I have three boys aged 7, 8, and almost 12. They were lean, healthy, energetic little football-players before I went vegan close to a year ago, and they're no different now after my changing up their diets to coincide with mine.
They eat a good balance of healthy food, and fun stuff, of course, however... though I stipulate that the food served in the house is only ever vegan, they are at liberty to choose whatever they like when we're out, when they attend birthday parties, and so on. What I hope to achieve with this is that they'll eventually partake in a fully-fledged vegan lifestyle as they grow old enough to understand the implications of what they're eating. If not, then it's their choice.
I'm teaching them bit by bit about the horrors of the meat/dairy/egg industries, but I refuse to take their choices away from them completely. It might sound nuts to some, but it is what it is.
Cutting a long story short, even with the addition of the odd (as in maybe once a fortnight, if that) bit of meat or dairy, my boys eat far better now than they ever did before, and I see no difference in their energy levels. Also, it's very, very rare that they get sick.
