Pediatria pre prax 2/2015

Alternative forms of nutrition of children and adolescents

Nutrition can be considered healthy if it provides all the nutrients in quantities corresponding with the needs of the organism. Diet that includes a variety of foods is the most natural way how to supply adequate amount of nutrients to a child. Alternative diets diverge to some extent from the conventional recommendations for healthy diet and they often recommend excluding of specific food items from the diet. The most common type of alternative nutrition is vegetarian diet that represents an evidence-based diet and the positive effects and safety of vegetarian nutrition are supported by scientific evidence. It indicates that well-planned vegetarian diet composed of a variety of foods provides adequate amounts of nutrients that are sufficient for growth and development of a child. Most types of alternative diets lack scientific evidence, their safety and health effects are not sufficiently demonstrated, thus they do not meet the criteria of evidence based medical practice. Strict forms of alternative nutrition that significantly limit the variety of food are associated with an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies with adverse effects on growth and development with possible health consequences. An important role of the paediatrician is to provide nutritional counselling for the parents and child and to focus a special attention to nutritional status of the child.

Keywords: children, adolescents, alternative nutrition, health risks and benefits.