There are some concerns about the adequacy of vegetarian diets for pregnant women,
infants, and young children because diets that exclude meat and other animal-based products
increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. The aim of the present study was to assess the nutritional
knowledge of parents raising 12- to 36-month-old children on vegetarian diets and to evaluate
the children’s diets based on the recommendations formulated in the model food ration. The
study involved a questionnaire survey that was completed by 326 women raising their children
on various types of vegetarian diets and 198 women raising their children on an omnivorous diet.
Mothers raising children on a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet had the highest nutritional knowledge scores
(15.8 points on average), whereas control group mothers and women raising children on a vegan
diet had the lowest nutritional knowledge scores (average of 13.6 points). Parents who raised their
children on more restrictive vegetarian diets were more aware of the risk of nutritional deficiencies
and administered dietary supplements more frequently. A vegetarian diet can be safe for young
children, but parents should be educated about the risk of nutritional deficiencies and the principles
of healthy nutrition regardless of the administered diet, and effective communication between
parents, pediatricians, and dietitians should be the cornerstone of every nutritional strategy in the
management of vegetarian children.