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?

So?

I can understand why you’re thinking about this, and it’s great that you’re reflecting on your choices so carefully. I’d just gently suggest taking a bit of time, especially when it comes to very young children and really thinking through what “vegan” means for you in practice.

A lot of people start out with the hope that it means no animals are harmed at all, which is a kind intention, but in reality food systems are more complicated than that. Animals are still killed to protect crops like cereals and vegetables. For example, pigeons can cause huge damage to fields and are regularly culled in huge numbers to protect food production. Even everyday foods like bread rely on those systems, so some level of animal harm is sadly unavoidable.

That doesn’t mean going vegan is pointless or wrong, far from it. It can still be about reducing harm as much as possible. It’s just worth being aware that it’s not an all-or-nothing situation.

As you’re only a couple of weeks in yourself, it might help to give yourself time to learn what works for you before making big changes for your children. Young kids have very specific nutritional needs, and gradual changes with good guidance can make things much easier for everyone. There’s no rush, this can be a journey rather than a sudden leap, and it’s okay to take it one step at a time

Simply sharing my own experiences. I think it's relatively simple to do so respectfully. 💐 The OP is making a big choice for her family, and I'm not seeking to change her mind, simply offering perspectives to consider while making the decision.

As an aside to vegan paediatric nutrition, are there any impacts from removing dairy from the diet of children with intolerances? E.g. would this cause the intolerance to return or develop allergies?

I know for allergens it's important to keep the item in the diet after completing the milk ladder, though not sure how this varies for intolerances.

Just an area to explore, as cross contamination with dairy is so common.

OP message me if you'd like to chat about experience of bringing up children vegan.

As I said, mine have always been vegan and are in great health with brilliant brains!

I will never regret bringing them up vegan and have all confidence that they will remain so for the rest of their lives!

I'm sure it is possible to raise healthy children on a vegan diet. One of my friends has done so in fact. However, she was a vegan for a very long time before she had children and so is pretty clued up on how to ensure how all the dietary needs are met as well as being a really hood vegan cook.
I think it might be better if you take it a bit more slowly - going from an omnivorous diet to fully vegan in a matter of weeks is a big jump. I think I'd be inclined to take some time to learn about it all yourself first, and maybe compromise on a vegetarian diet for a while. I have some sympathy for your views but I think that you're more likely to be successful if you take your time and improve your knowledge base first.
We're not vegan but one of my sons is allergic to eggs and dairy (amongst other things) and that proved enough of a challenge when he was little. A lot of the alternatives are not great nutritionally, difficult to find, not very nice or all of the above! And yes, like your school there was always the option of a jacket potato for lunch at ours but in all honesty it's not great for a child to only have the option of a plain jacket and salad or potato and beans multiple times a week which is what happened to my DS quite frequently. He knew he had no choice of course but I think he would have found it a lot harder if it wasn't for medical reasons.
I'd take things slowly and research things more if I were you.

No, chewing meat is good for their development and soy is terrible for hormone health. Feed them organic and ethical meat and dairy. We are animals, would you begrudge a cat that hunts for fun and tortures a mouse just because? Or a lion for eating meat? You can object to inhumane practices but fundamentally meat is good for us and it's right that we eat it, and I say this as an ex vegetarian then vegan for years. Veganism left my health worse than junk UPF ever did. The influencers telling you their children are thriving are liars there is so much they mislead and don't disclose. Everyone has their agenda to say Veganism is so great and wonderful, it's not. Killing animals for food is a natural and good thing it's the cycle of life.

We have a friend who really regretted being brought up vegetarian. At uni she decided she wanted to eat meat but it was a long process as her stomach couldn’t cope with it and it was a long process basically training her body and she ended up getting really awful stomach aches which she did it. She started with chicken then eventually small amounts of beef mince until she could eat all meat. She did keep going and eats meat now but it was a difficult transition.

Quite a lot of the world is vegetarian and eats a healthy varied diet. That’s pretty easy if you’re a half decent cook and neither you nor your kids have food issues.

Perhaps try that for the kids, at least initially, and ease into veganism when you’re better versed.

The other issue you may not have considered, is allergies. Children ideally should have early and regular exposure to all potential allergen foods, which obviously include dairy, egg, fish and shellfish. Otherwise, they're more at risk of developing allergies (would be the same if they didn't have peanuts or sesame seeds or whatever).

Also Omega 3 is so, so important. Most people get it from oily fish, as nuts and seeds, though very good in terms of minerals and fibre, have inferior Omega 3 / DHA. If your child (or indeed you) are not eating oily fish, you can buy algae oil supplements, which have the "right" form and amounts of the oil that you need. Actually, apparently algae is where the oily fish get the Omega 3 from, as they too, are unable to synthesise it.

Personally though, I would give a child a varied diet as recommended, including all meats and animal products, along with vegan meals or ingredients. This will give them the palate and know-how to choose for themselves when they are older, whilst still reducing their environmental impact etc, when compared to the average child.

Which world is veggie and healthy? The veggie Indians consume dairy or eggs and they have high diabetes, kidney and blood pressure diseases Vegetarian communities are so due to religion or poverty or both, they may be lower in weight but often weak with bad teeth. Starch and carbs all day.

I would wait a while TBH, give it a couple of months to make sure that it’s something you and your DH are properly committed to. I’ve had a few attempts at eating vegan myself (eg veganuary, lent) and I stopped early as I was feeling quite unhealthy. I think there are more supplements recommended than just B12.

I think this is a wonderful thing to do and many kids thrive off a vegan diet. Honestly I'm surprised at how many people are so negative here. Feeding your child vegan will not create nutrients deficiencies overnight, keep an eye on them and take them to the doctors as normal and they'll be fine. One thing I would say is possibly be flexible about the wider world, e.g. vegetarian at school or parties just to make life simpler and for them not to feel left out. It sounds like you've thought the nutrition through well just be sure to go slowly!

Agree and you also need to think about iodine which is really important for brain development. Very, very difficult to ensure a growing child gets the correct nutrients on a vegan diet. You certainly should do a lot of research first from reputable websites as it has different long term implications for young children's health compared to adults.

If this was the case then eating disorders would be rife amongst Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Jain, Orthodox Christian etc people. Who, like OP is proposing, restrict their diets on philosophical grounds.

it’s the more affluent Indians that eat a more westernised diet that have all the health issues.

Made up nonsense. Soy has no impact on health unless you have a soy allergy, chewing meat has nothing to do with development. Red meat is carcinogenic (processed and unprocessed) - see WHO.

You may already note, OP, that many people will freak out at the word vegan and concern-troll to convince you how desperately difficult, nay impossible, it is to not put animals or their by-products into your mouth.

Veganuary is coming up, so have a look at their website and give it a go: https://veganuary.com/

The worrying element in this thread is a so-called Dietician who claims that calcium can only be found in animal products!

Back to the text books for you!

Depends on how happy they’ll be with it. I’ve been vegan for 23 years now, it’s not something I give more than a few minutes thought a week too.

it’s amusing people think it’s an ‘extreme lifestyle choice’ . I fed my children vegan food from birth with some reasonable compromises ie there wasn’t suitable vegan formula so we used an alternative.
They are both rather committed vegans in primary school but I imagine they might choose to try other options as teens or maybe not! Who knows?

Choosing your young children’s diet is your prerogative but as they get older they should have more and more of a say and even in primary I think it’s ok to say ‘those Halloween sweets aren’t vegan, we can swap them or you can eat them it’s up to you’. You aren’t buying non vegan food or eating it yourself but they have the option.

Mine at the moment don’t want to eat non vegan food. Managing autism and ARFID with veganism has its own difficulties but hey at least his ten foods include broccoli and peanut butter.

Basically as long as you are kind, respectful of your child as a person and open to discussion, this is really a minor deal.

Remember that most schools won't let you send in nuts or nut products, which is an extra restriction for an already restricted diet.

I'm a primary school teacher. Unfortunately, I've had several children go through my classes whose nutritional needs weren't being met on a vegan diet. Some, the doctor told them to reintroduce animal products, others, the parents improved their vegan diets and they flourished. I'd be reluctant to have a growing child on a vegan diet for this reason, and I say this as somebody who is very sympathetic to your motivations for animal welfare. I would certainly echo other people in urging you to work with a nutritionist.

There's protein and there's protein - there are 22 essential amino acids that we need, and whilst you can get them all from plant sources, you need a variety of plant sources of protein to hit them all. Iron and vitamin D are two other nutrients to watch for, and I can see you're aware of B12. Make sure that the soya milk you are giving them is fortified (with calcium, and sometimes they come with with vitamin D and B12 too).

Are they generally good eaters who will eat whatever you put in front of them? If they are picky eaters eating beige foods a lot of the time, that's going to be an issue with getting a wholefoods balanced diet.

Are you doing Veganuary? They have a lot of advice and sample menus for new Vegans. Also, of course, The Vegan Society have many resources and offer advice. My oldest son is Vegan, the rest of the family Vegetarian. He be has C learned to veganise most foods, as I have. I have just done a fully vegan and gluten free Christmas as DH is Coeliac, honestly you could not tell the cake and pudding were any different. I hope it works out for you.

A lot of vegan alternatives are ultra processed crap. If you have the time and inclination to make things from scratch then I think you can do it reasonably healthily. I would do some research into soy milk before you commit to it.. especially the carrageenan that’s added to it.

Jesus wept.

We have a carnivore intestinal system that tolerates plants.

If we were meant to be vegan we would be.

I could have been a vegan child because I absolutely eat anything, and always have done - there isn’t a fussy bone in my body. But there’s no way either of my dc would tolerate it - especially the amount of beans, tofu, lentils, nuts, dark green veg etc that a balanced vegan diet requires.

Do think carefully about sources of things like selenium, phosphorus and iodine. I would definitely want to provide packed lunch as it provides another meal where your child has an opportunity to take on board nutritionally rich food. A school dinner will not suffice.

I would definitely consider buying small quantities of highest welfare farm shop meat and eggs and dairy just for the dc. Or maybe you can have your own chickens?!