Veal, still too little known and valued, boasts a unique tenderness, almost to “melt in your mouth”, making it one of the most suitable meat for children and the elderly, who have difficulty in chewing and digesting.

Leanness and high digestibility are characteristics that distinguish veal, meeting the needs of particular stages of life such as infancy and old age. Just as its soft and delicate flavour, which satisfies the tastes of adults and children.

Being one of the purest sources of high biological value proteins, veal can supply all the essential and “ready for use” amino acids, allowing a harmonious growth of children and the maintenance of musculature in the elderly, counteracting sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass that occurs with the third age. For this reason meat should never be lacking in these delicate phases with a high risk of malnutrition: in the weaning phase it should be inserted immediately in the sixth month, so that children can grow to its maximum genetic potential: veal, thanks to the its lysine and all B vitamins content, essential for growth, is a main food, such as to be a key ingredient of specific homogenized food to satisfy the nutritional needs of children.

Not only in the child development stages, but also in the third age, it would be necessary to eat more meat, because the elderly’s gut begins to absorb substances with more difficulty: so, thanks to its high nutritional density with low caloric intake, veal can provide all nutrients necessary to meet their needs. Noteworthy is the significant presence of vitamin B12, (only animal origin’s products are reliable sources of that vitamin), which helps slowing the brain’s aging process and dementia in the elderly.

Also for children, vitamin B12 is essential for the proper development of brain, eyesight and nervous system, stimulating intellect and their cognitive function. Thanks also to the presence of taurine, a substance found in breast milk and important in the formation of brain, and of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium, veal can be a valuable complementary food while continuing to breastfeed children, confirming the suitability of this meat for feeding the little ones.

In the elderly, the microelements of veal help preventing typical problems of the third age, such as loss of memory, loss of sight and hearing, increasing the immune system, preventing skin and capillaries fragility, and favouring the wounds healing, thanks to vitamin K that intervenes in coagulation of blood or to vitamin D which removes the risk of osteoporosis and helps the nervous balance. Therefore, after the age of 50, veal contributes to good nutrition, essential for physical and mental well-being, for maintaining physical and cognitive functions, strengthening bone and muscle health and counteracting weakness and muscle degeneration that causes falls and common fractures in older adults, bringing a general improvement in the quality of life.

The absence of cholesterol and fats is associated with the presence of good quality polyunsaturated fats EPA and DHA that intervene in child’s brain development and prevent cognitive decline, senile dementia and Alzheimer’s in the elderly. An important role is played by glycine, an amino acid in veal that reduces systemic inflammation and muscle wasting typical of old age, revealing an interesting therapeutic potential in preventing sarcopenia.

Thanks to the presence of antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E, veal helps to counteract the free radicals responsible for cellular aging, protecting eyesight and reducing the risk of developing cataracts. For all these reasons, consumption of veal should be encouraged in the developmental age and in the third age, within a varied diet as an effective nutritional strategy to allow children to grow healthily and the elderly to age well.