Key nutrients

Protein

What children primarily require is sufficient food energy i.e. calories rather than protein per se. With adequate calories an individual will be in positive nitrogen balance and will thrive on a diet in which protein is available from a mix of plant-based foods.

Vitamin B12

After birth, if a woman's breast milk contains too little B12, deficiency can then occur in her infant - not in the first few weeks of life but after a few months when his or her own stores have run down. B12 problems in breastfeeding infants of vegan mothers remain very rare. Requirements include 0.3µg per day for infants aged 0-6 months and 0.4ug for infants aged 6-12 months. Children from 1-10 years of age should consume 1ug increasing to 2ug per day. B12 deficiency in infancy and childhood is rare. However, because deficiency can have severe effects, and because natural plant sources of the vitamin are in serious doubt, it is important for vegan families to use and give their children fortified foods or supplements.

Vitamin D

Except in northern latitudes, most people obtain vitamin D from exposure to sunshine, rather than food. Consequently the UK has a set Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) only for people most at risk from deficiency - that is infants from 8.5ug dropping to 7ug per day. Formula feeds contain sufficient vitamin D for infants but breast milk may not supply adequate amounts after 4-6 months of age especially in northern countries in the winter. Even in the general population, some autumn-born babies who are solely breast fed throughout winter may develop a deficiency, because the vitamin D content of their mother's breast milk is low. Nutritional rickets is more likely to occur under these conditions in dark-skinned people, especially if traditional clothing limits exposure to sunshine. Brief daily exposure of the skin to daylight in spring, summer and autumn, read more