2024-09-30 08:50:44
Many fruits and vegetables are healthy, especially from a young age. However, if children eat only vegetarian food, it can be dangerous, experts say. Why this is – and what you should pay attention to when you are your child.
Lentil spread instead of liver sausage on the school lunch, carrots instead of sausages in the daycare supply box and soy patties instead of pork schnitzel on the plate at home. More and more people are eating without meat, meat products and fish – but is a purely vegetarian diet still good and right for young children in the growing stage? Some say yes, some say no. There are risks and benefits.
“You can not say across the board that a vegetarian diet is always good, it depends on the composition,” said the Chairman of the Children’s Health Foundation, Berthold Koletzko. “There are also so-called vegan cookies-and-puddings that eat poorly, with many ready-made vegan products or fancy drinks that are unfortunately often lacking in nutrients. that’s not good.”
A diet rich in plant-based foods is highly recommended. “But that doesn’t mean it has to be free of meat and fish.” There is also research data that points to risks for food supply and growth with an exclusively vegetarian diet.
“Vegetarian diet is possible in childhood if done correctly,” emphasizes the Munich-based production specialist. A sufficient supply of essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin B12 or omega-3 fatty acids can become important with a meat- and fish-free diet.
However, a well-balanced diet with eggs, milk and dairy products can help. However: “The risks increase as the child grows, ie during infancy, early childhood and again during development during puberty.” Koletzki advises eating a little fish or meat every now and then, at least in these stages.
A good vegetarian diet also has many benefits, he said. Examples: reduced calorie intake, which prevents obesity in children. High fiber content has a positive effect on internal health. You can also achieve these benefits if you eat good quality fish and meat every now and then.
“The last one, it’s dangerous”
A pediatrician in Bonn, Axel Gerschlauer, points out the positive aspects of a healthy diet, which also applies to children: children owe their lives.” The Professional Association of Young and Young Physicians (BVKJ) North Rhine – as well as the foundation – directly warns against a vegetarian diet without animal products such as milk and eggs.
Gerschlauer reports that if he examines children or young children, he sometimes sees a variety of food items. “The risk of avoiding meat as a child – and dangerously young – is nutritional deficiencies. Lack of iron and B12 can lead to anemia, weakness, muscle damage and developmental disorders.” Most children and adolescents on a meat-free diet for their first blood test have insufficient iron and B12 supplies.
“Children are not small adults and, due to the growth and development of their brain and other organs, have higher requirements for the supply of good foods more often than adults for whom everything is already ready,” The pediatric doctor explained. The “determining factor” is the number of elements that can be obtained.
As the doctor said, a child’s stomach is the size of their finger. Therefore, the elements should not have a large volume. Arguments here for meat: Porridge with meat for the first stage of life has iron in its maximum form. And B12 can also be found in sufficient amounts in meat. As a starting point for vegetarian food for children, a BVKJ spokesperson recommends: “The older, the better.”
Nutritionist writer Ute Alexy from the University of Bonn considers vegetarian food for children to be “safe”. However, under one important condition: “Do not leave meat, but instead, with whole plants or seeds like lentils, peas, beans.” At the same time, he pointed out that the dietary guidelines for children are still a mixture of food – ie with meat and fish. The German Nutrition Society (DGE), among others, is currently working on nutrition-related recommendations for children and adolescents, which should also have a “vegetarian example,” says a nutritionist involved in the project .
According to Alexy, children should eat milk – partly because it provides calcium for bone building. And: In Germany, conventionally slaughtered cows receive concentrated feed with added iodine, so that the milk also contributes to the iodine supply of children and young people, he explained. Two studies with 400 participants each – one of one to three-year-olds, one of six to eighteen-year-olds – did not show a deficiency in the group of vegetarians, has a scientist involved in both analyses.
Even if the two studies (VeCh Diet Study and VeChi Youth Study) are not representative, the results are important information. Data on vegetarian diets in children are still scarce. The researcher regrets that there are no statistics on how many children are eating vegetarian food. It can be estimated that seven to eight percent of adults eat a meat-free diet. “And you can imagine that a lot of people are feeding their children this way too.”
According to pediatrician Axel Gerschlauer, parents should also get advice from nutritionists. “There is still a lot of room for improvement among adult vegetarians when it comes to knowledge about a healthy vegetarian diet – especially when it comes to children.”
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