Plant Based Diets for Kids and Adults with Dr. Yami

I was fortunate to spend an hour chatting with author, pediatrician, podcaster, coach, and public speaker Dr. Yami to pick her brain all about eating a plant based diet. She was so informed and had terrific advice and suggestions for parents with regards to kids eating not only a plant-based diet but also tips on guiding kids to eating a healthy diet. Dr. Yami gave information and ideas about how to get them to want to do this and follow through with wanting to eat a healthier diet. She also discussed adults consuming plant-based diets. It was an awesome chat!

It is live on my new podcast, Vegetarians & Meat-Lovers: Split Table Recipes.

Listen to her constructive and realistic advice on eating plant-based diets here:

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All About Dr. Yami

Dr. Yami is a board-certified pediatrician, certified lifestyle medicine physician, national board-certified health and wellness coach, author, podcast host and professional speaker. A passionate promoter of healthy lifestyles, especially the power of plant-based diets for the prevention of chronic disease, she founded VeggieFitKids.com where she provides information on plant-based diets for children. She also hosts the podcast Veggie Doctor Radio.

She obtained a certificate in plant-based nutrition, is a certified Food for Life Instructor, and a Jack Canfield Success Principles Certified Trainer.

Dr. Yami is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Yami owns Nourish Wellness, a pediatric practice in Yakima, WA where she lives with her husband and two active sons. 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Her book is entitled “A Parent’s Guide to Intuitive Eating: How to Raise Kids Who Love to Eat Healthy” (affiliate link to book) https://amzn.to/3Y1g2ev

Learn more at DoctorYami.com
·  Instagram: Instagram.com/thedoctoryami

·  Website: Doctoryami.com

·  Podcast: Veggie Doctor Radio

What did we talk about with regard to eating plant-based diets?

Dr. Yami talked about the best ways to feed kids. Hint: Don’t force! Being a member of the clean plate club is not all it’s cracked up to be. She explained the best way to get kids to eat a healthy diet, and to actually want to eat a healthy diet. I loved her suggestions and actually have parented my own kids the way she suggests.

She also talked about being a pregnant vegan/vegetarian, being a teen/child and eating a meatless diet, and even what to consume if you are a bodybuilder lifting weights. Yes! Dr. Yami reports you can support this type of activity by eating a plant-based diet. She shares information on this because not only does she lift weights herself, but so does her teenage son.

She talked about why plant-based diets are healthy, how they can prevent chronic illnesses, and how to transition to plant based diets.

I loved her discussion about how eating a plant-based diet is healthy for growing kids too. She also addresses the commonly misinformed fear that eating plant based diets can hurt kids’ brains.

Hint: It doesn’t! Listen to the podcast episode for more on this. I think it’s best to hear it straight from her mouth because she’s the expert.

Kids and Plant Based Diets

In addition to her podcast, she has an entire website devoted to help parents navigate the life of parenting a plant-based eating child. I was this type of child and back then, there weren’t the resources there are today. My mother often wondered what to feed me. I never went hungry and I thrived, but parenting a vegetarian/vegan child today is much easier with such resources as these: VeggieFitKids.com

I was happy to hear her address eating disorders in kids too. The way we parent our kids with regard to eating could contribute to kids developing eating disorders. Creating conflict at the dinner table will contribute to this as well as pushing kids to eat certain foods. As parents, we need to keep offering healthy foods, but forcing them to eat foods can backfire.

Dairy, Alternative Cow Milk Options, and Cheese!

I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means I consume dairy products, and I also consume eggs. Dr. Yami talked about the benefits of choosing alternative milk products to cow’s milk, and avoiding cheese. I think it’s important to do what works for you and your family, but I greatly appreciated her discussion on these topics, as well as some delicious alternatives to traditional cow’s milk, plus an egg alternative. These ideas are very helpful for someone who wants to eliminate dairy products from their diet but still enjoy dairy-like tastes and flavors. It’s great that manufacturers are creating these products today.

She also dispelled some commonly held rumors about consuming soy milk and assured that those rumors are false. Soy milk is healthy to consume and not a detriment in any way.

My post about feeding a Split Table Family:

Do you have family members who will never give up meat, but others who prefer eating the meatless way? I wrote a post about feeding a split table family where some people are vegetarians and some are meat-eaters. Check out my article here: How to Cook for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat Eaters

Here’s more information on my cookbook, including reviews:

Hybrid Recipes One Dish Two Diets: The Cookbook Reviews

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you listen to the podcast so you can get her in the full. Her advice and explanations are invaluable for parents, and adults, alike. Check out the podcast episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2064160/12133471-plant-based-nutrition-advice-with-dr-yami

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