Acute small bowel obstruction in a child with a strict raw vegan diet

Assessment of Nutritional Status in the Diagnostic Evaluation of the Child with Growth Failure

Current clinical guidelines provide information about the diagnostic workup of children with growth failure. This mini-review focuses on the nutritional assessment, which has received relatively little attention in such guidelines. The past medical history, in particular a low birth size and early feeding problems, can provide information that can increase the likelihood of nutritional deficits or several genetic causes. The current medical history should include a dietary history and can thereby reveal a poorly planned or severely restricted diet, which can be associated with nutritional deficiencies. Children on a vegan diet should receive various nutritional supplements, but insufficient compliance has been reported in one-third of cases. While proper use of nutritional supplements in children consuming a vegan diet appears to be associated with normal growth and development, insufficient intake of supplements may impede growth and bone formation. Physical examination and analysis of height and weight over time can help differentiating between endocrine causes, gastrointestinal disorders, psychosocial problems, or underlying genetic conditions that prevent adequate nutritional intake. Laboratory screening should be part of the workup in every child with short stature, and further laboratory tests can be indicated if warranted by the dietary history, especially in children on a poorly planned vegan diet.

Manufacturing personalized food for people uniqueness. An overview from traditional to emerging technologies

Personalized nutrition means that we are unique in the way to absorb and to metabolize nutrients as a consequence of our genetic profile and the microbiome that we host in the gut. With the terminology of Personalized Food Manufacturing we want not only to stress the idea of the capability to manufacture food meeting our unique nutritional needs but - based on the idea that eating is a global experience - also to broad this to meet additional personal requirements and expectations, i.e. taste, texture, color, aspect, etc. To address this aim, traditional and advances technologies will have to be employed in new ways and new technological solutions will have to be implemented. All these considerations motivated our paper by which we want to explore and to discuss the technological options having the potential to produce personalized food. After pointing out the main diet styles, firstly we have analyzed the modern approaches of agricultural and animal nutrition in use to manufacture food for narrow group of consumers. Secondly, we have explored emerging technologies at disposal employable to manufacture customized food that meet our uniqueness. Finally the most important market products belonging in the sector of personalized food production have been considered.

Vegan Nutrition for Mothers and Children: Practical Tools for Healthcare Providers

As the number of subjects choosing vegan diets increases, healthcare providers must be prepared to give the best advice to vegan patients during all stages of life. A completely plant-based diet is suitable during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, and childhood, provided that it is well-planned. Balanced vegan diets meet energy requirements on a wide variety of plant foods and pay attention to some nutrients that may be critical, such as protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. This paper contains recommendations made by a panel of experts from the Scientific Society for Vegetarian Nutrition (SSNV) after examining the available literature concerning vegan diets during pregnancy, breastfeeding, infancy, and childhood. All healthcare professionals should follow an approach based on the available evidence in regard to the issue of vegan diets, as failing to do so may compromise the nutritional status of vegan patients in these delicate periods of life.