Do you agree?
Holly Willoughby has raised a few eyebrows after suggesting in her new cookbook that it’s OK to raise a child as vegan.
The presenter, who isn’t a vegan herself, gives advice to parents through her second cookbook, Truly Scrumptious Baby, about weaning a six-month-old baby onto a vegan diet. She does stress, though, that there needs to be consideration given about the right kind of nutrients that the child gets.
In the book she said:
“Weaning a baby on a vegan diet does require a little more planning. Energy density of food can be a concern as vegan food is often high in fibre but not very energy dense.
Foods such as hummus, tahini, bananas, nut or seed butters, dried fruit, nutritional yeast and fortified (unsweetened) milk make great additions but it does all come back to balance and variety.”
Her advice has been met with mixed opinion, with one side saying she shouldn’t be condoning it:
Holly Willoughby & her vegan baby cookbook with no dietary qualifications. Potentially causing serious malnutrition harm to someone’s baby?
— MariaGallagher_ (@MariaGallagher_) October 21, 2017
And the other arguing that when it’s done right, a baby can benefit from such a diet:
Babies and children should not be eating animal products, a vegan diet done properly will not cause malnutrition or harm to anyone
— Vegan Hempress Ⓥ ? (@Veganhempress) October 21, 2017
According to The Daily Mail, the NHS, in the UK, has the following advice for parents who wish to introduce a vegetarian or vegan diet to their children:
“Young children need a good variety of foods to provide the energy and vitamins they need for growth. A vegan diet can be bulky and high in fibre. This can mean that children get full up before they’ve taken in enough calories. Because of this, they may need extra supplements. Ask a dietitian or doctor for advice before introducing your child to solids.”
