Now that baby is in full swing with solid foods, the new mama stress ball rolls around in my noggin every once in a while and wonders whether the finger food feast I prepared every mealtime is diverse enough. Is baby getting all the nutrients she needs? What diet is really best for development?
Around our table
Now just because of personal preference, I'm a big fan of hearty veggie meals and prior to babe our house was vegetarian most nights of the week. When I was pregnant, we upped our protein with more meat in our meals, and I've tried to carry that trend now that baby is eating solid foods and growing like a weed. Easy, fast, baby-friendly protein in our house these days are pieces of BBQ chicken breasts or homemade meatballs. But what are the consequences of eliminating meat or animal products from baby's diet?
A new study takes a look
A recent and interesting study published in March this year by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at growth, body comparison, and cardiovascular and nutritional risk in children. Specifically, they were exploring the impacts of vegan and vegetarian diets. As the researchers state in their introductory arguments, plant-based diets have become increasingly recommended to slow the impacts of climate change. Back in 2019, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put out a special report entitled Climate Change and Land, which argued that if our planet's land was used more effectively, it would better store some of the carbon emitted by humans.
What the study found
This study looked at a sample of 187 Polish children between the ages of 5-10 who followed either omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan diets. What they found was children following a vegan diet had a healthier cardiovascular profile and less body fat, with reports showing 25% lower levels of low-density lipoprotien (a fancy way of saying the "bad" cholesterol that can lead to heart attacks and strokes later in life) than their omnivore counterparts. However, they also showed nutrient deficiencies that resulted these children being shorter and weaker than those children following an omnivore diet, averaging at 1.2 inches shorter, 4-6% lower bone material content, and more likely to be deficient in vitamin B-12. Looking at those children who followed a vegetarian diet, there were fewer nutritional deficiencies than vegan diets, but a lower cardiovascular profile. The researchers think that the lower bone material content may be a result of lower protein calcium and vitamins. Interestingly, they also found that vegetarians also had less healthy levels of fiber and sugar than their vegan counterparts.
What do the researchers recommend?
The study concludes with evidence that all types of diets in childhood have benefits and risks associated. Though if we are moving toward a meat-free future, researchers emphasized the importance of taking supplementary vitamin D and B12 if your child is following a plant-based diet. In Fort St. John, our Public Health office and HealthLink BC recommend that babies take 400 IUs of Vitamin D a day. Chances are you doctor has recommended those baby "d-drops" that you can find at the Shoppers. In Canada, and especially up north in Fort St. John where we live at such a high latitude, our limited sun exposure affects our Vitamin D intake
Things to keep in mind
Keep in mind that this is a relatively new field of study with a sparsity of evidence in academia about the impact of vegan and vegetarian diets in children. But if your household is (or considering becoming) vegan or vegetarian, I encourage you to keep up with the new research as it sounds like this is a new and exciting research area in the future.
A.M. Cullen lives and writes in Fort St. John. Are you parenting in the Peace? Send in your questions, topics, or suggestions for #MomLife to cover at momlife.ahnfsj@gmail.com.
