Are you afraid that your precious Oliver or Olivia might not fare well if you don’t feed them animal products? This fear has kept many moms and families from going all-in on a vegan diet, not just in the U.S., but across the world as well. The recent cross-sectional study that was published in Communications Medicine in 2025 provides fresh evidence that vegan diets can support healthy growth in children. This has been seen before, but it’s good to see fresh evidence.
Vegan Kids in the Czech Republic Are Healthier than Omnivore Kids
Here’s what the research team found in the Czech Republic, among families with children who had adhered to their diet since birth. The research team interviewed 95 families. There were 47 vegan families, 23 vegetarian and 25 omnivore families for a total of 187 adults and 142 children.
While the vegan children showed no significant differences in growth or bone health compared to their vegetarian or omnivore peers, they did find that urinary iodide levels were lower in the vegan kids. The vegan kids had higher levels of folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin D than omnivores, partly due to careful supplementation. The authors concluded that, overall, a well-planned vegan diet was safe and beneficial for the children, especially for lipids and cardiovascular health, as the vegan kids had lower total and LDL cholesterol than the other groups. Differences in growth were attributed to family differences rather than to diet.
The only nutrient of concern was iodine, which can be easily optimized with supplements.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Planned Vegan Diet Healthy for Kids
It is not shocking to me to see this finding, as this isn’t new science. In fact, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly known as the American Dietetic Association, has endorsed vegan diets for children for almost a decade now. In their 2016 position paper, they stated this: “It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.”
Recent Studies of Vegan Kids Agree: Planned Vegan Diets are Healthy
VegChi Diet Study
In a recent blog called Healthy, Happy and Plant-Based: The Ultimate Guide for Parents, I highlighted the work from the VegChi Diet Study for 1 to 3-year-olds. In this German study, they compared 430 children raised on vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets. They were all growing fine.
The vegan kids had higher intakes of vitamin E, B1, folate, magnesium, and iron, while the omnivorous diet provided more vitamin B2, calcium, iodine, and DHA. They all needed more vitamin D and iodine from supplements.
VegChi Youth Study
I also talked about the VegChi Youth Study, looking at health outcomes of 6-18-year-olds in Germany. Energy intake was the same for all of them, and they all had sufficient protein intake. Folate levels were higher in the vegan kids, but there were no differences in hemoglobin, vitamin B2, vitamin D, HDL, cholesterol, or triglycerides between the groups.
Generation R Study
A study of 3,340 children in the Generation R study, based in the Netherlands, found that children ages 8 through 13 maintained healthy body composition from childhood through adolescence. When they followed a healthful plant-based diet, they had better nutrient intakes of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and copper—and a higher fat-free mass index and a lower body fat percentage.
Meta-Analysis of 59 Cross-Sectional Studies of Children on Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
An Italian research group published a meta-analysis of lacto-ovo-vegetarian and vegan diets in children and adolescents in March 2025. They identified 59 studies including 48,000 participants, including 7,000 lacto-ovo-vegetarians, about 1,300 vegans, and about 40,000 omnivorous children. Nutrient intake among these vegan children was similar to that found in other studies—a little less energy, protein, fat, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and zinc than their omnivorous peers, but also more fiber, iron, folate, vitamin C, and magnesium. (Not all of the children in these studies took supplements.)
The vegan children were slightly smaller and leaner. Iron deficiency and anemia were a concern for vegetarians and vegans both, but this may have been more in lower-income countries with less access to fruits and vegetables. Iron deficiency and anemia were not seen in the VegChi Study or in the Czech Republic study. Iron is easily obtained in a whole-foods plant-based diet, with no issues of adequate intake or absorption.
Overall, vegetarian and vegan diets supported healthy growth in children who were a bit leaner and less prone to being overweight; with a bit of planning and supplementation, they did fine.
4 Key Supplements Needed by Vegan Kids and Most Other Kids, Too
Now, a key phrase in there is “appropriately planned,” or “specific guidance,” or “well-planned.” Words like that indicate you can’t just do it haphazardly.
There are just 4 nutrients that you need to be aware of: vitamin D, vitamin B-12, fish oil, and iodine. Of these four, three of them also need to be supplemented on an omnivorous diet. So don’t feel bad about taking supplements on a vegan diet. Instead of thinking your diet is somehow deficient, reframe it: You are actually optimizing these nutrients by taking a little bit of care.
How the Donaldsons Do Supplements
Here’s how we did our kids’ supplements. Once a week, we took our “Sunday vitamins”, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Every day, we gave them a capsule of fish oil and vitamin C, and we mixed iodine into our morning smoothies. That was it. Super simple to take care of, just a little bit of planning and not very expensive either. So we optimized these nutrients for our kids and got all the benefits of a plant-based diet. It is a win-win situation.
And it worked great for us. Our kids grew up without allergies, having plenty of energy, growing regularly, but not being overweight, and learning good habits about eating whole, real foods. They grew a little slower during their growth spurts, but for longer through adolescence to reach their full potential.
Bottom Line: You Can Raise Thriving Vegan Children
When you combine all of this research together with the experience of people you know or people who have been around you, you see that vegetarian and vegan diets are not just safe for kids; they can provide superior health outcomes when they’re planned and well-balanced. Kids grow up normal-sized, not like overweight Americans, and they thrive.
So ditch the fear and jump in. It’s fine to be plant-based. In fact, you’ll be doing your kids a favor. Relax, have fun, and enjoy your meals together.
