No meat, no eggs, no milk? A child can grow up healthy without animal protein but parents must know their nutrient groups. — Photos: dpa
KIDS need a well-balanced diet to grow up into healthy adults, and while it can be a struggle, it’s well worth to insist that they also eat their broccoli.
But is there such a thing as too many veggies? Parents looking to raise their kids as vegan might be faced with concerns whether an exclusively plant-based diet is also suitable for children.
According to Prof Mathilde Kersting, a German researcher in child nutrition, raising kids on a vegan diet is possible, but requires a good deal of effort.
Do the research
When looking to bring up your kids as vegan – so no meat, fish, dairy or eggs – substituting all nutrients lacking in a vegan diet is key to make sure your child is healthy, the expert says.
To be able to do that, parents need to be well informed, Carolin Wiedmann, a physician who specialises in paediatrics, adolescent medicine and nutritional medicine, says. “I’m always concerned when parents don’t do enough research before deciding to raise their child as vegan,” she says.
Kersting recommends that parents seek advice from nutritionists or regularly check in with their paediatrician to monitor the child’s development.
Families who include as many types of vegetables as possible in their diet get a better range of the most important nutrients.
A well-balanced nutrition plan
As a general rule, the more food groups are excluded in a diet, the greater the risk of nutrient deficiency, says Kersting. In children, this can hamper their cognitive development, Wiedmann warns, potentially leading to impaired performance capability later on.
A lack of nutrients can also make kids more vulnerable to infections, according to Kersting. Insufficient iron intake during the critical phases of early childhood development in particular can lead to developmental disorders, the expert says.
However, parents can counter these risks with a well-balanced nutrition plan, to help “avoid the gaps known to be part of a vegan diet altogether,” according to Kersting.
The age eligibility question
When wondering how to raise your kid on a vegan diet, it makes a huge difference whether they are two or 16 years old. Teenagers, for example, already have the same nutritional requirements as adults, Kersting says.
Younger children, especially up to the age of three, have their own special dietary needs. Simply put, they need more calories, more protein and other nutrients per kg of body weight.
If those requirements aren’t met, the child is at significantly higher risk of a slower development. This is why a vegan diet is trickier to implement at such a young age, Kersting says.
A look at the nutrients
The key nutrients to keep an eye on when exclusively serving your child vegan dishes are calcium, iodine and vitamin B12. Calcium is a mineral that’s needed for bone health and the easiest source is usually dairy products. Other ways to get it are dark greens like kale, spinach or – yes! – broccoli. Soya milk and oat milk are sometimes fortified with calcium, as are some orange juices. If necessary, you can also boost your child’s intake with supplements.
Iodine is vital for the thyroid gland, which regulates many processes in the body. The trace element is absorbed primarily through saltwater fish and dairy products, but also through iodised salt. When adhering to a vegan diet, parents should make sure to use iodised salt, according to Kersting.
Vitamin B12 is important for the functioning of the nervous system. “Currently, if you opt for a vegan diet, the only way to get vitamin B12 is through dietary supplements or fortified products,” says Wiedmann.
However, she clearly recommends for both children and adults to take supplements as it is difficult to achieve the ideal intake with fortified foods.
More dietary fibre
A purely plant-based diet has a higher fibre content than a mixed diet. This can be a challenge, especially with very young children, because their stomach’s capacity to digest is low, says Wiedmann.
In theory, a high fibre intake can lead to the child feeling full more quickly but before they have consumed enough nutrients. Wiedmann recommends peeling fruit and vegetables, for example, as many dietary fibres are contained in the peel.
What does the latest research say?
Professional associations recommend to raise kids on a predominantly plant-based diet, about 70% to 80%, according to Wiedmann. However, she says, the rest doesn’t necessarily have to be animal products.
According to a study funded by Germany’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture studying the eating habits of children between ages six and 18, the differences between vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diets are minor when it comes to nutritional value.
Children raised on a vegan or vegetarian diet have healthier eating habits on average, the study suggests, with young vegans found to consume the lowest amount of sweets, snacks and ready-made meals, for example.
This could be due to the fact that parents of vegan children tend to generally be more concerned with nutrition, Wiedmann says. “If the diet is well planned and balanced, then a vegan diet at least has the potential to have health benefits. But it depends a lot on the implementation,” she says. – dpa
