>Plenty of children are raised on a 100% vegan diet and thrive just like children fed with animal products. //
Citation? The only children I know [that I can recall] that are brought up in vegetarianism are noticeably "weedy". Shorter than average, low muscle tone, paler skin than their peers. That's completely anecdotal and a very small sample but it informs my demand to see your support for this claim.
Now it's probably quite possible to create a vegan diet with all required nutrients a child needs; but how practical is that and does it happen.
There's a reason why there are practically no vegan power athletes. I was vegan for nearly ten years and I regret it immensely as I now see how badly it set me back.
That said, you're right, with a properly-designed diet you can be healthy and happy. I don't believe you can ever be athletically optimal, however (aside from perhaps pure cardio sports).
Aren't supplements part of your diet? Maybe this is a domain term that operates differently. Many people who aren't vegan that I know take a daily multivitamin, does this demonstrate that their diet alone isn't cutting it either?
"It is the position of the American Di-
etetic Association that appropriately
planned vegetarian diets, including
total vegetarian or vegan diets, are
healthful, nutritionally adequate, and
may provide health benefits in the
prevention and treatment of certain
diseases. Well-planned vegetarian di-
ets are appropriate for individuals
during all stages of the life cycle, in-
cluding pregnancy, lactation, infancy,
childhood, and adolescence, and for
athletes."
The second sentence of the article is "His vegan parents, who fed him mainly soy milk and apple juice, were convicted in Atlanta recently of murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty."
"Yet even a breast-fed baby is at risk. Studies show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish. It is difficult to overstate the importance of DHA, vital as it is for eye and brain development."
There are vegan sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds being the most common. And yes, vegan mothers should pay attention to their diet, just like omnivore mothers.
"It is suggested that vegans and vegetarians should use oils with a low ratio of linoleic to linolenic acid in view of the recently recognized role of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] in visual functioning. If known pitfalls are avoided, the growth and development of children reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal." http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1176S.short
"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.
"Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life-cycle including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits"
I keep a high level of protein my diet. I've tried veggie burgers and other substitutes and enjoyed them a lot, but I can't replace all my meals with them because they're just so damn high in sodium. Any suggestions?
This isn't a problem with plant-based protein sources, its a problem with commercially-processed packaged foods. You can get high-protein non-meat protein sources that aren't as heavily processed (e.g., gluten powder, tofu, quinoa, etc.) and prepare them yourself to control sodium levels.
