veganism: If you have a healthy vegan diet/lifestyle starting at 14 until death pretty much, getting all the nutrients you need, and staying on top with the things you might be lacking(iron, calcium, b12 etc), is there any reason it could defect your height growth or any other important parts of the adolescent stage? This teenager is female by the way if that makes any difference. Hopefully this made sense, thanks|||No it does the opposite, since you are eliminating foods that actually stunt growth (dairy, meat).|||No, a healthy vegan diet wouldn't interfere with teenage growth. Teens (and adult vegans) should ensure a reliable source of vitamin B12 by eating fortified foods or taking supplements. They should also eat a varied diet of fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and grains. Finally, they should be sure to meet their caloric needs; it's not healthy to live on mostly low-calorie foods like salads. If these conditions are met, there's no reason that veganism would interfere with height growth or other aspects of development. The American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. It says: "Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence." Photos of healthy, happy vegan kids: http://veganhealth.org/articles/realvega鈥?/a> I hope this helps!|||If you are getting all the nutrients you need you should be fine. The only time there are problems is when parents don't know enough about nutrition to make sure their kids get all the nutrients they need. when that happens you here about dead babies and malnourished children being seized by social services. That and when teenagers use veganism to justify anorexia.|||I've been a vego scince i was 12 and i have never had any complications or anything like that.|||As a vegan mother I was very worried about my kids health. And making sure they had enough nutritients to let them grow properly. I do have my kids on B12 right now since we all have been vegans for 5 years now (going on 6, and 2 years veggie prior to going vegan). I also have them on algae oil (v-pure oil) for their DHA/EPA for brain health (the omega oils that the fish get their oils from!), and Vitamin D in the winter as we do not get much sun for our skin to make it for us. I also make sure they have their daily requirements of green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and fruit, by cooking all the meals. We rarely go out to eat at a restaurant (only several vegan restaurants around here), and never to a fast food restaurant. I have also taken them in to get their blood tested to make sure they are doing well. Any ways, my first son who is 17 now is 6'3", and the 15 and 13 year old sons are now taller than me (I am 5'4")! So they are doing fine in all aspects. Just be aware of what you are eating and what else can you eat to increase any nutrients you might be needing (as the kids grow, I got them hooked on my tahini sauce for falafels, so they could get the extra calcium in the tahini/sesame seed paste).|||Well one thing i do know is that i heard of a trusted study that showed in general vegan teens are shorter than vegetarian teens but maybe it just depends on the person as long as she is on top of her health then she should be fine i suppose|||You have to work hard at it. When eating an omnivorous diet, getting enough high-quality, complete protein and a good distribution of vitamins is almost automatic. With a vegan diet you have to watch it all the time and take supplements that are lacking in plant foods. This is especially important in young people whose bodies have not finished growing and developing. And for young women, it's especially important to watch out for anemia. The risk of missing out on important nutrients is such that it's probably better to wait until the late teens or early 20s before becoming a vegan. Nutritional screwups in youth can't be repaired in later adulthood.