- Experts on vegan diet -
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Question (A. K. D.):
My husband and I have decided to change our diet and we are interested in how vegan diet affects children. We have a five year old daughter and want to be sure that a plant-based diet can provide everything that we were receiving in our former diet.Answer (Mag. nutr. Ivana Šimić):
We are glad that you are changing your diet while acting responsibly toward your own health and the health of your child, and we fully support your attitude toward nutrition. Some of the members of AFC have been raised vegan or vegetarian and are now in school or grown-ups. What is interesting is that those children have been rarely or never sick while growing up compared to their peers.
The world renowned pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock in his book Baby and Child Care recommends precisely vegan diet as completely acceptable for children’s health. Dr. Spock was a member of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which takes a scientifically supported position that the veg(etari)an diet is optimal for healthy growth and development of children, as well as for adults.
For more information we invite you to read these articles on vegan diet for children: “Vegan Children: Happy and Healthy”.
You can also watch three videos on vegetarianism in children on our YouTube channel:
Vegetarian and vegan diet for children
Children and veganism -
Question (N. N.):
Are there any health risks due to vitamin B12 deficiency?Answer (Mag. nutr. Ivana Šimić):
Vitamin B12 supplements come from natural sources because vitamin B12 does not exist in nature due to our contemporary way of life. Since vitamin B12 deficiency doesn’t affect just vegans, but also people over 50 regardless of their diet, it is important to act responsibly toward our own health and take B12 supplements.
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Question (N. N.):
Where can I find 100% natural organic soy and soy products, since apparently over 90% of soy is genetically modified?Answer (Mag. nutr. Ivana Šimić):
Regarding your question about buying soy which is not genetically modified, you can find GMO-free certified soy in eco and other stores. Be sure to check the labels on the products.
Unfortunately, it is true that a large part of soy is genetically modified. The majority of such soy is used in animal feed, but can also be used in processed meat products such as chicken salami. -
Question (S. S.):
What is the nutritional value of seitan?Answer (Mag. nutr. Ivana Šimić):
Seitan, or wheat meat, is a high-protein food made of wheat flour and water. It is a good source of protein, but poor in fat and carbohydrates. Being plant-based, it is free of cholesterol. 100 g of fresh seitan contains around 147 kcal, 26.7 g of protein, 1.6 g of fat, and 6.2 g of carbohydrate. Regarding minerals, seitan contains iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
After wheat flour and water have been made into dough, repeatedly washing the dough removes the starch while the protein composite gluten remains. The result of washing the wheat dough is a yellowish (gummy) mass consisting of gluten. Seitan is produced by cooking this mass with spices, which is then ready for further use.
Seitan can be home-prepared in various ways, and with store-bought seitan, check its exact nutritional values. -
Question (N. N.):
Are vegans in danger of being deficient in some other vitamins apart from B12?Answer (Veganopolis tim):
Regarding other nutrients, it is important to be aware of vitamin D if you are not spending enough time outdoors, since the single most important source of vitamin D is the exposure of skin to sunlight.