The World Health Organisation says that in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five was estimated to be more than 42 million.
Vegebaby – recipes for happy healthy children – adheres to the vegetarian food pyramid’s basic principles while showcasing foods that provide an array of valuable nutrients.
Developed with a nutritionist, each recipe includes a list of nutrients and describes the physical benefits associated with each recipe.
“I want to help families fight childhood obesity and have a healthy mind, body connection to food,” says author Pragna Parmita.
She says that from the start most mothers worry about what to feed their child – breast milk or formula, rice or mixed grain cereal, fruits or vegetables.
When should you introduce foods, how should they be introduced, and what can parents do to ensure lifelong healthy eating habits?
Ms Parmita says Vegebaby is the first book of its kind to marry a vegetarian diet for children with health and nutrition.
“It is a complete resource guide for new and health conscious parents,” she says.]
Vegebaby contains health and nutritional information for foods from avocados to zucchini, options for meatless meals and vegetarian lifestyles, the do’s and don’ts for introducing foods to your baby and guidelines for including key vitamins, vegetarian protein, healthy fats and minerals in a child’s diet.
There are details on foods that heal and prevent common ailments such as sleeping issues, constipation, breathing problems and gastrointestinal ailments – mind, body and food connections for lifelong health, Ms Parmita calls it.
“The best way to stop the epidemic of childhood obesity, diabetes and poor eating habits is to recognise its source,” she says.
“Understanding the interaction between mind, body and food is the first step. Helping a child learn healthy eating habits is the gift of life – for life.”
Written with the input of a nutritionist, Ms Parmita’s recipes for families include such dishes as sweet potato and peanut butter soup to cottage cheese banana french toast.
Available on: www.vegebaby.com, www.amazon.com and through Google books.
