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?

Yeah but loads of people didn’t live so long so didn’t need to maintain good bone health to later life. They also spent more time outdoors and there was no sunscreen so got more vitamin d. They also ate fish which was rich in vitamin d ( helps to absorb calcium) and are likely to have eaten bones of small fish and mammals and get calcium that way too.

If you want to look to ‘natural’ human diets, you would certainly not conclude we should eat a vegan diet, as there have been no vegan human societies.

Decent vegan chocolate is easy to get. It’s a bit annoying when you have a kid who can’t have dairy and selection boxes etc are being handed out but honestly brands like cadburys went downhill years ago when they were bought by hersheys and there are loads of delightful vegan options if you know where to look.
It turns out even cheese can be replaced if you look in the right place (not a supermarket haha).

OP, I am vegan/plant based whatever, I was vegetarian for most of my life until I had to breastfeed a child with CMPA. I would strongly agree with the other posts saying if you want to raise your child vegan, at 5, they are old enough to have an opinion about it. Also, spend time being vegan yourself first and learning about your own nutritional requirements. You’re right about B12 but also read about things like amino acids in protein, vitamin d, calcium and iron. You can easily get all of these things from a well planned vegan diet but it’ll be easier and safer to get to grips with it on your own diet. Presumably your child will still be eating your family meals and will just choose school dinners and additional snacks, maybe eggs for breakfast etc.

You can look at recipes together, find some things you enjoy, explore ways of cooking products like tofu and seitan if they weren’t a major part of your diet before and of course check out the all important chocolate and cheese (nomo, buttermilk, kinda, fauxmangerie). Oh and don’t forget marmite and nutritional yeast. Bosh have some good cookbooks but personally I’d avoid “meat” as I found it relies too much on processed alternatives.

Good luck with it all.

Because we naturally aren’t supposed to digest breast milk after infancy.
Evolution is probably as natural as you can get.

Myself and DH are vegetarian. Our DD is not. We dont have meat in the house but we let her try things at other people's homes, parties and she can choose her own school dinner and meals out.

We would like to be vegan one day but DD really hates milk substitutes and she really enjoys cheese. She knows where these things come from and although she feels vaguely sad about animals dying she still wants to eat them. We respect her choice.

I think some autonomy in making food choices is healthy and right. Parents decide what to serve at home but if there isn't an allergy I think restricting food at parties or other people's homes is unfair.

Work in a school and can confirm most mornings the children kick off about it but obviously you know better.

Op, MN generally hates veganism especially for kids. I’ve got quite a few friends who are vegan & so are some of the children (since birth), they’re super healthy. The kids understand why they are vegan now they’re older (I know 3 who are 5 and 1 who’s 1 who obviously doesn’t know yet) they agree with it. They're very healthy & get to enjoy loads of ‘normal’ things that none vegan kids do. What I would say is that the families are really committed to understanding nutrition & providing varied meals. There are some really good apps that you can use for vegan meal planning.

also editing to add - DD is veggie same as us but has gone through phases of surviving on jam on toast & oats. There are so many posts on MN of parents worried their kids won’t eat anything other than chicken nuggets and chips. The advise is always the same - relax as it won’t last forever. If your children are eating really good ingredients via vegan food I don’t see how that’s not a more positive thing than letting kids eat beige food with a side of cucumber 3 times a day.

As I said
It’s more moral to let them make that choice when they are older.
We have evolved and have access to sources of food now that in the past we didn’t

What if you fed them vegan food in the home but then let them eat what they choose outside the home? So they eat mainly vegan food but don't have to deal with the complexities of managing social interactions around food, there not being good options at school etc?

We haven’t evolved into a non-omnivore though … there may be choices now of different foods but that doesn’t mean we’ve evolved.
it should also be noted that absorption of vitamins and minerals from plant based foods is not always as easy for our bodies as with meat and fish consumption

Unless you have x ray vision there’s absolutely no way of knowing if vegan kids are healthy 🤷‍♀️ you can’t see what’s happening to their bones or brain…

If your children will eat a well planned vegan diet they will be fine. They probably won’t reach the same height as they would with omni diet but not likely to be over weight . Supplement B12, iodine, DHA/EPA and there may be other recommendations. But the massive caveat is will your children eat the things they need to be healthily vegan. I would avoid being dogmatic and purist about it and provide lots of delicious plant based foods and only remove fish/dairy/meat/eggs entirely when you are confident they are able to get everything they need from non junk food plants. My kids always loved dhall, sweet potato veggie chilli, lentil spag Bol, nut butters, crispy tofu, silken tofu based puddings, cashew based cheesy sauces with lots of onion powder, rice and peas, some limited fake meats like shroomdogs, quorn. But I didn’t feel they could get everything they needed from plants alone, but your experience may be different.

My home made seitan certainly isn’t a UPF! I was taught to make it in Nutrition and Cookery
classes at a UK school in the 80s.

Evolution is not biological alone
thankgoodness

Same with all kids and adults and research has shown there are a higher % of meat eaters that have unhealthy diets and outcomes than
vegans and vegetarians

Everyone should take care of what they eat and parents of all kids should learn a little about healthy diets. It’s shocking how unhealthy a high proportion of kids are these days.

Obesity is a real and growing health issue

While exact global figures vary, studies show a significant portion of children, especially in the UK, consume unhealthy amounts of processed or red meat, with one report finding

• over a third of kids' meat intake is processed(like sausages, ham, coated chicken) despite health warnings for cancer and heart disease risks, highlighting a need for more plant-based protein options in schools and restaurants, according to The Food Foundation and SR Nutrition

Common Choices: Sausages, coated chicken, ham, and pizza contribute significantly to kids' processed meat intake.

School meals : 4 out of 5 of the most common meat dishes in UK schools are processed (ham, sausage) or red meat (bolognese).

• Children consume proportionally more processed meat than adults in the UK

Processed & Red Meat: High intake is linked to increased risks of bowel cancer and heart disease.
Salt: Processed meats are high in salt, harmful to young children.
Nutrient imbalance: Meat-heavy diets can lack fiber, antioxidants, and Vitamin C found in plants.

In conclusion
All parents should learn what is needed for a healthy diet for children. All to often it’s those who have allergies or vegetarians and vegans that pay attention to whats on their kids plates whilst
meat eating families rarely learn anew the requirements for a healthy child’s diet.

Hence our growing obesity and diabetes problem in this country.

Now now @Chocolah, don’t be posting uncomfortable truths! Veganism isn’t natural or healthy (without significant dietetic care and supplementation) nor is it actually ‘cruelty free’, but that doesn’t fit the agenda of the idealists.

Oh stop it 😂 'now now' indeed!

I know, sorry. I shouldn’t let the truth get in the way of a nice idealistic fantasy.

Disingenuous comment re Vegetarian Indian diets

Anyone who eats unhealthily will be unhealthy

Hi OP, was looking on the vegan board and saw this post. Sorry you had so many horrible replies :( we have been raising my daughter vegan and she is really healthy, genuinely less unwell than meat eating peers.

your children definitely can be healthy on a vegan diet. Big things to look for are fortified plant milks (not organic ones). You can add extra iron and protein into meals by adding red lentils into tomato sauces or blending can cannellini beans. Nutritional yeast is also really high in b12.

Paula Hallam on instagram (plant based kids) is a dietitian who specialises in vegan and vegetarian children’s diets so recommend following her.

also there is a good book called vegan savvy all about vegan nutrition. And we use the vegan society vitamins https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements/veg-1-baby-toddler

@ThreenagerMum Lots of useful interest there. I know vegan can be healthy and eaten from birth but I think you need more than two weeks experience to plan a healthy diet for a child.

Yes it is fine, I know lots of kids who have been vegan all their lives, including my own. B12 is only supplement we take but we are in Australia so not sure if you need to supplement with D etc? There are tons on resources out there for healthy and yummy meal suggestions. I would look at vegan organisations online for written nutritional advice for different ages, and if you have concerns make an appointment with a vegan friendly dietition.