Abstract
Due to the lack of current, large-scale studies examining their dietary intake and health, there are concerns about vegetarian (VG) and vegan (VN) diets in childhood. Therefore, the Vegetarian and Vegan Children Study (VeChi Diet Study) examined the energy and macronutrient intake as well as the anthropometrics of 430 VG, VN, and omnivorous (OM) children (1–3 years) in Germany. A 3-day weighed dietary record assessed dietary intake, and an online questionnaire assessed lifestyle, body weight (BW), and height. Average dietary intakes and anthropometrics were compared between groups using ANCOVA. There were no significant differences in energy intake or density and anthropometrics between the study groups. OM children had the highest adjusted median intakes of protein (OM: 2.7, VG: 2.3, VN: 2.4 g/kg BW, p < 0.0001), fat (OM: 36.0, VG: 33.5, VN: 31.2%E, p < 0.0001), and added sugars (OM: 5.3, VG: 4.5, VN: 3.8%E, p = 0.002), whereas VN children had the highest adjusted intakes of carbohydrates (OM: 50.1, VG: 54.1, VN: 56.2%E, p < 0.0001) and fiber (OM: 12.2, VG: 16.5, VN: 21.8 g/1,000 kcal, p < 0.0001). Therefore, a VG and VN diet in early childhood can provide the same amount of energy and macronutrients, leading to a normal growth in comparison to OM children.
Highlights
A vegetarian (VG) diet excludes meat and fish, while a vegan (VN) diet is defined by the total absence of animal foods, including dairy products and eggs
Nine hundred and forty-four parents registered their children via online questionnaire; 503 gave their informed consent to participate with their children in the study and met all inclusion criteria
There were no significant differences in the percentage of children who had ever been breastfed between the diet groups according to the questionnaire
Summary
A vegetarian (VG) diet excludes meat and fish, while a vegan (VN) diet is defined by the total absence of animal foods, including dairy products and eggs. The number of children on such plant-based diets in Germany is unknown, VG and VN parents probably raise their children without meat or any foods of animal origin. There is a scientific debate on whether or not VG and in particular VN diets are appropriate for children since, during growth, energy and nutrient requirements are higher than for adults relative to their body weight (BW) [6,7,8]. While the German Nutrition Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung, DGE) does not recommend a VN diet for infants, children, or adolescents (as well as for pregnant and lactating women) [7], the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) from the USA stated that “well-planned VN, lacto-VG, and lacto-ovo-VG diets are appropriate for all stages of the Nutrients 2019, 11, 832; doi:10.3390/nu11040832 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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