Review of Raising Vegetarian Children
by Registered Dietitian Dina Aronson

Raising Vegetarian Children is a must-have for the informed vegetarian's bookshelf, whether or not there are kids in the picture. It strikes the perfect balance between the socio-cultural and nutritional aspects of vegetarianism in the family. A gentle yet practical resource for parents of vegetarian children and anyone interested in vegetarianism, Raising Vegetarian Children explores the social, cultural, ethical, and nutritional issues surrounding vegetarianism in the family.

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In this comprehensive text, Jo Stepaniak, educator and author of over a dozen books on vegetarianism and vegan cooking, including The Vegan Sourcebook, The Saucy Vegetarian, The Uncheese Cookbook, and Vegan Deli, teams up with dietitian Vesanto Melina, co-author (with Brenda Davis) of the popular Becoming Vegan and Becoming Vegetarian books and other publications. They meld their knowledge, talent, and experience to create this unique and versatile book.

Parents of vegetarians are not the only ones who will benefit from this book; it is intended for a wide audience, including teachers, other family members and friends of vegetarians, and anyone interested in vegetarianism. Readers will appreciate the practical food and nutrition tips, as well as detailed feeding advice, practical overviews on the latest research on vegetarian nutrition, and total nutrition food guides. All readers will become enlightened about the challenges, emotions, and perspectives surrounding the vegetarian lifestyle.

The sections on social challenges, difficult emotions (guilt, isolation, and ethical dilemmas are all addressed), psychological perspectives, and relationships serve to not only help vegetarians deal with their own personal issues, but to help non-vegetarians understand and respect the complexity of the vegetarian lifestyle. The authors emphasize that vegetarians do not fit one mold, and vegetarianism is more than just food choice. The diversity among vegetarians with respect to personal choice, response to stress, tolerance levels, and lifestyles is discussed. The sections on vegetarian nutrition, menus, and meal plans are sure to teach you a thing or two, and to help inspire you to fine tune your family's and your own plant-based eating plan.

The book is written in a relaxed, informative style, and the format is clear and simple. Chapters are chock full of useful tables and charts, statistics, food guides, meal plans, quick tips, sample menus, recipes, and a slew of valuable outside resources. The menus and recipes are integrated, making it easy for caretakers to plan meals and meet families' nutritional needs. And the recipes are all vegan, easy to prepare, kid-friendly, and--at least the ones I've tried thus far--tasty. Peanut Butter and Banana Hotcakes, Alphabet Minestrone, Crispy Tofu Fingers, Colorful Kabobs, Popsoycles, and Sneaky Dad's Pudding (I'm not giving away the secret!) are just a few of the creative and nutritious recipes from this book.

One of the most unique aspects of this book is the generous use of provocative and sometimes humorous quotes throughout. These gems of wisdom are borrowed from famous people, philosophers, health professionals, academic scholars, and written publications. These carefully selected quotes are a lively and interesting complement to the text.

Raising Vegetarian Children is a must-have for the informed vegetarian's bookshelf, whether or not there are kids in the picture. It strikes the perfect balance between the socio-cultural and nutritional aspects of vegetarianism in the family.

Dina Aronson, MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian and freelance writer and speaker based in New Jersey. She is the director of NutraWiz.com, a nutrition consulting company, and she specializes in vegetarian and vegan nutrition. She can be reached at dina@welltechsolutions.com