Elena Moroz:  As vegetarian diets are becoming increasingly mainstream, more families and children are starting to make the switch. Indeed, there are many health and environmental benefits to eating a plant-based diet.  But, if you’re considering becoming vegetarian, you should be aware of the differences in nutritional needs between children and adults. 

The Health Benefits

Why bother raising kids vegetarian? Because it can drastically decrease the chance of your child getting heart disease, diabetes, cancers and obesity later on in life.  Studies show that vegetarian children, contrary to common belief, grow as tall as omnivorous children, and sometimes even taller. Other studies show that vegetarian children have higher IQ's, with averages as high as 116.  Furthermore, the prevalence of allergies, acne, and gastrointestinal problems are decreased with vegetarian diets.  By avoiding meat, your children are also avoiding the pesticides and toxins that accumulate at the top of the food chain.

Proper Nutrition for Vegetarian Children

The nutrients that children need growing up are all readily available in vegetarian foods, however vegetarian children, if not fed properly, can have lower levels of:

· Calcium: Deficiency can cause weaker bones and teeth, bone deformities and stunted growth 

· Vitamin B12: Deficiency can cause anemia and an unhealthy nervous system. 

· Iron: Deficiency can cause fatigue, weakness, and anemia.

Sources of calcium:

- Beans, Yams, Dried Figs, Collards, Kale, Broccoli, Soymilk, Rice Milk, and Orange juice that fortified with calcium. 

Sources of healthy fats:

- Avocado, Coconut, Nuts

Sources of protein:

- Grains, Vegetables, Nuts, Fruits, Beans, Garbanzo beans, Peanuts, Soy products

Sources of Iron:

- Beans, Lentils, Spinach, Broccoli, Soy products, Wheat, Oats

For enough vitamin B12 consumption, important for healthy blood, brain and nervous system, supplements can be taken. However, it is also found in milk products and it is supplemented in most vegan foods such as tofu and soy milk.

Watch out for:

Vegetarian diets are high in fiber, which is great for a healthy digestive system, but it can also be bulky and fill up the small stomachs of little vegetarians before they get the high calorie intake that they need, so highly caloric foods such as dried fruit and nut butters can solve the problem, along with fruit juices.

Environmental Advantages of a Vegetarian Diet

In addition to the health benefits, eating a plant-based diet is easier on the Earth. Consider these facts:

• When energy is converted from one level in the food chain to the next through the ingestion of vegetables by animals, most of the energy is lost. For example, the same amount of soy provides 22 times more food for humans if eaten directly, then if used to raise a cow for food. More than 50% of the corn grown in the US is fed to animals.

• Raising livestock produces more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation does. You reduce your carbon footprint more by becoming a vegetarian than by quitting driving.

• According to the NRDC, “Giant livestock farms, which can house hundreds of thousands of pigs, chickens, or cows, produce vast amounts of waste -- often generating the waste equivalent of a small city. While a problem of this nature -- and scale -- sounds almost comical, pollution from livestock farms seriously threatens humans, fish and ecosystems.”


Albert Einstein said “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."  Even if you’re not ready to become completely vegetarian – consider at least eating less meat.  Every little bit less helps your family’s health and the planet.


* The China Study by T. Colin Campbell PhD, Thomas M. Campbell II

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

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