Growth

Children grow normally on a planned vegan diet

By WhyStopHarmingAnimals.com

Children raised on a planned vegan diet grow normally[1][2][4][5][6]. Two large studies of toddlers and school-age children in Germany found height and weight in the normal range[2] and less obesity than among children who ate meat[2]. Reviews of the research agree[3][4], and the professional bodies for dietitians in the US, Canada and the UK say a well-planned vegan diet is appropriate at every stage of life, including pregnancy and infancy[8][9][10]. The word that keeps coming up is “planned,” and the one study that found vegan children slightly smaller[7] shows why.

German children, from toddlers to teens

The VeChi Diet Study (Weder and colleagues, Nutrients, 2019) measured 430 German children aged 1–3 who ate vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous diets, using three-day weighed food records[1] and standard growth charts. Median height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-height did not differ between the groups[1], and more of the omnivore toddlers were overweight[1]. A small share of the vegan and vegetarian toddlers were classified as stunted[1], so while the middle of the curve was normal, energy intake and care still matter for the children at the edges.

VeChi Youth (Alexy and colleagues, Nutrients, 2021) followed 401 children and teenagers[2] aged 6–18. The vegan group’s protein intake still met recommendations[2], their growth sat in the normal range[2], and they were less often obese[2]. Alexy’s 2023 review in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, covering studies published from 2018 to 2023, found height and weight mostly comparable between omnivore and vegetarian children, with lower fat mass among the vegetarians[3].

Reviews and older studies

Sutter and Bender reviewed nutrient status and growth in vegan children in Nutrition Research in 2021[4]. Apart from a small percentage of outliers, vegan children grew normally and were less often obese[4]. The nutrient gaps they found appeared when B12, iodine, calcium or energy were left to chance[4]. An analysis of vegan infants likewise found normal growth when the diet was planned[5].

One of the largest snapshots of vegan children comes from The Farm, a community in Tennessee. O’Connell and colleagues measured 404 children there in 1989, most of them vegan[6], and found their height and weight close to the U.S. reference curves (Pediatrics, 1989)[6]. The study is old, and vitamin and mineral supplements were common in the group[6].

The Polish study

Desmond and colleagues compared 52 vegan, 63 vegetarian and 72 omnivore children[7] aged 5–10 in Poland (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021). The vegan children were on average a little shorter and lighter and had lower bone mineral content[7]. They also had a healthier cardiovascular risk profile[7]. The difference in size is real, and it is a case for planning calories, calcium and B12 carefully[7]. It gives no reason to feed children animals[7].

What dietitians say

The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada said in 2009 that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan ones, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, naming pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence, as well as athletes[8]. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics repeated that position in 2016[9]. The British Dietetic Association says carefully planned plant-based diets can support healthy living at every age and life stage[10], that all essential nutrients can come from plants[10], and that vegans need a reliable source of B12[10].

The NHS says that with good planning a varied vegan diet can supply what the body needs, including for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and for children, with fortified foods or supplements for B12 and a few other nutrients[11]. The Mayo Clinic says a well-planned vegetarian diet can suit people of all ages, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and that vegan eating needs attention to B12, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine and omega-3[12]. That is a list for planning meals around. Papers that warn against vegan diets for children are usually describing unplanned ones, with B12 skipped or too little energy[4][9].

Some nutrients people assume children must get from animals can come from plants. Vitamin A is one: humans convert plant carotenoids into vitamin A[14], and even most people who convert less efficiently can cover their needs with more plant sources or a modest supplement[14]. Growing children don’t need liver or milk to get it.