need help from a nutrition specialist in crafting a balanced diet.
Amy Reed is a pediatric dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She says that for some young children on vegetarian diets, the high fiber content can be an issue: Fiber-rich foods are filling but often fairly low in calories.
Reed, who was not involved with the study, says that if a child is underweight or there are concerns about nutritional deficiencies, parents can ask for a referral to a dietitian.
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With meat-free diets, Reed says, certain nutrients might be harder to get in the right amounts — including zinc, vitamin B12, protein and calcium. But, she adds, that depends on which foods kids are eating.
When they are consuming eggs and dairy, Reed says, those shortfalls are typically not a worry. Plus, kids can get those nutrients from plant foods such as beans, nuts and fortified non-dairy “milks,” cereals and nutritional yeasts.
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“It’s important to have an open mind,” Reed adds. “Vegetarian diets can be healthy at any age.”
The study findings are based on 8,907 Canadian children who were 2 years old, on average, at the outset, and followed for an average of three years. At the study’s start, 248 children were vegetarian.
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Overall, the researchers found, that children on meat-free diets were similar to peers as far as growth, weight and blood levels of iron, vitamin D and cholesterol. The only difference was in the risk of being underweight: About 6% of vegetarian kids were underweight, versus roughly 3% of their meat-eating peers.
The large majority of kids on meat-free diets were vegetarian, not vegan (free of all animal products, including dairy and eggs). And vegetarian children consumed about as much cow’s milk as non-vegetarian kids — at just over a cup a day.
Because of that, Maguire says, it’s not possible to draw conclusions about vegan diets for young kids.
Reed notes that, in general, children often get “fixated” on a small number of foods between the ages of 2 and 5.
“A lot of kids that age are self-imposed vegetarians, and don’t eat meat,” she says.
Young children can find meat difficult to chew and swallow, Reed points out, and they may prefer protein sources like beans.
She also stresses the importance of parents and kids alike eating plenty of plant foods, which, Reed notes, does not require going meat-free.
If you are unsure if your child is getting all his or her needed nutrients or if you have any questions about vegetarian diets, talk to your family doctor, pediatrician, or a registered dietitian.
