Can children be vegan?

Pediatrician advocates: “Vegan nutrition is not rocket science”

Created: 08/18/2022, 09:07

By: Juliane Gutmann

Nutrition: An already sensitive topic.

Vegan, vegetarian or a lot of meat: Opinions about the perfect form of nutrition differ.

Especially when it comes to children.

Sometimes people meet who have little understanding of the other person's eating habits.

"How can you live without meat?", "Think about animals and the environment and don't eat animal products every day", "How cumbersome is vegan cooking please" - a wide variety of perspectives and prejudices make the rounds when it comes to the diet goes.

The latter come to a head as soon as the subject of "healthy nutrition for children" is discussed.

If you feed your child vegetarian or even vegan, you will be punished with a reproachful look.

Because the child doesn't get all the important nutrients that way - right?

Most nutritionists advocate a balanced diet – for adults and children alike.

However, there are also voices that are not critical of exclusively vegan food for children.

This includes pediatrician Carolin Wiedmann, who is currently writing a book entitled "Vegan from the beginning".

With or without meat?

When it comes to feeding their children, parents often have very specific ideas.

© Ute Grabowsky/Imago

Don't just leave out meat, eggs and milk!

Good vegan substitutes are extremely important

"A vegan

diet is not rocket science, even in the so-called sensitive phases of life, childhood and pregnancy/breastfeeding!

Need to become.

This means that parents who want to feed their children vegan should do some research on the subject."

Leaving out meat and other animal products is only okay if parents provide a substitute.

According to the pediatrician Wiedmann, for example, you have to make sure that your child gets enough proteins from non-animal sources.

This includes legumes.

Spaghetti with minced meat bolognese, for example, can be quickly made vegan by substituting lentils for the minced meat.

There is often an argument that people who are vegan eat too little calcium and too little iron.

Here, specialist in pediatric and youth medicine Wiedmann gives the all-clear: You could very well replace both with non-animal products:

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• Vegan Calcium Sources: Calcium-rich mineral water, calcium-fortified plant-based drinks, dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli, tofu

• vegan iron suppliers: legumes, nuts, dark green leafy vegetables, oatmeal

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“Vegan people definitely need to include a safe source of B12 in their diet”

However, there are also micronutrients that should be supplemented in a vegan diet.

This includes vitamin B12, which is essential in the body for energy metabolism and the development of nerve sheaths.

“If you don’t supplement that adequately, you run a major health risk.

Unfortunately, dubious B12 sources such as algae or sauerkraut are sometimes mentioned.

However, these are not reliable sources of B12.

Vegans definitely need to include a safe source of B12 in their diet, and the most reliable way is to take a B12 supplement on a regular basis,” recommends nutritionist Carolin Wiedmann.

Would you like to feed your child vegan?

Talk to your treating pediatrician in advance.

He/she can provide further information and recommendations based on your child's state of health.