From: altar@beaufort.sfu.ca (Ted Wayn Altar)
Subject: Re: Children begining vegetarians 
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 05:07:28 GMT

>My boyfriend is a vegetarian and we got into the topic of is
>it health
>for children to be vegetarians?
>
>Do children need to have meat protein for their growing
>bodies or could
>other things be sustituted without indangering their growth.

THE SHORT AND QUICK ANSWER

Melissa, there is absolutely no special need or advantage of
obtaining protein from meat.  Indeed, the evidence clearly
suggests that plant sources for proteins are just fine, if
not even better.  Already, we are seeing signs of heart
disease in meat-eating children as young as eight.  This is
not the case with vegetarian or vegan children.

Of course, *improper* diets can just as readily occur among
vegetarians as among omnivores.  The foolish macrobiotic
diet is a notable example.  One has to provide proper
nutrition to growing bodies and meet the dietary guidelines
dealing with food variety, moderation, balance and
developmental appropriateness of diets for children,
irrespective of whether or not the children are vegetarian.

A diet that can sustain adults, whether or not meat is
included, is not necessarily going to be appropriate for
infants and young children.  For example, diets that are low
in caloric and nutrient density and fat and high in bulk
may be quite beneficial in adulthood, but may post risks in
infancy, if only because of the greater limited capacity of
the stomach.

A proper lactovegetarian, lactoovovegetarian or a vegan diet
all can equally provide good nutrition for children. (2)  Be
particularly alert to the misconceptions and prejudices of
omnivores who presume to give advice when they themselves
have little knowledge of vegetarianism and have not read any
of the literature directly for themselves.

There actually exists a cultural prejudice against
vegetarianism, and people practicing such a dietary regime
have had to suffer all manner of misinformation and insult.
For example, an East Indian woman here at SFU when to her
medical doctor complaining of depression.  He told her to
eat meat!  The reason why she was depressed was not medical
but easily explicable by the fact that her husband had to
take a job in Africa and be away for 8 months.  He had just
left when she became depress.  This advise of this medical
doctor was not only inappropriate for the treatment of
reactive depression, but shows a complete insensitivity and
disregard towards this person's personal and cultural
practice.

If you want to read a good review summarizing the best
objective knowledge to date on this issue, see:

    Jacobs & Dwyer (1988).  Vegetarian children: Appropriate
        and inappropriate diets.  AM. J. CLIN. NUTR.,
        48:811-8.
        "Acceptable and appropriate vegetarian diets fulfill
        the Recommended Dietary Allowances and other
        authoritative dietary guidelines dealing with
        balance, variety, moderation, and developmental
        appropriateness of diets for children"

    Langley, Gill (1988).  VEGAN NUTRITION: A SURVEY OF THE
        RESEARCH
        "Infants and children reared on a varied vegan diet
        obtain adequate protein and energy, are healthy and
        grow normally, and although they tend to be of
        lighter build than omnivore children they are within
        the normal rages for height and weight"
        
        "Summary:  A varied wholefood vegan diet contains
        adequate levels of energy and protein to sustain
        good health in all age groups, as evidenced by
        studies of vegans across the world.  National and
        international recommendations for protein intake can
        be easily met on a vegan diet.  The main protein-
        rich foods -- pulses, nuts, grains, and seeds -- are
        energy-dense, and their use ensures that appropriate
        levels of nitrogen and essential amino acids are
        available.  Potatoes and other vegetables also
        provide useful amount of protein.  From a wider
        health perspective it is significant that, as the
        COMA Report on Diet and Heart Disease pointed out,
        animal protein is often associated with saturated
        fat, while plant protein is usually associated with
        fibre.  The NACNE Report also stated that the
        `healthful' diet will contain larger amounts of
        cereal and vegetable protein, and less protein from
        animal foods."
        . . .
        "Care should be taken that infants, when weaned, have
        an adequate intake of dietary energy and this can be
        ensured by the use of suitably prepared pulses,
        grains, nuts and seeds.  These foods should be used
        as staples, with smaller amounts of bulky, less
        energy-dense fruits and vegetables, so that the
        latter do not fill the small stomachs of infants and
        preclude the consumption of adequate energy and
        protein.  These guidelines are easy to follow, once
        understood, and allow children to be reared in good
        health on a vegan diet, as evidence by the studies
        cited."
        
I hope this helps.  Do take a look at the two very good
references above.  I don't want you to simply take my word
for it.  Indeed, one should *never* take anyone's word
for it here on the net regarding what can be a complex
issue, especially from those too lazy to cite their 
sources.
        
                                    Cheers,
        
                                        ted