Babies can be just as vegan as their parents, one paediatric dietitian has said.
Caroline O'Connor said while vegan diets are safe for all ages, more work has to go into younger babies.
She told Moncrieff breastfeeding is considered vegan.
"More vegan mums tend to breastfeed, their rates are higher, but yes - breastfeeding is absolutely vegan," she said.
"The good news is that vegan diets are considered safe for people of all ages, including babies and small children, but only if they're well planned.
"[That] kind of goes without saying really, because you really want your diet for children to be well planned anyway.
"There definitely are some more considerations when raising your baby on a plant-based diet; whether that's a vegan diet or vegetarian or some kind of combination".
'Getting enough energy'
Ms O'Connor said the types and portions of food need to be considered carefully.
"Babies are obviously quite small, so they don't eat very much compared to adults," he said.
"For an adult who eats a plant-based diet, because they're just eating an awful lot of food, it might be a little bit easier to meet some of your nutritional requirements.
"Whereas [for] babies, their needs are high relative to their bodyweight.
"We just need to be careful that they're getting everything they need - I suppose one of the main things is making sure they get enough energy to grow and develop normally.
"Plant-based diets they're very high in fibre, and sometimes that can fill little tummies up before they've had a chance to eat enough calories".
What kinds of food?
Ms O'Connor said parents should be weary of too much fibre.
"We want to make sure that they're having plenty of healthy fats, plenty of carbohydrate foods," she said.
"Maybe not giving your baby things that are 100% high fibre all of the time.
"Obviously we want them to have good sources of plant-based protein; things like beans and lentils and maybe tofu.
"Then good, fortified products like soya milk or soya yogurt - food that have calories in them".
A young girl eating broccoli. Picture by: Nina Firsova / Alamy Stock PhotoShe said when children move on to solid foods, balance is the key.
"You're kind of going for whole foods and just making sure that you have a good balance," she said.
"You don't want to be just be feeding your baby fruits and vegetables, because obviously they won't get the energy and protein that they need.
"There are some nutrients which can be more challenging to get on a vegan diet - things like vitamin B12 and iodine.
"In the first year, they're probably getting [it] from breastmilk or their formula; but after that they need to be looked at.
"They might need to take a supplement, or you possibly can get it in through some fortified food.
"The products on the market are so variable, you do need a good knowledge and you need to be reading the labels," she added.
Listen back to the full interview below:
