Growth
Kids can grow just as well on plants
NormalGrowth on planned vegan diets in VeChi and related studies
Dietitians in the US, UK, and Canada say a well-planned vegan diet is appropriate at every stage of life — pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adulthood, and old age. German studies of toddlers and school-age kids found height and weight in the normal range, with less obesity on vegan plates. A review of vegan children reached the same conclusion. One Polish study found vegan kids a little shorter, with a better heart-risk profile — a reason to plan calories and calcium, not a reason to feed children animals. Kids grow without harming or eating animals.
What the evidence says
The main points first. Every claim is tied to a source below.
Dietitians: a planned vegan diet is appropriate at every stage of life
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, with Dietitians of Canada, says well-planned vegan diets are appropriate across the life cycle — pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and for athletes. Britain’s Dietetic Association says carefully planned plant-based diets can support healthy living at every age and life stage. The NHS and Mayo Clinic say you can get what you need with planning, including in pregnancy and childhood. Papers that warn about vegan kids are usually warning about unplanned ones: skipped B12, too little energy. The plan is the difference.
German toddlers: vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore kids the same height
The VeChi Diet Study measured 430 German children aged 1–3 — vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore — with three-day weighed food records and standard growth charts. Median height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height did not differ. More omnivore toddlers were overweight. A small share of vegan and vegetarian toddlers were classified as stunted. The middle of the curve was normal. Energy and care still matter at the tails.
School-age vegans in Germany grew within the normal range
VeChi Youth followed 401 children and teens aged 6–18. Protein intake in the vegan group still cleared recommendations. Growth sat in the normal range. Vegan kids were less often obese. Alexy’s 2023 review of studies from 2018–2023 found comparable anthropometrics between omnivore and vegetarian children, with lower fat mass on the plant side.
A review of vegan children: normal growth, less obesity
Sutter and Bender reviewed the literature in 2021. With a small percentage of outliers, vegan children showed normal growth and were less often obese. Nutrient gaps showed up when B12, iodine, calcium, or energy were left to chance. The same review is honest about that. Planned is the word that keeps repeating.
The Farm: hundreds of vegan children, growth like their peers
O’Connell and colleagues measured 404 children in the Tennessee community known as The Farm, most of them vegan. Height and weight sat close to the U.S. reference. That was 1989, with vitamin and mineral use common in the group. It is still one of the largest snapshots of vegan kids growing up.
One Polish study found vegan kids slightly shorter — and a better heart profile
Desmond and colleagues compared 52 vegan, 63 vegetarian, and 72 omnivore children aged 5–10 in Poland. Vegan children were on average a little shorter and lighter, with lower bone mineral, and they also had a healthier cardiovascular pattern. That is a real finding, not something to hide. It is also a reminder to plan calories, calcium, and B12 — not a reason to feed children animals.
Vitamin A does not require liver
Humans convert plant carotenoids into vitamin A. Even most people with poorer conversion can cover their needs with more plant sources or a modest supplement. Growing kids do not need liver or milk for vitamin A.
Sources
Papers and datasets. Caveats stay on the card — small samples and single animals included on purpose.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016 · Review
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — vegan diets across the life cycle
2016 position: well-planned vegetarian diets, including vegan, are appropriate for pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and athletes. The warning in other papers is usually about unplanned diets, not plants themselves.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2009 · Review
American Dietetic Association & Dietitians of Canada, 2009
Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan, are healthful and nutritionally adequate. Appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.
British Dietetic Association · Review
British Dietetic Association — every age and life stage
Carefully planned plant-based diets can support healthy living at every age and life stage. All essential nutrients can come from plants; vegans need a reliable B12 source.
National Health Service, UK · Review
NHS — you can get the nutrients you need
With good planning, a varied vegan diet can supply the nutrients the body needs, including for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and for children. Fortified foods or supplements for B12 and a few other nutrients are part of that plan.
Mayo Clinic · Review
Mayo Clinic — all ages, including pregnancy
A well-planned vegetarian diet can meet nutritional needs and can suit people of all ages, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Vegan eating needs attention to B12, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, and omega-3 — not a veto on raising kids this way.
Nutrients, 2019 · Observational
VeChi Diet Study — German toddlers 1 to 3
Weder et al.: 430 children (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore), three-day weighed records. Median height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height did not differ. More omnivore toddlers were overweight. A small share of vegan and vegetarian toddlers were classified as stunted. The middle of the curve was normal.
Nutrients, 2021 · Observational
VeChi Youth — German children and teens 6 to 18
Alexy et al.: 401 children and adolescents. Vegan protein intake still cleared recommendations. Growth sat in the normal range. Vegan kids were less often obese.
BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 2023 · Review
Review of diet and growth in vegetarian and vegan children
Alexy, 2023: studies published 2018–2023 mostly showed comparable anthropometrics between omnivore and vegetarian children, with lower fat mass on plant-based plates.
Nutrition Research, 2021 · Review
Nutrient status and growth in vegan children — review
Sutter and Bender, 2021: with a small percentage of outliers, vegan children showed normal growth and were less often obese. Nutrient gaps appeared when B12, iodine, calcium, or energy were left unplanned.
PMC · Observational
Growth of vegan infants
Vegan infants showed normal growth in this analysis when the diet was planned. Unplanned restriction is not what these papers test.
Pediatrics, 1989 · Observational
The Farm — 404 children, most vegan
O’Connell et al., 1989: 404 children in a Tennessee community, most vegan. Height and weight sat close to U.S. reference curves. Vitamin and mineral use was common in the group. Still one of the largest snapshots of vegan childhood growth.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021 · Observational
Polish children 5 to 10 — slightly shorter, healthier hearts
Desmond et al.: 52 vegan, 63 vegetarian, 72 omnivore children. Vegan children were on average a little shorter and lighter, with lower bone mineral content, and a healthier cardiovascular risk profile. A real finding. Plan calories, calcium, and B12. It is not a mandate to feed children animals.
PMC · Review
Carotenoid conversion to vitamin A
Humans convert plant carotenoids to vitamin A; even most people with poorer conversion can cover needs with extra plant sources or a modest supplement.