Vegan Diet: Is It Recommended For Children?

It is an indisputable fact that a vegan diet has become increasingly popular in recent years. At the same time, it is also becoming more common for children to eat vegan.

There are many celebrities who suddenly decide to change their lifestyle and become vegan. They may have many reasons for this, but above all they do it because they believe it will improve their health.

Most people eat a diet that contains meat and therefore get a lot of protein. But vegans eat a diet that excludes all foods of animal origin (especially meat). They believe that animal rights should be respected and the impact on the environment reduced.

What does it mean to be vegan?

Veganism is a way of life, and vegans oppose all forms of abuse or exploitation of animals. Veganism is therefore more than just a diet.

For example, veganism also excludes certain beauty products that contain ingredients of animal origin. Vegans usually opt out of these products because animals may have suffered during production. The same applies to clothing made from animal skins or from other animal products.

What does a vegan diet look like?

To know how a vegan diet can affect a child and his or her development, we must first know what exactly it is. The diet excludes all foods of animal origin and its derivatives. So meat is obviously not relevant, but neither are eggs, honey from bees, milk, cheese and yogurt, among other things.

Vegans eat only foods of vegetable origin. They believe that they can find all the necessary nutrients for their bodies in, among other things, seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruits and grains.

However, it should be noted that vegetarians eat products that come from animals (eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, honey) but not meat. Thus, vegans are much stricter in choosing what they eat.

Vegan diet and children

Veganism says that people do not need to eat any type of animal product to live a healthy life. This makes things complicated and quite controversial when it comes to children. It is obvious that the needs of an adult are not the same as those of a child.

While children are growing the most, they need to get larger amounts of protein and also certain specific vitamins, all of which are important for proper growth. We are talking here about muscle growth, as well as the development of their bones and brain.

If parents keep a close eye on their child’s vegan diet, everything should go well. But problems arise when the diet is not supplemented by the vitamins that animal products would otherwise provide.

Problems with a vegan diet if the child is not properly supervised

Lack of calcium

As we all know, calcium is important for the body’s bone development, and this is even more important during childhood. This is when the legs are fully developed.

Some vegetables contain a reasonable amount of calcium, but they are not suitable for children under 12 months. This is the case with broccoli and kale. In addition to calcium, these also contain large amounts of nitrates that are not good for children under one year.

Lack of iron

Iron is an element that prevents anemia. We get anemia when we lack red blood cells. Although some vegetables contain iron, they differ from animal sources. The iron in plants can only be absorbed by the human body in small amounts.

Problems with vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is important for the development of the human brain and cells throughout the body. A vegan diet for children must not lack this vitamin. The problem is that it is almost impossible to get it from vegetables alone.

The only way to compensate for a vitamin B12 deficiency is with vitamin supplements. The nervous system can also be affected if there is a deficiency of this vitamin in the body.

Vitamin D and zinc

In the absence of vitamin D, the body cannot absorb calcium very efficiently, and this can affect the development and growth of bones. A zinc deficiency can also damage children’s bodies – in this case the immune system.

All of these nutrients can be compensated for under strict control of a baby’s diet from birth. A vegan diet is not something you can improvise for children. Even if it is ultimately the parents’ decision, they must do everything they can to ensure that their children develop optimally.