Vegetarian Children

Vegetarian feeding implies a diversified set of concepts, variants, advantages and limitations for the health of those who practice it, ranging from a simple restriction to red meat or a total restriction on the consumption of food of animal origin, as well as food that in the animal production, bring the animal a greater or lesser degree of suffering.
Among the various types of vegetarian diets, the most restrictive is the vegan diet! With total restriction on the consumption and use of products that may derive from animal origin, with motivations not only for health reasons, but especially adopted by a group of people who defend and adopt life philosophies oriented towards this behavior and lifestyle, not only in food.
There are concepts in nutrition such as the biological value and bioavailability of nutrients, which correspond to their "quality" and ability of the body to absorb and use them effectively. It is also known that the same nutrient has different bioavailabilities according to its origin and, for proteins, fat soluble vitamins, certain mineral salts and essential fatty acids, the source of animal origin is essential. That is to say, the fact that 100 g of Galician cabbage has about twice the amount of calcium compared to 100 ml of half-fat milk does not mean that the former is more beneficial to the human organism, but quite the opposite.
Life stages in which there is a higher rate of growth, from pregnancy to adulthood, should only be subject to restrictive diets in specific and necessary cases. For all nutrients are essential to optimal physical, intellectual and cognitive growth and development.
Again, the Mediterranean diet and characteristically the Portuguese diet is one of the most complete and balanced, and if we check its wheels and educational pyramids, we easily realize that the largest and most frequent dietary intake should in fact be in foods of vegetable origin, but requiring the daily requirement of food of animal origin (dairy products, eggs, meat and fish).
Starting in the pregnant woman, to the baby, then the the child, to the adolescent and to the young, they are examples of life stages in which not only varied food consumption but also energy are necessary, as they are essential growth and development phases. When we restrict food and limit it only to foods of plant origin, this growth and development is at risk, resulting or likely to result in deficiencies or even illness.
Total substitution of food of animal origin with food of plant origin also entails medium / long-term health risks, as in the case of milk and soybeans (rich in aluminum, phytates and phytoestrogens).
In this way, vegans are considered a risk group in nutritional terms and consequently in terms of health in general. That is why they should always seek the help of the nutritionist to try to approximate their intake of the desired nutritional values and with the proper advice on food supplementation, essential from an early age. Adolescents and young vegans are, according to studies conducted and, for me, a real concern at this level. In particular, there is a risk of iron deficiency anemia and malnutrition, since it is an age when they are very selective, practicing nutritionally restrictive feeds and, in addition, blood loss during the menstrual period.
Although there are no specific scientific studies and recommendations on vegan feeding at pediatric ages, there are already some indications about dietary alternatives for these cases, noting the need to strengthen the intake of oleaginous fruits, vegetables, whole grains and horticultural crops, and that introductions foods of plant origin comply with that recommended for omnivorous food.