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Can you raise a healthy child on vegan diet?

2K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  JesseG 
#1 ·
It depends on the person. Contrary to the claims, not everyone can be healthy on a vegan diet, even in adulthood. Some people are better at digesting certain nutrients than others, or may even be intolerant to certain nutrient sources. Some people may also have higher requirements for certain nutrients than others.
What about you how do you raise your children ??
 
#2 ·
Statement by the American Diabetes Association:

"A vegetarian diet is a healthy option, even if you have diabetes. Research supports that following this type of diet can help prevent and manage diabetes. In fact, research on vegan diets has found that carbohydrate and calorie restrictions were not necessary and still promoted weight loss and lowered participants' A1C."

Link: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/meal-planning-for-vegetarians/

Statement by the American Heart Association:

"Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer."

Link: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Healt...ian-Diets_UCM_306032_Article.jsp#.Wz4liqrfM5s

Statement by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the world's largest association of Registered Dietitians):

"It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood and for athletes."

Link: https://www.eatrightpro.org/practice/position-and-practice-papers/position-papers/vegetarian-diets

Statement by Kaiser Permanente (one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States):

"Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity."

Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/

The American Academy of Pediatrics is more careful in its position on vegetarian/vegan diets for children:

"if your household is vegan-a type of strict vegetarian diet including no animal products such as eggs or dairy foods-the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that your child only be on this diet after consultation with your pediatrician or health care provider. It is possible to have a child on a safe vegan diet, but it should be done carefully. There are critical vitamins and minerals which can be deficient in a vegan diet, particularly vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, and riboflavin."

Link: https://www.healthychildren.org/eng...n/pages/dietary-supplements-for-toddlers.aspx
 
#3 ·
I don't believe that is true. In fact, I think that is the sort of BS spread by Weston A Price. Oh sure, there are small individual differents in peoples metabolism, digestion, absorption, and utilization. But they are small differences. and can be easily overcome with just better nutrition.

Of course, there are food allergies and sensitivities. But we are talking fairly small percentages of the population. And even those can be worked around. One vegan blogger is allergic to soy and has celiac's disease.

Can you back up that statement?
 
#12 ·
Actually, large numbers of people have allergies and intolerances that would be aggravated by a 'typical' vegan diet. All human populations throughout history have had animal protein and products as a significant part of their diet, so only some people can adapt to the 'new' vegan diet. There can be vast differences between the way people's bodies react to different foods, these can have a genetic basis, and "better nutrition" isn't always the simple cure-all. It's extremely important not to paint everyone with the broad brush of thought that veganism is suitable for everyone. It's not.

For those that it DOES work for, great! For others, Weston A Price has provided the answer to many of their allergic/inflammatory responses, as has Paleo, and Keto. Each person should be free to find what works best for them as an individual.
 
#4 ·
Of course it's true that we're all different, with different nutritional needs, but those needs can most certainly be met on a vegan diet. I have a congenital problem with iron, so I take high doses of iron supplements. I'm very sensitive to grains, especially processed grains...so what? What nutrients are in grains that I can't get from other sources?
 
#10 ·
@David3

well it is only about the child not about the whole life, and I understand the level of your knowledge but please be with relevant so that we can have better exchanging of opinions.
I'm not sure what you mean. I provided a link to the American Academy of Pediatrics' statement on vegetarian and vegan diets. That's directly relevant to the topic of vegan diets for children. Pediatrics = children's health and medicine.

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#14 ·
Honestly, I find it hard to raise kids who are into a vegan diet. It would be a challenge for me to let my child eat vegetables all the time without meat. For me, it doesn't have to be a strict vegan diet but I have to make sure that there is a good serving of vegetables in every meal that they have.
 
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