Top 5 Concerns About Plant-Based Diets for Kids — Answered by a Dietitian - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian

Sharon Palmer RD

Published on June 23, 2022

Worried about feeding your child a plant-based diet? A plant-based dietitian answers 5 common questions about raising healthy semi-vegetarian, vegetarian or vegan kids. Plus get top kid-friendly plant-based recipes!

Is a Plant-Based Diet Safe for Kids? Top 5 Parent Questions Answered by a Dietitian

Are you wondering if a plant-based diet is safe or healthy for your child? You’re not alone. Many parents considering vegetarian, vegan, or mostly plant-based eating for their kids have questions about protein, nutrients, growth, and more. As a plant-based dietitian, I’ve heard it all—and I’m here to help. I’m walking you through the top 5 concerns parents have about plant-based diets for children and explaining how to ensure your child gets everything they need to thrive, whether your family is fully vegan, vegetarian, or just aiming for more plant-forward meals.

Rely on a few kid-friendly plant-based staples, such as this recipe for Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas.

After all, if you’re fueling your kid’s diet with plants, you probably have lots of questions on how to appropriately plan your child’s meals in order to meet all of their nutrient needs for healthy growth and development. And you are not alone! More and more parents are living the plant-based lifestyle at home with their families, so naturally they have a range of questions on how to make the most of this healthy eating style. That’s why I’m answering some of the most common questions I receive on plant-based eating for kids and how to plan a healthy, balanced diet for the whole family.

Make sure to check out my book The Plant-Powered Diet, which provides all the know-how you need to plan a healthy plant-based diet across a spectrum of plant-based eating patterns.

Kids loves these savory Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Sauce, which are easy and nutritious for all ages.

Top 5 Questions on Plant-Based Eating for Kids

1. What Does a Plant-Based Diet Mean for My Child?

Technically, a plant-based diet means a diet that focuses primarily on plants. To some, this means a small amount of animal foods, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products in the diet, with the majority of the diet based on plants, such as beans, soy foods, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. However, today many people define a plant-based diet as 100% plant-based—essentially, vegan. The choice is yours on how plant-based you would like your family’s diet to be. Some families go flexitarian or semivegetarian, and then move in the direction of more plant-based over time. Research shows that a well-planned completely plant-based diet can meet your child’s nutrient needs. No matter what, it’s important to focus on eating more plants, and fewer animal foods.

Top 5 Questions on Plant-Based Eating for Kids — Kid-friendly Berry Oat Tahini Bars are 100% plant-based.

2. If My Child Eats a Plant-Based Diet Are There Benefits?

Yes! Studies show that kids who eat plant-based diets gain more health-protective nutrients in their diet, such as fiber, certain vitamins and minerals, and phytochemicals (plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action). It’s no wonder that plant-based kids tend to have lower risks of obesity and chronic diseases later in life. Plus, studies show that by eating a plant-based diet you can seriously reduce your environmental footprint over your entire lifetime. That’s because it’s more much efficient to grow plants and eat them, rather than to grow plants, feed them to animals over their lifetime, then eat the animals.

Include a variety of wholesome plant-based foods, such as this recipe for Curried Oat White Bean Veggie Burgers.

3. Are There Any Development Issues for Kids Related to Eating a Plant-Based Diet?

While the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics acknowledges that a well-planned, plant-based diet (vegetarian and vegan) can be nutritionally appropriate for people of all ages—including children—the emphasis is on “well-planned”. This essentially means that it’s possible to meet your nutrient needs via a plant-based diet, but it’s important to do the planning to ensure your child has a good supply of all of the nutrients needed to promote healthy development. This includes adequate intakes of essential protein, carbohydrate, fats, vitamins, and minerals in the diet.

Smoothies, like this Purple Power Blueberry Smoothie, are a great way to get powerful plant-based nutrition in kids’ diets.

4. How Do You Plan a Well-Balanced, Plant-Based Diet for Children?

It’s important to get good supplies of all of the major food groups in your child’s diet, especially as they move from solely breast or infant formula to solid foods. They need to get the following foods in their diet to meet their nutrient needs (the texture and types of foods differ depending on age). Check out this helpful plant-based children’s feeding guide for more information.

Protein: Plant protein sources include tofu, soymilk, beans, lentils, peanut butter, and almond butter.
Grains: Grains, such as wheat, rice, quinoa, barley, and oats, provide important sources of energy (carbohydrates), fiber, vitamins (B6, E, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, and folate), minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and potassium), and even some protein and phytochemicals.
Vegetables: A variety of vegetables, such as carrots, tomatoes, greens, beets, squash, and peas provide healthy carbs, fiber, vitamins (A, B6, C, K, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid), minerals (iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, copper, and selenium), a bevy of phytochemicals, and even some protein.
Fruits: A bounty of fruits , such as berries, peaches, bananas, and pears, offer natural sweetness, plus healthy carbs, fiber, vitamins (A, B6, C, E, K, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, and pantothenic acid), minerals (calcium, potassium, manganese, and copper), and a cache of phytochemicals.
Healthy Fats: Make sure that healthy fats, like nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, and plant oils, are part of the diet in order to meet needs for essential fatty acids.
Supplements: It’s important to ensure an adequate supply of vitamin B12—available only in animal foods—in the diet through supplements. Other nutrients that may need supplementation include vitamin D and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Speak to your health care provider about options.

Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls are packed with 3 grams of plant protein per serving.

5. How Do I Get Enough Protein in My Child’s Diet?

Believe it or not, you can get enough protein in your child’s diet with plants. Younger palates (6-8 months of age) can include soymilk, well-cooked and pureed tofu, beans, or lentils. At 8-12 months, kids can start increasing textures of foods to include mashed tofu and beans, as well as nut butters. When children are 1-3, they can start enjoying a variety of pulses (beans, lentils, peas), tofu, tempeh, grains, and meat alternatives. As they get older, they can continue to include larger portions of these foods to meet their energy and nutrient needs. Include a protein-rich food at each meal and snack.