In Frankfurt this week opened up a vegan nursery. An irresponsible, übergriffiger Plan that endangers the health of children, say. A sustainable idea of people who do not think only of themselves, to counter the other. Who is right?
1. Statement: A vegan diet is diet for kids healthier than a normal mixer.
This is wrong. It is true that the vegan diet often have a high proportion of high-fiber grain products, and fruits and vegetables brings with it. This is at first glance healthier than a dining plan, to the Steaks, Spaghetti Bolognese and pepperoni rolls popping up. The waiver of any and all animal food does, however, involve other massive dangers.
Many of the nutrients that the body needs to Survive, are contained mainly in animal foods. These include protein-building blocks, certain long-chain fatty acids, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, calcium, iron, Iodine, zinc and selenium. While vegetarians can meet the needs through dairy products, eggs, and a balanced plant-based diet, this is for vegans only difficult in terms of the Vitamin B12 even not possible at all.
This statement is even true for adults. In the case of children, and Breastfeeding, the risk for deficiency is symptoms Pregnant women due to an increased nutrient requirements even greater. You can live in the renunciation of all animal products to be healthy, if you are taking a dietary Supplement. For this reason, a vegan diet, especially in children, you can not be healthier than a mixed diet – after all, you are not supplying the body with all the vital substances.
Vegan children in Germany, one of the few groups that are at risk of malnutrition, said Berthold Koletzko, head of the Department for metabolism and diet at the haunersches kinderspital in Munich last year. The physician would prescribe vegan children living in Germany at the loved one a Egg a day, “because they contain so many important animal nutrients”.
2. Statement: A vegan diet is not harmful.
Also, this is not true in General. It is problematic, in particular if mothers eat vegan while you are breastfeeding and not on an adequate intake of Vitamin B-12, eighth. You give more to this lack through the breast milk to the infants. There are a number of cases where the babies significant development delays, or in combination with a low iron level to severe anemia suffered from.
In the past years, some clinics in Italy have reported several cases in which babies and small had to be treated in children in intensive care units, because of the suffering due to a vegan diet heavy in Vitamin B12 deficiency.
There are even some cases where children were strictly fed a vegan and not a necessary add-on products have received, as a result of this malnutrition, have died. In 2004 about one of the parents was convicted of a couple in Paderborn, after his 16-month-old son had died.
2017 had to answer a Belgian Couple to court, the Baby to malnutrition, died. The parents thought the child can’t drink cow’s milk, and fed it with plant-based milk alternatives – without consulting a doctor. The Couple was not on a vegan diet, but the sad case illustrates: A Baby can die due to a not-thought-out vegan diet.
In short: children need to include in a vegan diet always of Vitamin B-12 with food.
3. Statement: the experts agree that a vegan diet for infants and small children is impossible.
In spite of all the danger – that, too, so don’t say. Several international organizations have taken the Position that a well-planned vegan diet can be in all age groups including pregnancy and lactation as appropriate. These include
- the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
- the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
- and the Portuguese National programs for the Promotion of a Healthy Diet.
However, not all the make your statement on the assumption that the diet is well-planned and nutrient supplements and fortified foods including. The Portuguese recommendations for rates in addition to a vegan diet are small to breastfeed children up to the age of two in parallel. This is to ensure that the children receive enough milk protein.
In Germany, the “network rating of Healthy life network young families,” a vegan diet is considered to be unsuitable for Pregnant women, infants and young children. Also the German society for nutrition (DGE) advises against: “As with the waiver of any and all animal foods the risk for nutrient deficiencies and, therefore, the risk for health problems increases, it is not recommended vegan diet in pregnancy and lactation, as well as throughout the childhood and adolescence of the DGE”, – stated in a position paper from the year 2016.
Conclusion: A vegan diet alone is not enough to cover the demand of nutrients. This is especially true for Pregnant, Lactating, infants, and children. Only who is planning the composition of the food very well, blood values checked regularly and a dietary Supplement can eat healthy vegan. This applies to children especially.
Video: eat Better without coercion – The new Vegan
