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Is the vegan diet safe for children?
Table of Contents
1. A vegan diet and the health of the baby
The reasons for the use of plant-based diets in infants vary, but a key one is the health aspect, among many people the exclusion of animal products from children's diets may be controversial, but the positions of many international scientific societies clearly point to the health benefits of eating small vegans.2. What to look out for when introducing a vegan diet to a baby
Adequate nutritional education of the whole family and regular monitoring of health status are crucial. A regular evaluation of the diet must also be carried out in terms of quality, proper balance and content of ingredients particularly scarce in the vegan diet, such as protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine and long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, the introduction of foods enriched with these ingredients and proper dietary supplementation may be necessary.3. How to balance a small vegan diet
First of all, it will be important to include a variety of sources of this nutrient in the diet, adapted to age and level of physical activity. If essential in the context of proper growth and development of the child it will also help to provide adequate amounts of protein along with a proper diet. Given that plant-based proteins have a lower nutritional value than animal sources, it is important to introduce different sources of the nutrient into the diet and to ensure its quality (P. Müller 2020). If essential dietary supplements are also essential for the proper supply of all essential amino acids from the diet.4. Summary
However, research suggests that children on a vegan diet as compared to children on the conventional diet do not consume significantly more fiber and the nutritional needs of children with this type of diet are not satisfied and may carry a risk of deficiencies in key nutrients. However, studies have shown that children who eat vegan diets in comparison to children who are on a traditional diet consume a significant amount of fiber and a smaller amount of fat and cholesterol (S. Weder et al., 2019).
