Do children on a plant-based diet get enough protein to grow and develop?

The sources do not suggest that children on plant-based diets get too little protein, but whether they grow exactly like other children is unsettled, and my sources have not studied whether their own diet affects IQ. ESPGHAN, a European society of children's doctors specialising in digestion and nutrition, pooled 10 studies with about 1,500 vegan children. Their height for age did not differ from other children's, but the evidence is too weak to settle the matter1. The children got enough protein by EFSA's standards2. ESPGHAN recommends close follow-up, supplements of iron, calcium, B12 and vitamin D among others, and advice for parents3. One review concludes that worries about essential amino acids in children have been overstated4. The author has a research contract with Terres Univia, a French trade body for plant oils and proteins. Studies of how many amino acids vegetarian children actually get are still missing5. A British study found that children of mothers who were vegetarian during pregnancy did no worse on tests of thinking at 6 to 7 years6. That shows a link, not a cause. For your own child, talk to a doctor or dietitian.