I is for Infants

There are many concerns surrounding dietary preferences for newborns and infants, with parents bombarded with contradictory information regarding nutrition.

The most common nutritional deficiencies in Australian babies and children are what you have heard many times over: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Calcium, Iodine, Iron, and Zinc. We have heard these so many times because they are also the most common deficiencies in Australian adults. A number of these, we have been told, can be found in abundance in animal products and a healthy amount of meat, eggs, and dairy is the key to a balanced diet.

Most Australians probably assume they don’t need to be concerned about this for their children, being one of the highest meat-eating countries in the world at around 90 kilograms per person each year. But, if most children eat the recommended amount of meat, eggs, and dairy, why are there deficiencies? Australian government reports have found that 9 in 10 Australians do not eat enough vegetables and 4 in 5 do not eat enough fruit, a stark contrast to the amount of meat eaten. With the exception of Vitamin D, the source of all these nutritional deficiencies is a lack of plants incorporated into Australian’s diets.

It is commonly advised that Vitamin B12 occurs ‘naturally’ in meat. It is partially true, however the process of getting B12 from animals absorbed into our bodies is increasingly difficult given harsh modern farming practices. B12 actually comes from bacteria in the gut of an animal, but when the animal is given a combination of poor diet, restricted lifestyle, sterilised or fortified water, and antibiotics, the opportunity for their gut to develop sufficient amounts of B12 over time to pass on in their meat is severely reduced. B12 absorption from meat consumption is very low, as indicated by the population-wide deficiency, but can be adequately obtained by taking a rapid absorption vitamin tablet or liquid drops.

Like meat, Australians are among the highest consumers of dairy milk in the world, consuming around 93 litres per person each year, yet calcium deficiencies are still common. Drinking milk can also have a detrimental effect on other nutrients as excessive calcium intake interferes with iron absorption. Conversely, a calcium deficiency coupled with a Vitamin D deficiency contributes to weakened bones.

Animals are often fed bone meal, egg shells, or limestone to boost the calcium passed on through their milk as they ‘naturally’ produce so little, again as a result of modern farming practices. Yet dairy animals primarily require the calcium for their own bodies from a varied diet of plants, as is their natural way of eating. Nuts, particularly almonds and hazelnuts, are high in calcium, as are dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. Calcium absorption is more effective directly from plant source.

Animals from smaller, legitimately family-operated farms may harbour higher nutrients in their meat, however eating animals is still filtering the nutrition they themselves obtain from their healthier diet of plants and vegetables. Like pseudomedicine practitioners diluting their remedies thousands of times over, eating animals to get valuable nutrients is like dunking a teabag in the Pacific Ocean and taking a sip.

If the meat-eating population of Australian infants are deficient in these nutrients, how might a plant-based diet impact babies differently? The most commonly reported nutritional deficiencies in Australian plant-based babies is rather similar: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Calcium, and Iron. Almost identical to the common deficiencies in all Australian, adults and children alike. This would highlight that the issue with infant nutrition is not specific to an omnivore diet, a vegan diet, or any other diet in between, but with the overall nutrition of all parents. Parents will pass their eating habits and subsequent deficiencies on to their children, at least for a large part of their childhood, as it is the parents who are responsible for the dietary choices of their children. This means parents are also passing on their plant-absent choices.

There are often reported a significant number of concerns for parents of vegan babies and this is perpetuated in the literature and communication of common health professionals to new parents. Although it must be noted that the common health professionals (GPs, maternal health nurses, lactation consultants, nutritionists, etc.) have little to no dietetic training and rely instead on their personal experience and opinions. It is clear that deficiencies are rather standard across the nutritional and generational spectrum but are continually and sensationally miscommunicated as deficiencies of particular minority diets.

For breastfeeding parents, this is especially crucial even before their children begin to eat food. Like milk producing animals, a mother’s body can only produce nutrients in her milk from the food she eats. If a mother is not getting enough iron, calcium, or B12 in her diet then her child will never get enough of these either as they are not naturally occurring in sufficient quantities in the body to be passed on through the mother’s milk. This can lead to further malnutrition of mothers, also impacting their stress and mental health, which in turn can impact their milk production.

Plant-based formula is an alternative which has been developed to ensure babies receive all the necessary nutrients despite the mother’s health. Formula fed babies grow and develop as healthily as breastfed babies and mothers are able to return to the independence and health they were used to before giving birth, ensuring a healthy baby and healthy personal mental state. Emily Oster confirms that “…what the evidence says is that the popular perception that breast milk is some kind of magical substance that will lead your child to be healthy and brilliant is simply not correct.”

As they grow, children who are raised on higher quantities of plants in their diet have significantly reduced instances of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, and show higher levels of energy and concentration. Children who have dairy excluded from their diet are in no more danger of bone issues as the noted research shows that dairy products have marginal or no benefits for bone development. As they approach young-adulthood, plant-based children develop less acne and less allergies than their meat-eating peers.

Due to the high fat content of dairy milk, children can actually feel fuller more quickly and reduce their intake of other essential foods they need, exacerbating their deficiencies.

What can be done?

A proper understanding of nutrition during conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood may be considered, however this is very rarely discussed in any educated way by most healthcare professionals as they do not possess the required training to be offering advice. Plant-based dieticians are specially educated and carry qualifications, and can discuss an adequate diet for the parenting approach you decide is best for your family. Take #thenextsixtyseconds to remember that dieticians are specially trained to give nutritional advice, whereas nutritionists are not required to be educated and are not able to provide medical advice

Doctors For Nutrition carry extensive information on plant-based diets and can recommend a dietician practitioner for parents and children.

Sources:

www.aihw.gov.au/reports/food-nutrition/nutrition-across-the-life-stages/summary

fivethirtyeight.com/features/everybody-calm-down-about-breastfeeding/amp/

functionalmedicine.com.au/blog/nutrient-deficiencies-explained/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-we-shouldnt-demonize-formula-feeding-2018040313557