetened pea or soy milk. And this is because they have the most similar nutritional profile to cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is really high in protein.

 

00;10;53;11 – 00;11;17;13

Whitney

It’s high in fat. We’re talking about whole cows milk, by the way. Before the age of two, whole cows milk is is what’s recommended versus a low fat option. And a fortified option is also going to provide you with some of those critical nutrients for, for children, including calcium, and vitamin D and the rest of the milks on the market are typically too low in protein or fat.

 

00;11;17;13 – 00;11;21;07

Whitney

And if they’re not fortified, they’re not getting in that calcium.

 

00;11;21;09 – 00;11;35;21

Dr. Mona

Yeah, I think this is really important because if you’re not giving your child cow’s milk, you don’t have to even give a lot of calcium at all. I think there’s a misconception that your child needs to have this, but if you’re not giving it, you need to know, well, what are the alternatives that nutritionally are closest to cow’s milk?

 

00;11;36;03 – 00;11;55;04

Dr. Mona

There is a lot of misconception, I think, amongst feeding and milk that your child needs a minimum amount. There’s usually a maximum amount of all of these things. But if your child is eating well, doing yogurts, or doing other foods, you don’t necessarily need cow’s milk need the plant based alternatives. This is just the options that you have.

 

00;11;55;22 – 00;11;58;23

Dr. Mona

So I’m happy that you clarify that because I think that’s a common misconception.

 

00;11;58;23 – 00;12;20;15

Whitney

I hear you saying. Yeah, I mean, the main things that we want to derive from cow’s milk or a plant based milk alternative are really that protein, fat, and really calcium. Dairy is really the main source of calcium in most kids diets. And that’s one of the reasons that we do recommend a plant based, fortified milk alternative.

 

00;12;20;18 – 00;12;43;19

Whitney

But if your kid doesn’t like it, there are other ways that you could get it in as well. You know, again, you’re probably going to need some sort of calcium supplement, because although calcium is very rich in plants, most kids are not willing to eat enough like three cups of broccoli or beans or whatever it is, in order to get that calcium, the same as maybe a plant based adult one.

 

00;12;43;22 – 00;13;02;21

Dr. Mona

And speaking about, you know, protein, fat, calcium, are there any vitamins, nutrients, etc. that may be lacking in a plant based diet? You know, is there something that, kind of going into that second part of that question would be, are there certain supplements that a child needs to take if they’re on a plant based diet, or can they get it through different plant based foods?

 

00;13;02;27 – 00;13;24;23

Whitney

Yeah. So the first thing I’ll say is the one, the one nutrient you don’t need to worry about is protein. We very, very, very rarely see protein malnutrition here in, developed countries. Protein is widespread in a plant based diet. And research really shows that all kids, including plant based kids, get way more protein than they need.

 

00;13;24;23 – 00;13;47;04

Whitney

I think one study showed that plant based kids get about double what they need, and omnivorous kids get about triple the protein that they need. And while protein is such an essential nutrient for growth, getting too much protein can actually be too much of a good thing. So there is some research showing that, kids having an excessive amount of protein are at a higher rate of overweight and obesity.

 

00;13;47;04 – 00;14;09;00

Whitney

So we really just want to give kids an adequate amount of protein, the amount of protein that they normally eat versus, trying to stress it, like like so often we hear, I think, in our fitness obsessed protein pushing culture lately. But yeah, protein is found in and everything. So Alex and I actually created a resource called the P3 plate, which is a visual guide to meal planning for parents.

 

00;14;09;00 – 00;14;28;12

Whitney

And this really breaks down the major nutrients. Except we don’t we don’t refer to all of them as nutrients. We actually broke them down into food groups to show parents where specific nutrients are found on the plate, and how to easily serve them. So the three major categories are legumes, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables and grains and starches.

 

00;14;28;12 – 00;14;52;22

Whitney

And then we’ve got fat right in the middle. And then within those categories, we break down certain micronutrients that are found in each of those major categories. And by trying to hit all three at each meal, you’re likely to cover all of your kids nutrient needs. So some of the nutrients that, can, can be met in a plant based diet, but that you want to be cognizant of are things like choline, which is a B like vitamin.

 

00;14;52;22 – 00;15;21;03

Whitney

That’s really important for brain development. And it’s found widespread in different plant foods. But the best sources are soy foods. And so those would be found in laguna’s nuts and seeds category. We’ve got calcium, which I mentioned before is found in a wide variety of plant foods. But typically it’s found in plant foods that aren’t always the most accepted by kids, which is, again, why we really do recommend including a fortified plant milk alternative if your kid doesn’t like plant milk.

 

00;15;21;03 – 00;15;40;04

Whitney

As I said before, we’ve got other tips and hacks for getting, some calcium in. You could add some, food grade calcium carbonate powder to yogurt, stir that in and serve it to kids. So there’s lots of different ways to meet calcium needs. Vitamin A is another really important nutrient for kids for immune health and retinal health.

 

00;15;40;06 – 00;16;02;23

Whitney

And this one is also very widespread in the diet in the form of plant based phytochemicals known as carotenoids. So there’s two forms of vitamin A. There’s carotenoids which are precursors to vitamin A. And then you’ve got, preformed vitamin A, which is retinol. And that’s mainly found in animal products. And vitamin A is found in all kinds of fruits and vegetables, all of the brightly colored.

 

00;16;02;23 – 00;16;26;22

Whitney

So we’re thinking of things that are red and orange like like bell peppers, like sweet potatoes, like carrots. And the, the sources of food that they’re rich in, you only need a little bit. So you actually only need about a fourth cup of sweet potatoes to meet your child’s entire, vitamin A needs for the day. But it’s just something to be cognizant of, especially with kids who can be a little bit pickier about fruits and vegetables.

 

00;16;26;25 – 00;16;48;08

Whitney

Iron is another nutrient that is so important for, not just plant based kids. Obviously all kids. I think iron is probably the most essential nutrient when kids start eating around six months of age. And that’s because breast milk is very low in iron. So when kids begin complementary feeding at about six months, iron is the major nutrient we want to prioritize.

 

00;16;48;10 – 00;17;11;26

Whitney

The good news is that iron is also very widespread in a plant based diet. Many studies estimate that plant based dieters actually consume more iron than, omnivores. It’s just that the iron that’s found in plant based sources is a little less bioavailable, meaning it’s a little bit harder to absorb, but that can easily be overcome by pairing Irish plant foods with a form of vitamin C.

 

00;17;11;28 – 00;17;28;22

Whitney

And so again, on our three plate, we show you how iron is found in all of the three major categories. And then we call out vitamin C in the fruits and vegetables category to let you know that, it’s a good idea to get them both on your plate. I also want to mention here you can download that for free on our website.

 

00;17;28;24 – 00;17;49;00

Whitney

Then there’s a few nutrients that are important for all children as well that tend to be lacking in a plant based diet. And these are the ones that you’ll probably for some, definitely for others will want to supplement. The first one is B12. All plant based dieters, whether you’re vegan or vegetarian or just have a very reduced consumption of animal products, should take a B12 supplement.

 

00;17;49;00 – 00;18;13;14

Whitney

And that’s because B12 is only found in reliable amounts in animal foods. A lot of plant based, foods on the market now do fortified with B12, but because the amounts are so variable and fortification processes can change the safest option is just to offer a B12 supplement. So that’s kind of a non-negotiable, especially because it is critical for baby’s brain development.

 

00;18;13;17 – 00;18;35;03

Whitney

The second one is vitamin D, and if you’re breastfeeding from the start, you’ll be providing vitamin D anyway. Breast milk is very low in vitamin D, and this is an evolutionary reasoning because historically we were out in the sun kind of running around half naked. And the sun actually is what helps us generate vitamin D in our own tissues.

 

00;18;35;06 – 00;18;53;29

Whitney

Now that we, cover ourselves, don’t spend as much time in the sun and use a lot of sunscreen, especially on our babies. Babies aren’t able to make their own vitamin D. So as you know, as a pediatrician, our breastfeeding mamas are supposed to supplement their baby with vitamin D from the start. And if you’re plant based, you’ll continue doing that.

 

00;18;54;01 – 00;19;16;25

Whitney

And the reasoning behind that is that the main source of vitamin D in an omnivorous child’s diet is cows milk. However, cows milk does not naturally contain vitamin D. Vitamin D is fortified in cow’s milk. So whether you’re giving your baby a vitamin D supplement or your child is drinking fortified cow’s milk, either way, they’re getting their vitamin D from from fortification, from supplements.

 

00;19;17;07 – 00;19;47;28

Whitney

The other nutrient to potentially supplement is iodine. Iodine is mainly found in the diet in iodized salt. The US adds iodine to to salt because it is is typically low in the diet because the main dietary source is seafood, or plants from plants from the ground can also take up iodine. But because of a variety of issues, including soil erosion, it’s just not as reliable to get iodine that way.

 

00;19;47;28 – 00;20;16;15

Whitney

So we recommend that when babies stop consuming formula or stop consuming breast milk, that they’re provided with an iodine supplement. Then the last nutrient that, we, we recommend supplementing or considering supplementing is, is DHEA. And DHEA is a very long chain omega three fatty acid. Again, that’s really important for baby’s brain. And retinol development. And we can actually generate it’s a it’s a non essential fatty acid.

 

00;20;16;15 – 00;20;51;27

Whitney

And that’s because our bodies can make it from another a fatty acid known as alpha. And alpha is found in the diet in plants such as chia seeds, hemp seeds walnuts, flax. But the problem is that we have a pretty low conversion rate. And because it is such an essential nutrient for brain development, especially in the first, two years of life and during pregnancy, it’s recommended that plant based mamas, or anyone who’s not consuming at least two servings of fatty, rich fish a week, takes a DHEA supplement during pregnancy and during lactation.

 

00;20;52;04 – 00;21;01;05

Whitney

And then Alex and I further recommend that during the first two years of life, if it’s within your budget, considering supplementing it for plant based kids as well.

 

00;21;01;08 – 00;21;16;17

Dr. Mona

Oh, this is so helpful. My follow up question would be, you know, obviously if you have a toddler child, at what age are we considering these supplements is number one? And then are they available commercially in formulations for children, like in terms of liquid form or whatnot?

 

00;21;16;23 – 00;21;17;25

Whitney

Yeah, yeah.

 

00;21;17;25 – 00;21;19;05

Dr. Mona

So that is

 

00;21;19;08 – 00;21;38;11

Whitney

A complicating factor. And that’s something that Alex and I spent a ton of time researching. One of those things where we were like, again in the DMs, what are you doing about this? I can’t find this thing. Yeah. So we actually compiled a whole, I think it’s like, five page or maybe it’s ten pages a sup, a free supplement guide.

 

00;21;38;11 – 00;21;58;29

Whitney

So you can get that on the website as well. And it goes through each of the nutrients with the recommended amount. But to answer your question, you typically want to start supplementing your child once they are no longer consuming an appreciable amount of breast milk or once they’re done with formula. Formula covers all of the nutrient needs for babes because it is already fortified with all of these things.

 

00;21;59;02 – 00;22;19;24

Whitney

Breast milk, covers the majority of them if the mom is properly supplementing. So if mama is taking her B12 and her iodine and her DHA, that will be given to baby through the breast milk. The vitamin D, as I said before, however, is is not going to be in a high amount in breast milk. So babies should be directly supplemented with that.

 

00;22;19;24 – 00;22;32;18

Whitney

We usually recommend when when breast milk feeds drop below, 2 or 3 times a day, then usually past the age of one, that’s when you would want to start giving your baby their own supplements.

 

00;22;32;21 – 00;22;50;28

Dr. Mona

Oh, this is so helpful. And I’ll attach that supplement guide, or the link to your website, at least on my show notes, because I think that’ll be very helpful. And it really comes down to obviously understanding, would it be correct that where your child may be lacking. Right. So just say your child is eating a calcium rich, diet of food.

 

00;22;51;04 – 00;22;57;09

Dr. Mona

They may not need to add the calcium carbonate. Correct. So it really is it really is detailed on what’s going on with the child.

 

00;22;57;12 – 00;23;30;23

Whitney

Yeah. So like when we’re talking about a plant based diet, there are some things that are universal, like whatever plant based eating pattern you’re following. We still recommend B12 because there is some research showing that even vegetarians and flexitarians have suboptimal levels, and it is such a critical nutrient. So that’s one that we’re like, everyone should take. But if we’re talking about things like vitamin D and iodine and calcium, if you’re on a vegetarian diet and your child consuming, cows milk or dairy a few times a day, they’re likely going to be getting those nutrients from the dairy, so then they wouldn’t need to supplement those things.

 

00;23;30;23 – 00;23;54;22

Whitney

So there are some aspects that need to be individualized. And because of that, actually in our book, we included it’s kind of like a create your own adventure supplement handout that you can rip out of the book. And we’ve got blank spots where you can fill in the blanks on, your child’s unique needs. So you can take that with you to the grocery store and figure out which supplements you need, at which age for your child’s individual needs.

 

00;23;54;25 – 00;24;13;01

Dr. Mona

This is so great. I know my last question for you has to do with what you had said earlier about, 90% of your diet is plant based and, you know, for our family, it’s about, I would say, 70 to 80%, you know, you can still do and be a part of a plant based nutrition, even if you’re not fully vegan or fully plant based.

 

00;24;13;06 – 00;24;29;12

Dr. Mona

It’s just important, like we said, for the environment, it’s important to know also for our health that yes, plant things that grow on the earth are very good for our digestive system and we know that. So my question to you is just in general, what are your tips for families who are struggling with wanting to raise their kid to be a veggie lover?

 

00;24;29;12 – 00;24;44;15

Dr. Mona

What are some basic tips that you would say to get your children used to these foods? You know lentils and and veggies and and yes, I see it a lot like the American diet we have of chicken nuggets and fish sticks, which are not bad, but we need to balance it with other foods that grow on the earth.

 

00;24;44;15 – 00;24;48;05

Dr. Mona

If you’re going to be doing that right. So how can we create that for our children? Yeah.

 

00;24;48;05 – 00;25;10;19

Whitney

Well, first of all, I just want to say you’re not alone. If your kid doesn’t like veggies, you are in the majority. And picky eating kicks in around H2 or so and can last even up until age six. So good nutrition is is a long game. The first thing you can do if you are starting with a baby is introducing these foods early and often.

 

00;25;10;22 – 00;25;33;02

Whitney

So research shows that kids become more adventurous eaters when they’re regularly exposed to these foods. And it can take up to 15 exposures before a baby may even try something. I know, for instance, with other vegetables, Alex and I have been working on, certain vegetables for the past three years with our kids, you know, so you have to kind of, stay consistent.

 

00;25;33;09 – 00;25;51;07

Whitney

Because what often happens a lot is parents serve a food, their child rejects it, and then the parent says, I’m not going to serve that again. What’s the point in putting this on their plate for them just to turn their nose and not eat it? It’s a waste of my time. And it’s a food waste too. But what happens is it becomes a vicious cycle.

 

00;25;51;09 – 00;26;10;12

Whitney

So you don’t serve the food, then your child doesn’t get exposed to it. Then the next time they see it farther down the road, it’s even more foreign and they’re even less likely to eat it. And it just repeats in a circle. And the child preferences can get smaller and smaller. So Alex and I talk a lot about exposure without pressure.

 

00;26;10;15 – 00;26;33;27

Whitney

So even if you know that your child isn’t going to eat these foods, continuing to offer them on the plate in a non, forceful way. So we subscribe to a model called the Division of Responsibility. And that really dictates what a parent’s role is and what a child’s role is when it comes to feeding. It’s a parent’s role to provide nutritious options, and to determine when and where they will be served.

 

00;26;34;04 – 00;26;55;21

Whitney

It’s the child’s role to decide if they’re going to eat and how much. So even though we know that our child may not like broccoli, if you’re serving broccoli to the rest of the family, then the broccoli ends up on the child’s plate. The thing is, we’re not pressuring them to eat it. We’re just putting it there so that they can have that exposure so that somewhere along the line they will choose to eat it themselves.

 

00;26;55;23 – 00;27;29;23

Whitney

And exposure can mean so many different things. It’s not necessarily just eating the food. It’s seeing the food. It’s feeling the food, it’s smelling the food. It’s it’s realizing that this is a part of the family’s diet and that they have the control to decide if they want to eat it or not. And so these same principles, whether they’re being applied to a six month old or maybe to an older child who’s transitioning to a more plant based diet, no matter which where you are, along this timeline, the same principles will apply in providing the exposure without the pressure.

 

00;27;29;26 – 00;27;45;00

Whitney

Modeling good behavior is always is always really important to kids. Learn a lot about eating, but about all habits just from watching what their parents do. So if you want your kids to be veggie lovers, you should be eating those same foods right alongside them.

 

00;27;45;01 – 00;28;04;16

Dr. Mona

These are such great tips and so important. I think we have such fear surrounding the foods that are important for our children and great for them. But you’re right, all of these tips do make so much sense and we can create these veggie lovers. We can create children who love plant based foods. And with that exposure and with how we react, to those meal times.

 

00;28;04;16 – 00;28;16;08

Whitney

Yeah. And we have a whole chapter on eating in the book because, you know, it’s it’s it’s not enough to tell you what you should eat or what you should get your kids to eat, because getting your kids to in something.

 

00;28;16;08 – 00;28;17;05

Dr. Mona

Just doesn’t.

 

00;28;17;05 – 00;28;29;04

Whitney

Even work. Honestly, as I’m, as I’m saying, it’s another thing to teach you behavioral strategies to encourage positive eating. So, we really try to address all of these issues.

 

00;28;29;06 – 00;28;40;25

Dr. Mona

And tell me a little bit more about your book. So people who buy it will be able to find out, picky eating, but also, recipes, supplements, nutrition like nutrition. What is kind of the yeah, the summary of what they’ll find.

 

00;28;40;26 – 00;28;59;04

Whitney

So it’s it’s basically a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know for feeding from birth until about three years of age. It starts off with a chapter on in-depth nutrition information. So we cover all of the different nutrients and, what you need to know about them, where they’re found and whether or not you need to supplement them.

 

00;28;59;06 – 00;29;20;20

Whitney

The second chapter is about meal planning and prep, so it basically takes the nutrition information from the first chapter and shows you how to apply that on the plate. Chapter three four and three, four and five. Yeah, are dedicated specifically to age groups. So the first one is for 0 to 6 months. We talk about postpartum nutrition for mama.

 

00;29;21;03 – 00;29;42;26

Whitney

Because what you’re eating is so important as well. And we talk about breast and bottle feeding. Then we talk about in the next chapter, introducing solids, whether that be through baby led weaning or through a more traditional approach, then the next chapter is targeted towards that toddler age. When you’re going to start introducing a milk. So we go way in depth into the differences between cow’s milk and plant based milk alternatives.

 

00;29;42;26 – 00;30;04;25

Whitney

So if you wanted to learn more about what we were just talking about today, that chapter will have that along with, picky eating and in different, parenting approaches, how your behavior can affect your child’s eating. And then the last chapter really dives into kind of looking forward to the future. So we talk about structure versus restriction when introducing sweets and treats to older kids.

 

00;30;04;27 – 00;30;23;17

Whitney

And we talk about considerations for plant based families, whether that be, talking with your daycare or figuring out a daycare that’s going to be open to your plant based eating pattern, traveling with kids, snacking. And then we’ve got 50 family friendly recipes as well. Better can be adapted for all ages.

 

00;30;23;19 – 00;30;36;24

Dr. Mona

This is so great. I’m going to attach links for your book and also any other resources as well as your, Instagram handle. But what would be your final message to everyone listening today?

 

00;30;36;26 – 00;30;57;19

Whitney

I think it would be to go easy on yourself. I think Alex and I are both in a little bit of a picky eating phase with our sons. And, when we’re not myth busting, we’re talking to parents who are who are struggling with getting their kids to eat the foods that they want them to eat. And and we just want to reiterate, you know, nutrition is a long game.

 

00;30;57;19 – 00;31;08;02

Whitney

And as long as you’re doing your part, you’ve got to leave it up to your kid to do their part. We’re all just doing our best out there. So hang in there. Hang in there, parents. You’re not alone.

 

00;31;08;15 – 00;31;30;18

Dr. Mona

Thank you so much, Whitney. This was so helpful. I can’t thank you enough for all the information you’re putting out there on your social media. And taking the time today to come on this podcast to talk to me and again, everyone on me. Yeah, I’ll be attaching all of this information on my show notes. And you can follow her and Alex at Plant Based Juniors on Instagram and definitely check out their book, The Plant Based Baby and Toddler.

 

00;31;31;02 – 00;31;32;19

Dr. Mona

And thanks again for joining us, Whitney.

 

00;31;32;22 – 00;31;34;00

Whitney

Thanks. Gonna have a great day.

 

00;31;34;07 – 00;31;49;27

Dr. Mona

Thank you for tuning in for this week’s episode. As always, please leave a review. Share this episode with a friend. Share it on your social media. Make sure to follow me at PedsDocTalk on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel. PedsDocTalk TV. We’ll talk to you soon.