Vegetarianism and children?

Question

Is it dangerous to have Children (as in Babies) on a vegetarian diet?

Answer 1

Any diet can be dangerous, without some education.

Vegetarian diets are fairly easy to keep up for children, since milk and eggs contain so many vitamins.

However, vegan diets sometimes pose problems, since it diverges so much from the regular Western diet, and it's fairly easy to be ignorant about the nutritional requirements. My toddler niece is vegan, and her mother - who's also a doctor - supervises her diet quite closely. She eats a lot of nut butters and soya milks (now that she's off breasfeeding/soy formula), and eats a lot of high-calorie fruits like dried fruit, avocadoes and bananas. She eats a lot of bok choi and calcium-set tofu for calcium, lots of cereal and legumes for other minerals.

Just like diets created to address allergies, people need to be educated before going vegan, and before making their kid a vegan, but it seems to be working well for my brother's family!

Answer 2

Although I've read that vegetarian kids "should have some dairy until age 2", I know a 6 year old lifelong vegan who is perfectly healthy, quite smart & often is taken to be a bit older than he actually is. His vegan mom consulted with a dietician during her 1st pregnancy & has made sure that her kids were well-cared-for from the beginning.
All the other vegetarian kids I know eat dairy & usually eggs too. They all seem healthy & happy & the only "danger" in a child being veg is if she or he didn't eat a generally healthy diet, which would also apply to a child (or adult) who eats meat.

Answer 3

My daughter is 9 and has been vegan her whole life. She did have an "animal product" for her first 3 years though- human breastmilk.

She is beautiful, healthy, and very intelligent. People often remark at how beautiful she is. Her skin condition is perfect. She has hardly ever been sick in her life. She never had the ear infections that the milk-drinking kids get.

She regularly tests at 99th percentile on achievement tests. She plays the violin very well (book 5 Suzuki violin). She is very thoughtful and likes to take care of younger children and plays with kids her age a lot.

I must say though that there are different vegan diets, just as there are different omnivorous diets. I saw one vegan four year old girl at our vegetarian group who was really fat. I think her mom let her drink juice all the time and she just filled up on it, just like some omnivorous kids do.

We have tried to maintain a healthy vegan diet, without using refined sugar (no candy or soft drinks). Other parents are amazed at the foods that she eats- fruits, vegetables, beans, etc. She likes all kinds of foods. She takes a daily multi-vitamin supplement.

So, it is very possible, but you have to plan it carefully and not just let your child eat junk, like most parents do today. The only problem with it is dealing with grandparents and other well-meaning, but ill-informed people who challenge you about how you are raising your child.

Dr. Spock recommended a vegan diet for children in the last edition of his best-selling book on child care.

I think the real question is, is it dangerous to raise children on the standard American diet, given the diseases (obesity, diabetes, cancer, hearth disease, etc.) that the SAD leads to? Somehow, it is seen as being safe to be part of the majority even if that majority is jumping off a cliff. The majority of people in this country eat a very unhealthy diet.

Answer 4

babies (and children and adults) need certain amounts of protein, calcuim, fats, vitamins, minerals, etc, etc. It is essential for health that these requirements are met and it does not matter whether they come from an animal source or a plant source, in fact if you can get the nutritional balance right using only plant sources it's even healthier than a diet containing animal sources. I'm vegan and I carefully monitor my diet to make sure I get enough of everything. I'm perfectly healthy and I'm also trying for a baby and will continue to be vegan whilst pregnant and will bring my child up vegan. I just see eggs and sausages as shortening their life.

Answer 5

The position of the American Dietetic Association and Dieticians of Canada is that a properly planned vegetarian or vegan diet is appropriate for people of all ages, including pregnant and lactating women and infants. Note that the concept of "properly planned" would apply to their endorsement of a meat-eating diet, too. It is absolutely not dangerous to feed children a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet of plant foods. There is nothing in meat that you cannot get elsewhere.

Answer 6

If you have properly consulted a qualified nutritionist and are following the orders, it can be safe for most babies. Breast milk, if produced in sufficient quantities, provides everything they need for the first several months, and as they get to be old enough to take food, they can start to take modified versions of many of the same healthy vegetarian foods their parents eat.

Answer 7

Most baby food is vegetarian, so no its not. Only thing I would caution you on is to be sure the child's vitamin and mineral levels are what they should be.

Adults can miss a vitamin or two every now and then, but children and kids should not. Their still growing and developing so its important they get all their vitamins and minerals.

Answer 8

No actually i never eat non veg in my life than how it is dangerous to health milk is also considered vegetarian it is depending on the babies it is very little more than six or one year you can give veg foods. Even less it may be harmful any food before that.

Answer 9

The primary component of a baby's diet is breast milk. This is vegetarian and also vegan. The only animal food that is vegan-acceptable.

Answer 10

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

“Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.“

-ADA’s and Dietitians of Canada position on Vegetarian and Vegan diets