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More and more people are choosing to eat vegetarian and vegan foods - the UK market for meat-free foods was reportedly worth £740m in 2018, up from £539m only three years ago (Mintel).

But is it right to impose a meat and dairy-free diet on a baby? Is it even safe during this crucial phase of development? Some even say it should be made illegal.

It’s a dilemma expectant parents Claudia and Femi have been wrestling with in the latest episode of the All Hail Kale podcast ‘Should I raise my child vegan?’. The show brought them face to face with some of the country’s top nutritional experts - to hear the very latest research and advice.

As she prepares to give birth, this is Claudia’s story...

"This is such a big decision for us - and there are so many different thoughts going around our heads.

"Femi and I believe firmly in the responsibility we all have towards the planet, as well as to our own bodies - but we’ve got to do what’s best for the baby.

"And it’s a tough one to get right - especially now that I’ve had a wake-up call around health.

"When I first met Femi - a farmer from South London who brews his own moringa kombucha in Peckham - I was a totally different person.

"Although I was into healthy eating and grew up on a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern diet, I didn’t worry as much about what I ate and was more into partying. I didn’t know then my entire life was about to change: I was diagnosed with colon cancer.

"It all happened so quickly - I was suddenly faced with the stark reality of illness. I then started to think more about what I was putting in my body and completely changed my diet and gave up alcohol. After my health scare, I was a new woman.

"I realised that these illnesses might be the result of what we put in our bodies and so adapted to a super-healthy diet, which tries to be as plant-based as possible.

"The whole experience brought Femi and I together. We’re totally aligned on how we see the world - and we both agree how hard it is to make this decision for our baby that is due any week now.

"We’re trying to see this from every angle. Although our instinct is to have a vegan diet for the whole family, we’re in two minds about what the best thing to do is. I want to get it right and I know that as a parent I will do things wrong sometimes, but this is too important an issue to make the wrong decision.

"My own mother is very nervous. Although (ironically) her diet is essentially vegan, she thinks it’s too risky to raise the baby as vegan. Recently, she’s been talking a lot about new research she’s read in the newspapers, in particular, concerns surrounding the nutrient, choline.

"I’m not so sure. Unless I know who funds the research and what their motive is, I find it hard to believe it at face value.

"So I’m pretty glad All Hail Kale offered to get together a panel of experts we could talk to."

What Do The Experts Say?

The podcast assembled three leading experts - to talk about what anyone considering raising a baby vegan should be thinking about.

They were: Tom Sanders - Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at King’s College London; Mary Fewtrell - Professor of Paediatric Nutrition at University College London; and dietician and lecturer at King’s College London, Sophie Medlin.

Some of the key points they made were:

鈼� When we talk about a vegan diet, there isn’t enough consideration of how different age groups require different levels of nutrients. The first years of childhood are some of the most important in terms of brain development - potentially more critical than later childhood or in adult life.

鈼� Children must be supplemented with B12. Nowadays, this can easily be achieved with mouth sprays etc. Other crucial nutrients include calcium and iron, especially if children are eating very bulky foods. Vitamin D is particularly important for children who are not as fair-skinned as others.

鈼� If a vegan parent was to pick two non-vegan foods that would help with their baby’s development, the recommendation of our experts is fish and eggs.

鈼� The fear that the choline nutrient might be lacking in a vegan diet is questioned by some of our experts. Professor Sanders says that choline is not actually required by humans and it can be located in foods such as soya beans. There is little to no evidence to show that vegan children are hindered in their development.

鈼� The overall conclusion was that in order to mitigate the risks of a completely plant-based diet, it is worth including some animal products into a baby’s diet.

Decision Time?

"We want to teach our child that animals are our friends and we shouldn’t kill them.

"We want our child to understand this kindness towards others is a key part of being human. Above all, though, we want our child to be safe. As Femi says, 'when you’re having a baby you don’t want to take any risks, even if it’s a slight one'.

"It was so useful hearing from the experts - as there’s much information out there, and a lot from sources you can’t trust.

"Once the baby is born we’ll make the final decision: to bring him up vegan - or not."

Listen to ‘Should I raise my child vegan?’ from the All Hail Kale podcast on 大象传媒 Sounds.