At what age can children be vegetarian?

Dr. Phan Bich Nga, Director of the Nutrition Consulting Center, National Institute of Nutrition, said that many people currently tend to be vegetarian. Especially those who are vegetarians often encourage, and some even "force" children to be vegetarian because they believe that vegetarianism is very good for health.

"We meet many vegetarian mothers who have strong wills and force their children to follow suit," said Dr. Nga.

According to nutritionists, children under 15 years old should not be vegetarian. An inadequate vegetarian diet not only affects physical development, but also affects the development of neurons (Photo: Getty).

However, according to this expert, children under 15 years old should not be vegetarian. Being vegetarian at this age does not provide the body with enough nutrients, affecting not only the development of stature and height but also the perfection of neurons.

"In reality, many children who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet when examined are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition, with vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies, and anemia," said Dr. Nga.

Therefore, according to this expert, children need to eat a balanced diet of four food groups including starch, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.

Parents need to feed their children a variety of foods, get enough sleep on time, and increase their physical strength at least 30 minutes a day... so that their children can develop comprehensively.

Especially in children, animal protein sources are very important. In children, energy sources from animal protein can account for more than 60% of total protein energy.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/tre-em-o-tuoi-nao-co-the-an-chay-20240304153550563.htm