Vegan Diets in Infants, Children, and Adolescents

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For most children, a pediatrician’s inquiries into the diet history lead to routine discussions of when whole milk should be weaned to skim or how to ensure that teens get enough calcium. However, for families and children who have chosen a vegan or vegetarian diet, the pediatrician may need to delve deeper into the diet history and perhaps deeper into the nutritional literature to assure that nutritional needs are met.

Vegan diets include only foods of plant origin. Strict vegans eat only grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and vegetable fats. Many families, however, practice variations on veganism and vegetarianism, and each patient’s specific diet restrictions must be obtained by history.

Some people believe that patients following vegan or vegetarian diets suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Although there have been case reports of children failing to thrive or developing cobalamin deficiency on vegan diets, these are rare exceptions. Multiple experts have concluded independently that vegan diets can be followed safely by infants and children without compromise of nutrition or growth and with some notable health benefits. Pediatricians working with vegan families must ensure that the parents understand the special nutritional needs of children at different developmental stages and assist them in meeting those needs within the …