Vegan diet in children
introduction
With increasing health awareness in the population today, there is also an increased focus on correct nutrition. More and more people are following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle and passing it on to their children. A vegan diet for children, i.e. an intake of exclusively plant-based food components, repeatedly leads to extensive discussions among experts. If children follow a vegan diet, there is a risk that a serious lack of vitamins and nutrients will manifest themselves. This can be associated with a risk of development, maturation and growth disorders.
Read more on the topic: vegetarianism
What is the conclusion of global studies?
As part of the ever-growing understanding of health and nutrition, several studies have been carried out around the world that deal with the topic of vegan nutrition in childhood. According to the current situation, a consensus was not found. In addition to many opponents of the vegan diet, there are always supporters who can prove with studies that a vegan diet does not have to be harmful for children. According to a study by Young and Pellett, a diet based exclusively on plant-based products can lead to normal physical and mental development if you also take in the important nutrients that cannot be obtained from plant-based foods. They also report that people who live vegan live much more consciously and healthily and develop fewer allergies or chronic diseases.
In most studies, however, the vegan diet is negative. According to the European Society of Pediatric, small children should not be fed a vegan diet, as the resulting undersupply of vital nutrients can lead to pronounced deficiencies. These represent a great risk of development and growth retardation and, above all, a risk of extensive neurological damage. In addition to vitamin B12, iron and folic acid, the other fat-soluble vitamins, minerals and iodine are also of particular importance. As a result of an iodine deficiency there is a risk of one cretinism to develop, which is associated with pronounced mental retardation.
Would you like more information on this topic? Then read our next articles: Vegan Diet and Vegetarian Diet
Is a vegan diet really harmful for children?
Most experts reject a vegan diet for children. In principle, however, it is not primarily harmful as long as care is taken to ensure adequate substitution of the missing vitamins, nutrients, trace elements and energy suppliers. Nevertheless, a completely vegan diet should be avoided as far as possible in infancy and toddlerhood, as this can lead to a delayed or defective child development and maturation. It should also be remembered that the potential consequences do not have to affect all children. In most cases there are diet-related problems, but these do not result in serious restrictions.
The diet without the intake of animal products can be harmful if the child's organism is not given enough nutrients, vitamins and proteins so that the child's energy stores can be replenished. As a result, many vegan children stand out due to malnutrition and delayed growth in height. Vegetable foods have a lower biological value than animal foods.This means that there is a risk that the high energy requirements during the growth phase will not be adequately covered. In order to compensate for a growth deficit, it should be ensured that many different herbal substances are combined with one another.
What are the risks of a vegan diet for young children?
Many parents see the vegan diet as a healthy and, above all, environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative. The purely vegan diet of a child is possible in principle. However, in most cases parents are unaware of the serious risks that this eating behavior can entail. Infants and young children are at great risk of inadequate or inadequate intake of vital substances such as
- Energy suppliers,
- Proteins,
- Calcium,
- Iodine,
- Iron,
- Zinc,
- Magnesium,
- Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12
- and vitamin D.
There is also the risk that not enough long-chain fatty acids are absorbed, which play an important role in the child's development and maturation process. With an increasing need for nutrients and an advancing growth process, the risk of severe malnutrition increases.
In addition to the risk of developing a pronounced nutrient deficiency, the children can also develop a susceptibility to minor infections or allergies, as the children's immune system is not sufficiently developed due to the nutrient deficiency. In addition, the children affected are at increased risk of slowed down or defective physical and mental development (see also: Development of the child). Many children who are given a vegan diet from an early age are at risk of being inferior to other children in development.
Does a vegan diet endanger the child during pregnancy?
A vegan diet during pregnancy is not possible without the risk of a new nutrient deficiency. Nevertheless, it is in principle possible to continue a vegan diet during pregnancy without causing serious damage to the unborn child. First of all, it should be noted that pregnant women who want to follow a vegan diet should seek nutritional advice. On the one hand, the female body needs significantly more nutrients and, above all, an increased supply of energy during pregnancy. Professional advice can be of great help by explaining which nutrients are particularly important for the mother and the unborn child and in what form of food they can best be consumed. In addition, tips are given for an adequate, healthy diet and great attention is paid to the additional intake of vitamins and minerals that are not ingested through vegan food.
An additional supply of vitamin B12 and a sufficient amount of protein are particularly important. In addition, vegans should always stop taking
- Iron,
- Folic acid,
- Calcium,
- Iodine
- and vitamin B2
as these nutrients play a major role in the development of the child's nervous system. In order to recognize an impending nutrient deficiency at an early stage, vegans are advised to regularly have relevant blood values such as iron, ferritin and vitamin B 12 determined.
What should vegan, nursing mothers watch out for?
For mothers who are breastfeeding their child, a vegan diet should generally not be a problem. Since infants absorb all of their vital nutrients and energy suppliers through their breast milk, breastfeeding mothers should only make sure that they eat a balanced diet as much as possible, despite avoiding animal products, and that they take in or additional intake of vital vitamins and nutrients. In most cases, mothers who follow a vegan diet already have a good and extensive understanding of nutrition and its composition. Studies have also shown that vegan women automatically consume larger amounts of nutrients during pregnancy and breastfeeding because they pay more attention to them.
Just as during pregnancy, breastfeeding mothers should take in sufficient amounts of vitamin B12 and folic acid, as these play a major role not only in the embryonic period but also in the infant's growth process. It is of outstanding importance for blood formation, cell division and the maturation of the nervous system. If the deficiency is pronounced, it can lead to serious developmental disorders. Nevertheless, studies have shown that a deficiency in vitamin B12 can also occur in pregnant or breastfeeding women who neither live vegan nor suffer from gastrointestinal disorders with associated vitamin B12 absorption disorders. The reasons for this are still unknown.
A vegan diet for the mother can also have advantages for the child, for example lowering the risk of allergies: one of the most common allergens, cow's milk proteins, is not absorbed in the first place and this reduces the risk of allergies for the child.
What are the possible consequences for children?
The consequences of a purely vegan diet can be very diverse and individual. However, they do not have to manifest themselves in every child who is on a vegan diet. As a result of an unbalanced diet, the maturity of the children's immune system can be significantly delayed. They show an increased susceptibility to infection and have a greater risk of developing an allergy. Due to a lack of energy and protein intake, many vegan children are often very weak and tired. You have no stamina, and deficits in concentration (see also: Poor concentration) and comprehension.
Since the physique and, above all, the growth of a child is heavily dependent on the intake of vital proteins, proteins and fats, which are found in animal products, vegan children often develop pronounced growth retardation. In particular, the growth in length can be severely impaired. If vegan children do not have sufficient vitamin D intake, there is a great risk of one rickets, a disorder of the bone metabolism.
Another serious consequence of a vegan diet can manifest itself due to a lack of intake of vitamin B12 and folic acid. These substances play a special role in the development of the child's nervous system. If the amount is insufficient, the children may have serious defects in the development of the nervous system and extensive neurological deficits, accompanied by complex developmental delays or physical and mental disabilities. It can too Lethargy, Seizures, structural disorders or mental retardation. In addition, vitamin B12 and folic acid and above all iron are important for the blood-forming system. If there is a deficiency, blood formation disorders occur which can lead to anemia.
