Give children a good start with a healthy vegan diet
An article in yesterday’s New York Daily News suggested that vegan diets are risky for kids. Staff writer Rosemary Black cited the case of a 5-year-old child in the United Kingdom. Authorities had tried to remove him from his home when he developed a vitamin D deficiency, allegedly because he didn’t drink milk.
One hole in the story: the child wasn’t vegan. And while milk may meet the vitamin D needs of some children, that’s only because it’s fortified with this nutrient. Milk is no more natural a source of vitamin D than Fruit Loops.
But the more disturbing parts of the article were quotes attributed to registered dietitians. A member of the British Dietetic Association suggested, for example, that beans don’t contain all of the amino acids. In fact, all beans, grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds contain all essential amino acids and meeting protein needs from plant foods is fairly straightforward.
In their position on vegetarian diets, the American Dietetic Association says that vegan diets are fine for everyone, including kids. But an ADA spokesperson quoted in the Daily News article indicated that it’s hard to meet nutrient needs on a vegan diet—and that optimal nutrition was an iffy prospect even for those counseled by nutrition professionals.
Among concerns raised were ones about meeting needs for omega-3 fatty acids which might have some benefit for cardiovascular health. But since vegan children are eating beans and tofu instead of Big Macs, they are way ahead of the game when it comes to preventing heart disease. And a number of studies suggest that vegetarians have a lower risk for heart disease compared to those who eat meat.
It’s true that there’s a learning curve with veganism. But it’s not difficult—just a little different from the way most Americans eat. And it’s different in a good way. Obesity and diabetes are on the rise among American children who eat meat and dairy and eggs. Vegan children have the edge here, since their diets are typically higher in fiber and lower in harmful saturated fats. And although some vegan children may grow more gradually than omnivores, there is evidence that this is a good thing.
Vegan diets have some definite nutritional advantages, but that’s not why most families choose them. Veganism is an ethical choice, and nutrition professionals have an obligation to support and encourage that. Vegan parents can learn just about everything they need to know about providing a healthful diet for their children by spending a few minutes on the Vegetarian Resource Group website. Their guide to raising healthy vegan children is written by Dr. Reed Mangels, a nationally-recognized expert on vegan diets throughout the lifecycle--and a vegan mom. More information about getting children started on a healthy cruelty-free diet can be found here.
For more about vegan diets, check my blog The Vegan Dietitian, and please follow me on twitter!
Comments
That whole "plant foods don't contain all the amino acids" misconception rankles, and I'm not even vegan. When I took the content exam to able to teach high school life science in the state of Texas, that was one of the questions and, though I knew it to be BS, I had to give the expected answer to get the question "right."
The Omega 3 argument, though, is a bit more compelling. However, the meat that most people like to eat has little to none. If it's the omega 3 fats that people want out of meat, they'd do best to open a tin of sardines, and yet I don't see many people doing that, so the whole angle is sort of a red herring (heyo!).
The problem of uninformed "experts" is worldwide, I see.
Though the nuts do contain the fatty acids, the most absorbent Omega 3 is from salmon. I'm not for fish farms though, if caught in its natural habitat, I see nothing wrong with it. Also salmon aren't cute and cuddly panda like animals, they are an ugly fish, so there isn't an issue right? Unless you're a realist vegan that believes all living beings should be treated equal. There are a lot of biased "cute loving" vegans that don't eat meat because baby deer are cute, a calf is cute, etc. Those type to me are hypocrites.
The Institute of Medicine hasn't established a recommendation for long chain omega-3s like DHA. It's just not clear that they are required in the diet. But if vegans are concerned, they can always take supplements of DHA from algae--which is where all DHA derives anyway. And Salmon Man--vegans don't consume animal products--no meat, fish, eggs, dairy. It doesn't matter whether or not the animal is cute :)
That's a considerable straw man, salmon man. I don't know a single "cutetarian". I do know a lot of pescatarians, though, but they would never consider themselves vegan.
Great article, Ginny! I know the original article made vegan RDs like myself so incredibly frustrated. Thanks for presenting a concise & factual response.
Anya, thanks so much for your comment. We vegan RDs have our work cut out for us!
It's one thing to say that vegan diet are OK, but another to say they are "best." There haven't been many studies on children raised vegan and supplements are a must. Nonsense that veganism is "natural" has led people to not take them and then their children do have issues.
"Obesity and diabetes are on the rise among American children who eat meat and dairy and eggs."
Actually obesity and diabetes are on the rise in a population eating less full-fat dairy and fewer eggs and leaner meats (and less saturated fat), as well as more sugar and more wheat. The obesity epidemic started at the same time we were all urged to eat less fat and more carbohydrates and grains.
"But since vegan children are eating beans and tofu instead of Big Macs, they are way ahead of the game when it comes to preventing heart disease."
Again, as I'm assuming you are talking about saturated fat here, there's no evidence linking saturated fat to heart disease. In fact, one study looking at the effects of fast food on health demonstrated that it was not the meat that was the problem, it was the carbohydrates in the buns (and fries). And every study that has looked at the health effects of saturated fat shows either a neutral effect or benefits on lipid profiles.
So the best advice would be for children (and adults) to eat the Big Macs, but throw away the buns.
"But since vegan children are eating beans and tofu instead of Big Macs, they are way ahead of the game when it comes to preventing heart disease."
Again, as I'm assuming you are talking about saturated fat here, there's no evidence linking saturated fat to heart disease. In fact, one study looking at the effects of fast food on health demonstrated that it was not the meat that was the problem, it was the carbohydrates in the buns (and fries). And every study that has looked at the health effects of saturated fat shows either a neutral effect or benefits on lipid profiles.
So the best advice would be for children (and adults) to eat the Big Macs, but throw away the buns.
Obesity is on the rise for children who like Hannah Montana and eat their boogers. Obesity is on the rise for vaccinated children. Correlation does not equal causation.
Vegan diets are not appropriate for women of childbearing age or for growing children. I mean, unless you want to pay your dentist and orthodontist a bunch, then go ahead, raise vegan children. Teeth show the condition of the bones and body inside. If a diet is causing cavities, it is not health giving. I have not yet met a longtime vegan without tooth decay.
Forget vitamin D. It comes from the sun. I'm sure vegan children get a little bit of sun.
Tell me about children who are very poor at converting beta carotene into retinol. How about diabetics? Or people with thyroid conditions (easily half our population)? They have trouble turning plant based vitamin A into the kind we need for functional bodies as well.
How should they get vitamin A, without animal foods? Synthetic supplements? Or grass fed butter? Or a pasture raised backyard chicken egg?
"Vegan diets are not appropriate for women of childbearing age or for growing children. I mean, unless you want to pay your dentist and orthodontist a bunch, then go ahead, raise vegan children. Teeth show the condition of the bones and body inside. If a diet is causing cavities, it is not health giving. I have not yet met a longtime vegan without tooth decay."
If vegans comprise maybe 1% of the population, I am confused by who is keeping the thousands & thousands of dentists in business?
Melissa, I agree that there is no proof that a vegan diet is better—from a health standpoint—than a very carefully-planned omnivore diet that makes only limited use of animal foods. Compared to the way most American kids eat, though, they are a far better choice. When you add in the ethical considerations—always important since they make the strongest unassailable argument for veganism—then it really does make vegan diets the “best” choice.
Charles, there is actually very good evidence that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat lowers bad cholesterol. I would agree with you, though, that refined carbs are also part of the problem. My point though, is that most American kids are eating bad diets—yet dietitians seemed fixated on vegan kids to the point of making unsubstantiated claims about the “dangers” of vegan diets.
(continued above…)
Nicole, I’m not sure where you are getting your information but it sounds like your sources are pretty questionable. The American Dietetic Association—which is not a pro-vegetarian group by any means—agrees that vegan diets are appropriate for kids and pregnant women. And as Anya noted—who is keeping all these dentists in business given the very small number of vegan children in the U.? And I don’t know of any evidence that kids have trouble converting beta-carotene to vitamin A or that there are problems of vitamin A deficiency in the vegan population.
Fears of saturated fat are based largely on myth, not science. From Scientific American (May 2010):
In March the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis—which combines data from several studies—that compared the reported daily food intake of nearly 350,000 people against their risk of developing cardiovascular disease over a period of five to 23 years. The analysis, overseen by Ronald M. Krauss, director of atherosclerosis research at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, found no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and the risk of heart disease.
The finding joins other conclusions of the past few years that run counter to the conventional wisdom that saturated fat is bad for the heart because it increases total cholesterol levels. That idea is “based in large measure on extrapolations, which are not supported by the data,” Krauss says.
Charles, it's really important to look at *all* of the studies on a topic, not just a single one that happens to be newsworthy. Did you also look at the commentary on this study that appeared in the same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and questioned methodology and interpretations of the study?
Sure, Dr Krauss is accomplished in the field of atherosclerosis, but I have a have to question results when his research has been funded by sources like the National Cattleman's Beef Association. Not exactly an unbiased organization.
We were also confused with the NY Daily News piece and did some research of our own by contacting the ADA. You can see what they sent back to us at yourdailyvegan (dot) com - titled "Vegan Hater's Strike Again"
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