Updated link: https://www.vndpg.org/resources/vegetarian-dietitian-resources

Cenk,

I don’t see much to be concerned about with regard to these studies. As always, low blood DHA levels are a hypothetical concern but there doesn’t seem to be evidence of negative impacts of low DHA intakes or blood levels in vegan children.

I’d love to see your comments on 2 2021 studies on vegan infants, kids:

1. “Nutrient Intake and Status of German Children and Adolescents Consuming Vegetarian, Vegan or Omnivore Diets: Results of the VeChi Youth Study”
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/5/1707/htm

2. “Vegan diet in young children remodels metabolism and challenges the statuses of essential nutrients”
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202013492

And a little note, the site you recommend on another response to a comment doesn’t exist anymore: https://vegetariannutrition.net

Hi Hannah – The Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group has a handy resource on raising vegetarian/vegan infants: https://vegetariannutrition.net/docs/Vegetarian-Infants.pdf. Iron-fortified baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula is an option for starting vegan babies on solids. The DRI for vitamin B12 for breast-feeding people is 2.8 mcg/day. Be sure to talk with your child’s pediatrician about their diet as well.

VeganMom,

We’ve updated information on fiber for children and have confirmed that there is no official upper limit on fiber. Thanks for asking about this.

From a practical standpoint, there is a limit to how much fiber a small child can eat. The average 2-year old’s stomach can hold about 1-1/2 cups of food at a time. If they start their meal with a large salad (mostly lettuce), they simply won’t have enough room for the other food that they need to provide calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Adults have a larger stomach capacity so can better tolerate large amounts of fiber. Often in traditional societies, children receive breast milk for a longer period of time than they commonly do in our culture. Breast milk is a concentrated source of calories and nutrients that is easily digested.

Children may also be fed cereals or other weaning foods that are a good source of calories. Children do benefit from eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and other high fiber foods. They also need enough calories to support normal growth.

We suggest that fiber be limited for young children if their growth seems to be compromised. Poor growth can indicate inadequate calories and/or a lack of nutrients.

Firstly, thank you very much for all the information you are putting out there for the public to look up and learn – it’s invaluable and much needed in today’s world of industry-sponsored, contradicting virtual information.

Can you please elaborate on your statement regarding the fiber intake of infants: “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children eat no more than .23 g of fiber per pound of body weight per day”. I find it hard to believe that we should ‘limit’ the intake of fiber for our children. Our ancestors had substantially higher intakes of fiber with their diets, humans who live in more rural regions in Africa or Asia (so are not eating a “Western” diet) have substantially higher intakes of fiber – and that is generally associated with being ‘healthier’.

Can you please explain this? TIA.