Plant-Based Nutrition for Children and Teens with Brenda Davis, RD and Reshma Shah, MD

The Sonya Looney Show

The ultimate resource for plant-based nutrition for children and teens is here! Brenda Davis is one of the top authorities and dietitians in plant-based nutrition. She is the author of 11 books including the incredibly comprehensive book, Becoming Vegan and is the co-author of the new book, Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families along with Reshma Shah, MD. Brenda is one of the world's leading plant-based dietitians and an expert in reducing the world's Type II Diabetes problems with Plant-Based Diets. She teaches lifestyle medicine courses all over the world, has been flown by the prince of Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia to consult on diet. A highly sought after speaker for nutrition and medicine conferences, she has presented in 20+ countries on 5 continents. She has already been on the podcast twice which I'll link in the shownotes.

And now, her co-author Reshma Shah, MD joins us for today's episode. Reshma Shah, MD, MPH, is a board-certified pediatrician and an affiliate clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. She has additional training and certification in plant-based nutrition and cooking.

Nourish is an evidence-based, practical resource that explores the many benefits of a plant-based diet and provides parents with the tools they need to provide excellent and balanced nutrition to their families.

“In this book, we wanted to provide the answers to all the questions parents may have. Whether they are already fully plant-based or they’re just beginning their journey. So that they can do it with confidence, with a sense of joy, and without anxiety and fear.” -Dr. Reshma Shah

In Nourish, parents will learn:

• How a diet centered around plants can optimize health, prevent chronic disease, care for our planet, and be an act of radical compassion.
• Nutrition specifics for all the stages of childhood—from pregnancy and breastfeeding all the way through adolescence.
• Tips, strategies, and mouthwatering recipes to bring all of this information to the dinner table as families explore the wonderful world of plant-based eating. Best of all, the authors don’t insist that families have to commit to 100% plant-based eating if they are intimidated. Simply changing up your family’s menu a week at a time can really make a difference.

Topics Discussed in the Podcast

• nutritional requirements for infants
• can infants eat plant-based diets
• decoding breastmilk nutrition facts
• how to get your kids to eat healthier
• deficiencies to watch out for in both plant and animal-based diets
• supplements you need for exclusively plant-based diets
• baby-led weaning

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Inside Tracker: Take a Selfie from the Inside

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Inside Tracker is a company that uses bloodwork to assess biomarkers, blood analysis, athletic performance, and nutrition software to optimize fitness and longevity. Founded in 2009, the Boston company first started working with professional athletes who wanted to see what their biomarkers, hormone and mineral profiles looked like during their training and how they could use nutrition and lifestyle to improve. They measure over 30 biomarkers and recommend food and supplements to optimize thinks like your energy, cognition, endurance, heart health, and more. I started working with Inside Tracker in 2017. I liked it because their ranges for your biomarkers change based on your goals. I also think it’s important to have baseline and also recurrent bloodwork as you age and also simply as an athlete.

Listen to the Episode with Jonathan Levitt from Inside Tracker

Links/Books Mentioned

• Get the book: Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families
• Get Becoming Vegan
• Brenda's awesome cookbook (great for anyone): Kicking Diabetes Cookbook
• The previous podcast I recorded with Brenda (may 1, 2017)
• Plant-Based for Athletes episode with Brenda Davis in 2019
• Brenda Davis – Website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
• Reshma Shah, MD- Website, Instagram

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