Just as vegetarian diets can be low in energy, iron and calcium and Vitamin B12, a vegan diet may not meet a growing baby's needs. It's recommended that babies who are fed a vegan diet be breastfed for the first 2 years or more.
Children who followed a raw vegan diet overall consumed calories, calcium, and Vitamin D well below the recommended amounts which may have accounted for a slower growth (6). We know that these nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D are essential for maintaining normal bone growth throughout childhood.
Well-planned vegan diets can meet the nutritional needs of every family member. You can give your child a great start in life by introducing them to a wide variety of plant foods, and teaching them to make compassionate choices.
When can my baby start eating vegan food? The NHS recommends exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months of life before weaning. This is because there are natural germ-killing antibodies in breast milk and these help babies to fight tummy bugs, colds, chest and ear infections, and diarrhoea.
Vegan foods that provide protein:
These complete proteins include: Quinoa, buckwheat, soy (edamame, tofu, tempeh), chia seeds, amaranth, spirulina, and hemp seeds. Vegan protein in baby's diet: Be sure to introduce foods to your baby in a texture and size that they can handle.
Vegan infants
For those children who do not have diagnosed allergies and are not on hypoallergenic formula, unsweetened calcium-fortified milk alternatives, such as soya, almond and oat drinks can be offered from one year of age as part of a healthy, balanced diet which contains plenty of calcium, protein and energy.
Like all mammals, a human mother produces milk for the sole purpose of nourishing her baby. So for vegan moms and their babies, there's no moral contradiction in breastfeeding. Margie Deutsch Lash, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, says the following: Mammal milk is species specific.
Infants of vegan women weighed less at birth than did infants of omnivores (average of 6 lb. 10 oz. vs. 7 lb.
The health service signposts parents to the First Steps Nutrition Trust website, which states: 'It is important to note that meeting the nutritional requirements of babies and young children will be challenging on a vegan diet, and using fortified foods and some supplements will be essential. '
Women are also more likely to be vegan, with 9% of women identifying as vegan compared to 3% of men. Gender disparity is thought to be linked to the perception that veganism is a more compassionate and nurturing lifestyle, qualities that are traditionally associated with femininity.
The biggest concern with vegan diets in early childhood is nutritional inadequacy. Parents therefore need to be very well informed, otherwise there's a risk some nutrients might fall short, such as vitamin D, calcium, iron, omega-3 fatty acids and possibly vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vegan infants need a good variety of protein foods, such as peas, beans, lentils, soya beans, tofu, soya yoghurt, nut and seed butters, as well as cereal foods and grains. Pulses are very good first foods to offer because they can be mashed easily and provide a variety of tastes and textures.
You're giving them a healthy start
Plus, vegan diets are naturally lower in saturated fats, the overconsumption of which has been linked to raised cholesterol and heart disease. The NHS recommends vegan babies and children eat a 'wide variety of foods to provide the energy and vitamins they need for growth'.
Children who consume nutritious vegan diets not only grow up to be strong and healthy, but they also lower the risk of developing obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Four facts that prove plant-based diets support healthy growth in children: 1.
"Vegan kids had less fat mass, and tended to weigh less. It's possible that they would reach puberty a little later. We've seen that children who reach puberty later actually extended their growing period because they grow for more years," says Wells. So there was a potential for these kids to grow taller as adults.
Kids are more prone to iron deficiency than any other nutrient, and it's much more common for children who don't eat meat. It's an important component of hemoglobin, the component of red blood cells that dutifully carries oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream.
Mothers with a vegetarian and vegan diet will still produce healthy breast milk that isn't lacking anything, as long as they are not lacking anything themselves. It is also important to remember that a plant-based diet will not lead to a low supply of milk compared with a regular diet.
Conclusion. Breast milk is vegan so you don't need to feel guilty giving it to your infant. It doesn't go against the idea of veganism since you consented to the milk that you're giving your baby. You're not considered less vegan by breastfeeding, and your baby can start life out as a vegan, too.
One of the earliest followers of what we now consider a vegan diet was Arab philosopher and poet Al-Maʿarri who abstained from animal products for his health and beliefs on the transmigration of souls and animal welfare.
Can babies have oat milk? As with nut milks, oat milks are not recommended as a complete replacement for dairy or soy milk for children under 5 years. Oat milks are low in fat and protein, which toddlers need for healthy growth and development.
Goat's milk, by nature, is closer to human breast milk than cow's milk or soy, which means less processing and more natural goodness. It is high in oligosaccharides, similar in protein levels to human breastmilk, and is low in lactose, which makes it perfect for babies and toddlers with sensitive tummies.
Most formula is based on cow's milk, and many also contain fish oils. Soya-based formulas contain less animal-derived products than most, but they're still not fully vegan. This is because they contain vitamin D that comes from lanolin (made from sheep's wool).