Infants and children consuming atypical diets: Vegetarianism and macrobiotics

Table 1 summarizes current recommendations for children being weaned onto a vegetarian diet (4,27,28). Children consuming atypical diets are not uncommon and are on the rise, as judged by the plethora of information on veganism directed to those caring for children. For example, an Internet search of the terms 'vegan' and 'children' produced 1,380,000 hits. Without the appropriate monitoring and supplementation, these diets may have deleterious effects on a child's health outcomes. Nutritional deficiencies, particularly early in life, may adversely affect growth, bone mineral content, and motor and cognitive development. Most significantly, it is important to recognize that although it is the 21st century, children may still die as a consequence of being placed on these atypical diets by their parents without appropriate care and supervision. Because these deleterious affects can be avoided, it is highly recommended that child health practitioners carefully review dietary intake, including all supplements, when interviewing parents who provide these atypical diets (especially during infancy and early childhood) and make the appropriate interventions. ©2007 Pulsus Group Inc. All rights reserved.