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The vast majority of vegan parents are incredibly health conscious. By the very fact that you picked up this book, you’re probably one of them. It’s regrettable that the few vegan parents who haven’t had the proper nutrition knowledge or have had other issues that led to their child’s health problems have given veganism a bad name in some medical circles. That said, any parent—vegan or not—can have nutritional blind spots. This chapter helps bring those to light for us all.

Signs of Nutritional Deficiencies

No supporter of healthy vegan diets likes to hear about situations such as a vegan child who loses his vision due to a complete deficiency in vitamin A; a baby who becomes extremely ill due to his vegan breast-feeding mom’s vitamin B12 deficiency; or a teen who says she’s vegan and severely restricts her diet, but really has an underlying serious eating disorder.

Unfortunately, these situations have happened and could happen again unless vegan parents have the right nutrition information, healthy dietary practices, common sense, and sound reasons for raising a vegan child.

Even if nutrient deficits aren’t as extreme as these examples, many children in industrialized nations aren’t getting optimal nutrition, vegan or otherwise. Even the belief that people—vegan or omnivorous—can get all the nutrients they need for optimal health from food alone is hotly debated in the medical community. Some experts suggest it’s no longer possible to meet full nutrient needs without a multivitamin and mineral supplement and other supplements like DHA because of poor soil quality, genetic engineering, storage and transport of food over long distances, and increased environmental toxins.

Many of the calories children consume today are empty calories, devoid of whole-food nutrients. Kids who don’t eat adequate protein or who lack healthy fats, like DHA, often have a difficult time staying focused in school. Most of these mild deficiencies would not register on a blood test, but they show in the child’s behavior, general health, and wellness.

Several low-grade deficiencies may sneak into American families’ everyday lives. It’s estimated that almost all Americans are at least somewhat deficient in vitamin D. Educating women of child-bearing age about optimal levels of folic acid in their diets to prevent birth defects is an important health concern in our society. With the many challenges the SAD (standard American diet) presents, parents need to learn everything we can about basic childhood nutrition to protect our children against some of the most avoidable health-related problems.

In this section, we’ll review the nutritional needs vegan parents must be most aware of to ensure healthful diets for our children. Read on for signs of significant nutritional deficiencies, as well as good food sources of these nutrients. If you suspect any of these deficiencies in your child, it is important to consult with your child’s primary care physician.

Vegan Vocab

SAD, or the standard American diet, is the sugar-and meat-heavy diet typical of Westernized populations and quickly spreading throughout the globe. Many health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease have been associated with the SAD.

Iron

Physical symptoms of iron deficiency include pale skin, lack of energy, pale lower lids of the eye, shortness of breath with exercise, or a fast heart beat.

Good kid-friendly food sources of iron include the following:

◆ Beans

◆ Blackstrap molasses

◆ Bran flakes

◆ Enriched grain products

◆ Pumpkin seeds

◆ Tofu

Eating food cooked in a cast-iron skillet also increases iron absorption. If you give your child an iron supplement, give her orange juice to drink at the same time because vitamin C increases iron absorption. (Be sure to keep supplements containing iron out of reach of your child and in a childproof container.)

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to weak bones, and some researchers suggest it may