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Children on Vegetarian Diets Show Similar Growth and Nutrition Compared to Children Who Aren't

posted by janrinok on Thursday May 05 2022, @02:04AM   
from the I've-got-a-new-age-kid dept.

hubie writes:

A study of nearly 9,000 children found those who eat a vegetarian diet had similar measures of growth and nutrition compared to children who eat meat:

[...] Researchers found children who had a vegetarian diet had similar mean body mass index (BMI), height, iron, vitamin D, and cholesterol levels compared to those who consumed meat. The findings showed evidence that children with a vegetarian diet had almost two-fold higher odds of having underweight, which is defined as below the third percentile for BMI. There was no evidence of an association with overweight or obesity.

Underweight is an indicator of undernutrition, and may be a sign that the quality of the child's diet is not meeting the child's nutritional needs to support normal growth. For children who eat a vegetarian diet, the researchers emphasized access to healthcare providers who can provide growth monitoring, education and guidance to support their growth and nutrition.

[...] A limitation of the study is that researchers did not assess the quality of the vegetarian diets. The researchers note that vegetarian diets come in many forms and the quality of the individual diet may be quite important to growth and nutritional outcomes. The authors say further research is needed to examine the quality of vegetarian diets in childhood, as well as growth and nutrition outcomes among children following a vegan diet, which excludes meat and animal derived products such as dairy, egg, and honey.

Journal Reference:
Laura J. Elliott et al. Vegetarian Diet, Growth, and Nutrition in Early Childhood: A Longitudinal Cohort Study [open] Pediatrics 2022
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-052598

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Original Submission

• Re:"Vegetarian diet" is almost meaningless Re:"Vegetarian diet" is almost meaningless (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 05 2022, @09:30AM (1 child)

  by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 05 2022, @09:30AM (#1242399)

  There is a reason why humans are omnivores: there are certain molecules they cannot produce themselves and they get from their food. Certain proteins are essential to healthy development especially at a very young age. The easiest way to get them is by eating meat.

  A healthy and balanced diet will have some meat and a lot of vegetables, fruits and nuts. Sourcing your food from a high quality producer is a bonus.

  In my opinion, vegans in the west are a bunch of superstitious and misinformed people. See here https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/vegan-couple-murder-baby-starve-ryan-patrick-o-leary-sheila-florida-a9255046.html [independent.co.uk]

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• Re:"Vegetarian diet" is almost meaningless (Score: 2) by helel on Thursday May 05 2022, @04:31PM

  by helel (2949) on Thursday May 05 2022, @04:31PM (#1242513)

  The easiest way to get them is by eating meat.

  I've found beans easier to catch but maybe it depends on the varieties growing near you?

  --
  Republican Patriotism [youtube.com]

  Parent