Belgium’s Royal Academy of Medicine found that an estimated 3% of Belgian children follow a vegan diet that does not include eggs, meat, dairy products, and other animal-derived ingredients. The academy explained that this type of eating plan is quite restrictive, creates unavoidable nutritional shortcomings, and could lead to deficiencies and stunted development if not properly monitored.
The academy functions as an advisory agency for the government institutions in Belgian.
A pediatrician at Queen Fabiola Children’s Hospital Dr. Georges Casimir discouraged the vegan diet for children as well as pregnant women because of the possibility of “irreversible” harms. The academy appointed Dr. Casimir to study the issue of veganism.
The pediatrician explained that the vegan diet could cause a potential health issue due to a lack of sufficient proteins and essential fatty acids for brain development in children.
Dr. Casimir stated, “Vitamins, including essential ingredients such as D and B12, calcium or even trace elements and nutrients essential for proper development are ‘absent from this diet.’”
Isabelle Thiebaut, a president of a European organization for dieticians, said, “It is important to explain to parents about weight-loss and psychomotor delays, under-nutrition, anemia and other possible nutritional shortfalls caused by a vegan diet for children. If parents do not follow the new recommendation, children who continue to follow a vegan diet should receive supplements, medical followup and regular blood tests, according to the academy.”
However, not everyone agrees with the academy’s statement.
According to the British Dietetic Association, “Well-planned plant-based, vegan-friendly diets can be devised to support healthy living at every age and life-stage.” The association said that Great Britain has nearly 600,000 vegans, which is roughly 1.2% of its population in 2018.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the United States’ largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, “Appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.”
The organization also stated that vegans have a reduced risk of developing certain medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, and even cancer.
According to the Vegan Society, a very small group of people who were vegetarians coined the term “vegan” in 1944. A recent study has found that the global adoption of a vegan diet would help prevent more than 8 million deaths per year by 2050.
