Q & A: Is it safe to raise vegan babies?

Question

I’m seeking credible information on raising a vegan baby. My 11-month-old grandson has been vegan since conception. He consumes vegan-mommy’s breast milk along with beans, greens, veggies, vitamin C, and some grains. 

His pediatrician has been pretty supportive, but is scaring his parents into thinking they must supplement his diet with eggs “for brain development”. 

They don’t want to – none of us do. But we all want to do the right thing for him, and not cause any damage. He was born 9 lbs, healthy, is developing beautifully and has never been sick in his 11 months of life. 

Answer

His pediatrician is right about brain development. Fortunately, eggs are not the only option. Very young children (under 5) and the elderly (say over 65) don't easily convert plant nutrients into their animal form that the body needs. 

This includes converting beta-carotene into vitamin A, omega-3 fats (in chia, flax and hemp seeds) into DHA/EPA (for his brain) and vitamin K1 (in leafy greens) into vitamin K2 (for healthy bone and teeth development).

If he's still breastfeeding, then his mother must either eat natto for K2 (google it) or take a vegan K2 supplement. Otherwise she's at risk of cavities and he's at risk of crumbling teeth. I've seen it again and again.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman advises that all vegan babies be given a vegan DHA/EPA supplement made from microalgae oil, as well as a vitamin B12 supplement. Your grandson needs both DHA & B12 for his brain.

Remember, vegans are the guinea pigs. There has never been a multi-generational vegan society in the history of the human race. 

Thankfully, there are vegan doctors like Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo and Dr. Michael Klaper, who've contributed to the lesson content in our Mastery Program.

– Val Archer, on-staff health expert at The Vegetarian Health Institute