Is a vegan diet ok for children aged 5+

[wantTobeVegan]

I decided to become Vegan 2 weeks ago, dh agreed with the reasons and joined me. Now we want to transition the dc (youngest is 5).

They already drink soya not cows milk . Is it just B12 we need to supplement with ?

Is there anything else we need to check as I know for babies and toddlers it can be tricky but for 5+ is it quite straightforward?

How on earth can being vegetarian be ‘isolating’ or have psychological impacts these days? There are so many options and no need for anyone to be feel left out of anything. For cultural reasons as well as dietary, most events now cater for veggie and vegan diets.
I grew up eating meat and wished I never had; I’ve not eaten meat since my teens. The little ones on our family are all vegetarian and haven’t missed out on anything at all. There are now well acknowledged risks of eating meat, particularly processed and some red meats, with a clear link to consumption and bowel cancer. It’s also widely acknowledged that reducing or stopping meat consumption is one of the best things that we could do for the environment.

At my school the vegan option is often not available due to lack of availability of ingredients. They can’t have the vegetarian option most of the time because of the cheese. Which leaves them pasta or jacket potato. Every day. If you are set on them becoming vegan I would consider packed lunches.

The vegan children we have also always seem hungry, like licking baked bean juice from the tray hungry.

So you’re telling @whatsinausernamethesedays that they didn’t feel isolated as a child? That they are wrong in feeling like that?

I used to know a vegetarian who was brought up vegetarian at home but could make any choices they liked outside the home. I would probably do that, but for vegan. It's going to be very difficult for them at parties and friends houses etc otherwise, but they will do what they want anyway, regardless of your views.
I brought my own children up vegetarian, but now they are very much meat eaters, I'm afraid to say.

Keep eggs in your kids diet. You can get organic friendly ones and they are a great source of protein for growing kids. Keeping eggs also gives much more flexibility with dining out, eating cakes etc

or your kids could be vegan at home but flexitarian outside the house, so veggie options at school or friends house. Strict vegan is hard to maintain.

I’m vegetarian, but I’ve always let my kids choose what they eat outside the home. My younger dd chose to become veggie at 8, the older one still eats meat.

Being veggie can be a bit restrictive, you can’t have all sweets, impromptu play dates might be tricky. Also we’ve found when eating out that there aren’t many veggie options on the kids menu (if any!).

It’s interesting that you feel that children shouldn’t be ‘emotionally blackmailed’ or ‘coerced’ into a vegan diet, but no mention of the same in regard to meat eating.
Just because we have been conditioned into eating meat doesn’t mean that it’s the ‘right’ way. Plenty of societies globally eat a largely vegan or vegetarian diet, it’s just ‘normal’ for them.
With genuine concerns about animal welfare, widely acknowledged climate impacts of meat production and known health risks (there are now firm links to red/processed meats and some cancers) why wouldn’t every parent consider it?
Its not a ‘belief-based’ lifestyle; when done well, its beneficial effects are firmly rooted in fact.

Id just do vegan or vege at home and not worry about it elsewhere otherwise it'll be so restrictive for them to have a different diet to all the other kids and potentially limit friendships. Imagine other kids parties, playdates, sleepovers, going out for dinner and trips away when they're teens.

I would introduce it gradually, with lots of research and advice. You've barely started the journey yourselves so have a lot to learn. Well done on changing to vegan, it will take a while to get used to and not all continue.

@MollyMollyMandy33 can you give an example of being “blackmailed” into a conditioned omnivorous diet?

There is a link between a vegan diet in children and those children going on to develop eating disorders.

Animal fats are really important for brain development in young children and I think enforcing a vegan diet on young kids is not a good idea. It will be socially isolating and very restrictive.

No its been proven to be dangerous for children if not done right

I will check all of these thanks

I think you definitely need to give them the choice by the time they reach age 7/8. I have taught 5 children in my career who are vegan, and by Year 3, they all absolutely hated it. One of them continues to tell me she isn’t vegan any more (not true), as she just wants to eat the same as her friends!

Just go for it. As long as you’re aware that that you need to include all food groups. Which you clearly are. It’ll be fine. I grew up vegetarian in the ‘80s and ‘90s and it was fine. My only issue I think was in my teens. I suddenly became very tired all the time and looking back, I’m pretty sure I was anaemic. It sounds like you’re way more on it with this kind of stuff than my parents and I were so I’m sure it’ll be fine. X

It’s actually quite common for children in omnivorous families to refuse meat. One of mine did from the age of around 5. I take a similarly dim view of parents who force meat-eating in that situation.

It absolutely is the case, though, that veganism is a fringe belief system, a minority position and a long-term ballache to maintain. It should not be made compulsory for a child who doesn’t share the parents’ beliefs and doesn’t want to give up meat. I wouldn’t expect a vegan parent to cook meat from raw at home, but I would expect them to respect their child’s bodily autonomy and allow them to choose their own food outside the home.

Dietitian here. I wouldn't recommend a 5 year old follows a vegan diet. They need calcium, vitamin D, B12 etc which are only found in animal products. But if you really have to do it, please do it carefully ensuring you are supplementing where possible. Useful, evidence based advice here: www.bda.uk.com/resource/healthy-eating-for-children.html#:~:text=This%20group%20provides%20children%20with,common%20condition%20seen%20in%20children.

My husband is vegan and I’m veggie but tbh am not that bothered about dairy and eggs and if it weren’t for the kids we’d be a vegan household. I decided to raise them vegetarian not vegan, they may choose to be vegan when they are older. We live in a village and buy eggs from a friend with pet chickens. I buy organic cheese and butter but am keen on the “calf at foot” option so am going to look into this. My kids don’t love eggs but will eat crepes that are 80% egg several times a week.

you’ll need to ensure they get enough iron, calcium, protein and b12. And omegas (vegan algae drops)

I think you need to think carefully about this. I understand your reasons and I think for you and DH it’s likely not to be too hard. But I do think you need to seek professional advice re your kids especially the 5 year old. You can’t make such a big change like this for them by getting info through a chat page like this. I had a friend whose son was put on a vegan diet early on and was advised by the GP to change as he was not eating enough proteins and was not well. Good luck.

If you feel it is the way forward I would veer towards vegan at home but not expect play date and party hosts to provide vegan food.

Also monitor how bulky your DC’s diet needs to be to accommodate enough vegan protein for a growing body. Pulses make filling bulky food and a child can get filled up before their nutritional needs are met.

I assume you will also try and avoid the UPFs that comprise many vegan alternatives?

Can you not compromise and cook vegan meals at home, but not insist they eat vegan at school/friends/family?
It will be very restrictive for them and I feel it should be their choice.

Absolutely! Thanks for wanting to be vegan.

Take a look at the Viva website, they have a lot of good information on raising vegans and going vegan yourself: viva.org.uk/health/healthy-vegan-diet/vegan-through-the-life-stages/children/

How good is your child at eating their fruit and vegetables?

if they eat whatever is put in front of them as long as you do your research on a balanced diet you should be ok.

what are you going to do if they go to friends and eat non vegan stuff?

it will probably be much harder to turn the rest of your lives vegan no pets, only being allowed to wear certain clothes etc.

becoming fully vegan overnight is a huge undertaking you may want to ease yourself in.

My daughter became veggie of her own accord when she was 5 and remains so now at 12. The rest of us aren’t veggie but we eat a lot of veggie and vegan meals. Unless your kids are exceptionally unfussy it can be a real challenge getting enough protein and nutrients into them. We eat a lot of cheese and eggs to keep the protein intake up - we do eat lots of pulses and nuts too but would be very limited without the eggs and dairy. She isn’t that keen on “fake meat.” She also intitially developed low iron despite being on a standard supplement and we had to give her extra iron on top of that for a while. We had to do a lot of education with her about her food intake and a balanced diet. My son who is now 8 and not veggie would not have had the maturity to understand this at 5 so that side of it also depends on the child. She is a very fastidious adherent vegetarian - no gelatin no Parmesan checks packets very carefully and I have thought a lot of about how I’d deal with her becoming vegan and I think even now at 12 I would be hesitant to let her. I would strongly suggest easing the kids in gently after seeing how you get on and how they manage as veggies.

I think most other parents will struggle a bit to provide vegan food that their own kids will also eat (my kids ate well but at 6/7 there were not a lot of vegan options beyond tomato pasta!). Same in restaurants - it will literally be tomato spaghetti every single time. Some flex really will make their social lives MUCH easier. (And seven year old’s will tolerate the Tupperware much less than they do now!). For that reason and the health benefits I would raise them vegetarian supplemented with high quality/welfare eggs and dairy - with lots of great vegan food at home and then vegetarian dining out and about.