Since veganism and the vegan movement gathered steam, chat groups, comments sections and message boards have been divided between those who promote the health benefits of the lifestyle and those who claim that it’s not a viable diet.

Usually, governments don’t get involved in these conversations.

At least they didn’t until Belgium’s Royal Academy of Medicine released a report last week recommending that children, teens, pregnant women and nursing mothers do not follow a vegan diet.

The Royal Academy of Medicine functions as an advisory agency for Belgium’s government institutions, reports CNN.

An estimated 3% of Belgian children follow this type of vegetarianism that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients, according to the academy’s statement.

The eating plan is “restrictive,” creates “unavoidable” nutritional shortcomings and, if not properly monitored, could lead to deficiencies and stunted development, the academy said.

Dr Georges Casimir, a paediatrician at Queen Fabiola Children’s Hospital and head of the commission, said that a vegan diet could cause irreversible harm to children and the unborn babies of pregnant women.

Vitamins, including essential ingredients such as D and B12, calcium or even trace elements and nutrients essential for proper development are “absent from this diet,” according to a statement from Casimir.

In short, the academy claimed that a vegan diet for kids is “unethical” – an opinion that will make it possible to imprison parents who force a vegan diet on their children, reports Quartz.

The opinion stands as a warning to parents, and because it is an official finding, the academy’s determination will make it easier to punish people whose children suffer from malnutrition as a result of the strict diet under a law that makes it a crime not to assist a person in danger.

“We must explain to the parents before compelling them,” according to pediatrician Georges Casimir, who led the commission that wrote the report, “but we can no longer tolerate this endangerment.”

…Children can follow a vegan diet if it’s accompanied by medical supervision, regular blood tests, and vitamin supplements, Belgian pediatricians concluded. However, parents who don’t follow through on the additional requirements risk two years in prison, fines, and the possibility that their children will be removed from their homes if the kids do have associated health issues.

Before you run off to share this with every vegan you know, there are those who disagree with the findings. Back to CNN:

Appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases,” according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an US organization for nutrition professionals.

“These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.”

In other words, if you want to adopt a diet like veganism for yourself or your family, consult with a dietician to make sure that you’re getting all of the nutrients that you need to stay healthy.

And whatever you do, do not get your info from influencers on social media.

In fact, don’t get anything from influencers on social media.

It never ends well.

[source:cnn&quartz]