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On December 2nd, 2016, Fox
News Health posted an
titled, “Vegetarian and vegan diets
good for kids and adults, nutritionists say”. The article explored the myth
that completely plant-based diets are detrimental to the health of children,
even concluding that raising a vegan child could, in fact, be beneficial for children and people at
all other stages of life.
In the article, the media outlet
cited the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ position
on
vegan and vegetarian diets. In the academy’s statement, they confirmed that
appropriately planned vegan diets, “are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and
may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain
diseases.” They even went on to say that the diet is, “appropriate for
individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation,
infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.”
Fox News spoke with dietitian Vandana
Sheth, who stated that although vegan diets must be well planned, “Any diet
that is not well planned and balanced can have negative side effects,”. She
went on to say that, “Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets containing
vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can be nutritionally
adequate and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of
some chronic diseases,”.
The prevention and treatment of
chronic diseases that a plant-based diet is capable of may be surprising to
some. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the diet reduces
risk of diabetes by 62%, risk of prostate cancer by 35%, risk of heart attack by
33%, risk of heart disease by 29%, and risk of all forms of cancer by 18%. This
is notably significant as these diseases are some of the top killers in the
world, with heart disease being at the top of the list, causing nearly 1 in 3
deaths.
