Raising Healthy Vegan Kids
Animal Justice Academy
Lunchtime Live
With Dr. Rikin Patel, Amy Symington & Naza Hasebenebi 
12pm - 1pm

Many parents are opting to raise their kids on a plant-based diet these days for the sake of animals, environment, and their health.

In this AJA Lunchtime Live, we'll equip anyone who has a child in your life with the science and practical tips to make the plant-based journey as smooth and healthy as possible.

Join chef, researcher, and nutrition professor Amy Symington, pediatrician Dr. Rikin Patel, and head chef of Chic Peas Veg Naza Hasebenebi, as they cover:

• How healthy a plant-based diet is for kids from 0-18
• The key things to know for feeding vegan kids at different ages
• How to respond to pushback from others criticizing your child's vegan diet
• The best plant-based milks and formula for babies and kids
• How to talk to kids about being vegan, especially when they're not eating the same things as their friends  

Whether you're a parent, aunt/uncle, grandparent, or anyone who cares for kids, make sure you join us for this informative session!

We invite folks to have their video on during this event to enhance the sense of community, but it’s not mandatory

About Our Guests: 

Dr. Rikin Patel is a Pediatrician and a board certified Lifestyle Medicine physician. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto and completed his pediatric residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Currently, Dr. Patel works for the Scarborough Health Network and founded Reset Pediatrics in June of 2023. He has completed the Plant Based Certificate program through the T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University.

Dr. Patel has worked with numerous families and is passionate about giving children and their families the best fuel for their wellbeing to maximize their potential.

He is a certified yoga instructor (RYT 200, 2019) and teaches Shaolin Kung Fu at the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy with over 30 years of experience.

Amy Symington is a nutrition professor, researcher and nutrition focused chef in Toronto. She has over 12 years of teaching experience and 25 years experience in the food industry.

Amy has a Master of Science in Applied Human Nutrition and is currently a PhD Candidate in nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. She runs the culinary nutrition programming at Gilda's Toronto, a not-for-profit cancer organization and is the culinary nutrition specialist for Humane World for Animals Canada's Forward Food team where she trains executive chefs across Canada in large food service operations like hospitals and universities regarding the implementation of Canada's Food Guide. She also works with the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank (TVFB) as a chef, nutrition consultant, and culinary instructor.

She does health focused recipe development and food writing for various publications in Toronto and worldwide and has an award winning cookbook called, The Long Table Cookbook: Plant-based recipes for optimal health.

Amy believes in the evidence-based health and environmental benefits of plant-forward diets and is the author of the award-winning cookbook. She is also the mom of 2 healthy and happy vegan children.

Naza Hasebenebi is the proud Eritrea-born owner and founder of Chic Peas Veg—a plant-based company that offers catering, meal plans, pop-up brunches and on-line cooking classes (public/private/corporate) in Toronto and the surrounding areas.

Naza has been living and loving a plant-based lifestyle for over 20 years and has raised two vegan teenage sons. During her youth, Naza ‘trained’ alongside her mother, Haimanot, whom she describes as a master chef, as she prepared daily feasts for their large family and community. She learned the traditional art of cooking without a recipe with one simple rule: “add a little of this and a little of that”. This creative freedom is what birthed her lifelong love of food.

Naza enjoys sharing her talents in the kitchen. She is passionate about teaching others how to prepare delicious vegan meals and snacks while exposing participants to various herbs, spices and recipes from around the globe.