Nutritional status of vegetarian children
- 1 February 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Elsevier in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Vol. 35 (2) , 204-216
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/35.2.204
Abstract
Thirty-nine preschool children consuming different types of vegetarian diets were studied. Type and amount of carbohydrate, fat, protein, and amount of sodium and cholesterol provided by their diets were more like intakes suggested in the proposed Dietary Goals for the United States than to levels in usual diets of nonvegetarian children. Macrobiotic vegetarian children consumed less animal food than did other vegetarian children. The mean intake of vitamin D of macrobiotics was an eighth of the Recommended Dietary Allowance and mean serum alkaline phosphatase values were elevated. The mean intake of vitamin B12 levels were normal. Vegan macrobiotic children had the lowest intakes of vitamins B12 and D. Other vegetarians' mean intakes of these vitamins met the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Mean iron intakes of the vegetarians approximated the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Hematological indices were suggestive of mild iron deficiency anemia in a quarter of subjects. Serum cholesterol values were low for the group. Physical measurements were within normal limits and macrobiotic vegetarians were not smaller or leaner than other vegetarian children. The nutritional difficulties discovered could be corrected by careful planning of vegetarian children's diets while preserving the beneficial qualities of the diet in other respects.Keywords
This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit:
- Sodium, hypertension, and the U.S. dietary goalsJournal of Nutrition Education, 1978
- Twenty CommentariesNutrition Today, 1977
- U.S. dietary goalsJournal of Nutrition Education, 1977
- Developmental change in red blood cell volume: Implication in screening infants and children for iron deficiency and thalassemia traitThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1976
- Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in 3,446 children from a biracial community: the Bogalusa Heart Study.Circulation, 1976
- The dietary status of practicing macrobioticst†: A preliminary communicationEcology of Food and Nutrition, 1975
- The New VegetariansNutrition Today, 1973
- Fluorometric determination of vitamin A in human blood and liverBiochemical Medicine, 1971
- Ferrozine---a new spectrophotometric reagent for ironAnalytical Chemistry, 1970
- Effect of environment on the serum cholesterol-triglyceride distribution among seventh-day adventistsThe American Journal of Medicine, 1964