Is a vegan diet safe for kids?

Veganism is an eco-conscious lifestyle choice that more and more people are adopting. It involves not including any kind of animal meat or animal-related products, such as dairy and dairy products, in your diet.

If you are following a vegan lifestyle, chances are you might want to raise your kid too on a vegan diet. So, is it safe?

The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports “appropriately planned” vegan diets “for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.”

Raw vegan diets are not appropriate for children. It is too difficult for little kids to acquire sufficient calories for growth from raw fruits and vegetables. While your motive for choosing a vegan diet could be to promote compassion to animals, make sure your child does not suffer from a lack of essential nutrients for their growth and development. In case that happens, you may want to introduce other food items in their diet and they can always try again to switch to vegan once they grow up enough to choose for themselves.

Ensure your child is getting enough of all the key nutrients such as protein, calories, fat, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Vegan diets are enough in meeting these requirements, all you need to do is track a bit and keep a check, based on the foods you choose. Include a variety of grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in your child’s daily diet.

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Since you are eliminating a large variety of non-vegan options from your child’s diet, you may have to spend more time and energy to figure out vegan foods and recipes which are delicious enough for the child to eat. Some ideas include a smoothie with non dairy milk, frozen banana and almond butter for breakfast. If it’s a green smoothie, add some cooked spinach for a dose of calcium. Sprinkle fortified nutritional yeast on pasta and popcorn for a good and delicious source of B vitamins.

Along with including along the key nutrients in your child’s diet, you may also have to get more flexible in planning their vegan diet, based on their particular needs. So even if getting some ideas and recipes off the internet can help, make sure you modify them as per what your kid needs or wants. For example, in case of nut allergy, you may need to find other vegan sources for protein and fat. If your child has a sensitive stomach, a high-fiber vegan diet may not suit them. Note down what suits them and plan their meals accordingly.

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As your child grows up, they might have questions about the foods they are not allowed to eat. Having a conversation is essential to explain to them the purpose of a vegan diet. It is essential for your child to know why you might be denying them certain foods. In fact, as the child grows, you should give them the opportunity to choose for themselves, instead of just following your food choices.

If they do stick to the vegan lifestyle, they will have a sense of purpose with them, which is important as they will grow up and will get exposed to all kinds of non-vegan foods eaten by their friends at school or parties or sports practice.

Do not force them or exaggerate negatively about the non-vegan foods as this can hamper their relationship with food and could lead to eating disorders.