Transcript: Episode 001 - Is a vegan diet unsafe for children?

Karla Moreno-Bryce: As vegan parents, we are often faced with negative comments or even judgement of our own choice for raising our children on a vegan diet. Perhaps you may be told that feeding a vegan diet is unhealthy, restrictive, or harmful for a growing child. Or maybe you’ve been told that it is wrong of you to experiment with such a diet on your children because it is unsafe for them. 

And if that resonates with you, you’re not alone. I have experienced such comments from my own family. And to say that it didn’t make an impact on my confidence level, well, that would be a lie. Because it did make an impact on me. It made me question whether I was doing the right thing; whether raising my daughter on a vegan diet was the right choice. And if I had that doubt, as a trained expert in the field of nutrition, I knew that other parents like yourself would too. 

Many of us know that a vegan diet CAN meet our daily nutritional needs and support growth. But with so much influence and comments from others, it does bring up the question of “Is a vegan diet unsafe for growing children?”. So, in today’s episode, I want to dive a little deeper into answering this specific question and if so, what would make a vegan diet unsafe? 

As I mentioned, many of us have been told that a vegan diet for children is unhealthy to support their growth and development. This often stems from people hearing stories about babies who were hospitalized as a result of malnutrition. And so, others come to believe that it must be the vegan diet that led to nutrient deficiencies for that baby. 

But the truth is, it’s NOT the vegan diet that led that baby to become malnourished. It was the lack of understanding from the caregivers to appropriately plan the diet for that baby. And by no means am I blaming or shaming these caregivers. Not at all. No parent or caregiver should ever experience that. In fact, I have so much compassion for these parents who had to experience this because if they only had the right knowledge, the right support, and the right guidance to support their child’s growth and development, they could’ve avoided this painful experience.

And so to answer our first question of “is a vegan diet unsafe for growing children”. A simple answer is no—as long as the diet is appropriately planned. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is the largest organization of nutrition experts, states and I’m going to quote here “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.” 

So, I wanted to share their position statement because I’m not just saying a vegan diet is safe for growing children simply because I’m vegan or because I’m feeding a vegan diet to my daughter, but because it’s actually supported by health organizations. There is evidence that shows us that a vegan diet supports a proper growth and development—the key is making sure we parents plan meals that are going to help meet our children’s key nutritional needs and that we supplement adequately. That’s it. 

Okay, so we now know that a vegan diet is safe for all children but how—if at all—can it be unsafe? Many individuals often express their concern that a vegan diet is “too restrictive” or “too limited” and leads them to believe that the diet is unsafe for growing children. They become concerned that children may not meet their daily nutritional requirements and thus lead to nutrient deficiencies. However, I don’t feel unsafe is the appropriate term to use in this circumstance because a vegan diet is not really dangerous for children or anyone for that matter. I feel that using the term unhealthful is more appropriate. 

So, all that to say that yes, in certain circumstances, a vegan diet may be unhealthful. A vegan diet may potentially be unhealthful to a child when it lacks adequate nutrition and supplementation to support a proper growth. But that could be applied to any eating pattern for that matter—not just a vegan diet. 

But when feeding a vegan diet to children, ensuring that it is healthful and meets their nutritional needs, really comes down to your meal planning and supplementation. There are a few key nutrients that are important to focus on during childhood since it’s a time where kids are rapidly growing. They are building tissue, muscle, producing more blood to sustain their growth, and their brains are rapidly growing and developing. It is a critical time for them that requires attention to adequate nutrition.

The biggest piece where a vegan diet may cause a child to not grow and develop well is not providing adequate calories to support a child’s growth. When children lack the energy they need to properly grow and do amazing things for their body, they don’t have the support they need. 

Many times I see parents focusing their meal planning entirely on making sure fruits and vegetables are the focus of meals. And while these are important and offer vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, they lack calories to meet a child’s energy requirements. So, it’s important to focus your meal planning on high-calorie, nutrient-dense foods to help children meet their energy requirements. These are going to be foods like nut/seed butters, avocado, soy-foods and dried fruits to name a few. 

So, today, I encourage you to have these foods in mind when planning meals for your child. When you’re planning a meal or a snack later on today, I want you to ask yourself: “Does this meal or snack include at least one food that is going to help my child meet their calorie needs?” If the answer is yes, then you my friend, are on your way to ensuring your child thrives on a vegan diet. If you’re unsure, that’s okay, I have a great resource for you that I will be mentioning here at the end of this episode to help you out. 

We can raise and feed a vegan diet to our children that meet their daily nutritional needs. A vegan diet IS 100% healthful for children. The key to ensure that we support their growth and development is making sure that adequate calories are provided throughout the day their diet is well-planned and balanced. 

A vegan diet is safe to support the growth of children when these elements are put in place. And I am confident that you can do that because deep inside, you want to see your child thrive following a lifestyle that you are proud of. And if you let me, I want nothing more than to help you get there and feel confident as a vegan parent. 

So, if you’re ready to learn how to successfully feed your child and support their growth on a vegan diet, grab my FREE Essential Starter Kit Guide at www.vegankidsnutrition.com/starterkit. I’ll include the link in the show notes as well. In this guide, I walk you through the key nutrients to focus on to support a vegan child’s growth and share what supplements are needed at each stage of their growth.

Alright my friend, I hope that this helped bring peace of mind that your choice for raising and feeding a vegan diet to your family is one that is healthful and can support a proper growth—no matter what others say. I’ll see you in our next episode. Bye for now.