It's crazy when you think about all the different kinds of foods we eat.

We just swallow and hope it all works out for the best.

Well, as it turns out, there are better ways to think about keeping our bodies humming healthfully along.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts podcast.

I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

In this episode, Dr. Christine Dennis takes a deep dive into the research around raising plant-based

kids.

Dr. Dennis is our new senior research scientist who also happens to be a plant-based parent.

We start with a story about how even well-balanced plant-based diets during pregnancy can reduce risks of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia.

Over the past two decades, scientific and professional nutrition and pediatric associations have issued official statements and published position papers about adopting vegan diets during crucial life stages,

including pregnancy and lactation, infancy, and childhood.

While some of these associations firmly agree a well-designed vegan diet can be healthy and support normal growth and development,

others are more reserved, and some caution against vegan diets for children.

Those that are supportive include the American Dietetic Association, which has held this

position for more than 25 years, as well as professional associations in Australia, Canada, Portugal,

Italy, the UK, Finland, Germany Germany and Norway, and Europe more broadly.

More reserved opinions also came out of the UK and Europe, including Spain.

And downright dismissive positions have come out of Slovenia, Germany, Italy, France, and Belgium.

What does the evidence say about vegan diets and children?

Part of the challenge starts at the very

beginning, with the exclusion of pregnant people from clinical trials in general. With such compelling

needs, why are pregnant women largely excluded from clinical research, often due to ethical concerns,

...