I wont get to fussy on this topic but here it goes
not here to start anything ...
I dont agree with parents not feeding there children red meat because of there personal choices in life , a baby needs protein and iron in there diets and should be allowed to try everything food wise , its not fair to deprive them of that choice , How ever once the child is old enough to understand WHY you wont eat meat then they can make there own choices but till then red meat is important ..while some foods do have iron and protein you would have to feed twice the amount and more to equal the normal amount in one pcs of red meat ..
This is just my Opinion Ive seen a vegan baby grow up and they were not as healthy as normally fed babies , there immune system was weak and they had iron and protein diffiency and had to be on meds because of it ..most doctors in canada are now starting to report parents who are doing this as its a form of neglect ALTHOUGH all countries are different the rule should be the same .
Actually it is a misconception that children need meat to grow up healthily. Meat can be substituted with other protein and iron-rich foods such as cheese, pulses, tofu, green veg like broccoli and cereals like bran flakes. It is a large responsibility to take on - raising a child vegetarian - because it does mean you need to think long and hard about what your child is going to eat each day and where they are going to get their daily nutritional needs from.
I am a vegetarian and I will be 'raising' Anna in the same way. This is to say that I will not give her meat. It is NOT to say I am MAKING her be a vegetarian or forcing this view or lifestyle on to her. Like you say, when she is old enough she can make the decision for herself whether she would like to eat meat or not.
I will not be giving Anna meat because we do not have it in our house. I will be feeding her responsibly and giving her all that she needs and I resent anyone telling me I am depriving my daughter of anything that she needs. I would NEVER be so selfish. I am a vegetarian for my own reasons - I am an animal lover and seeing dead animals is very distressing and upsetting for me, but if Anna NEEDED meat like many believe then I would offer it to her on a plate every day, but the fact is that I can give her all the nutrients that she needs in alternative foods, and I will do - every day.
I agree i wouldnt stop Riley from eating meat if i was veggie because thats not his choice i dont think its fair to make that choice for them
What about the choice NOT to eat meat? It is only because vegetarianism is the minority in this culture that it is seen as imposing something onto a child if you raise them this way - on the other side of the fence (as a vegetarian) when you give your child meat it may look as though you are removing your child the CHOICE of whether they want to eat meat or not - it is a bit late if they decide to be a vegetarian later in life if they have already been eating meat their whole life! ... This is not what I see it as, this is just me saying what you have said, the other way around if you get me.
In my opinion every parent has the right to feed their child according to their household norm and their beliefs, so long as their child is fed healthily and gets what they need! It is NOT neglect if you make sure you child gets what they need. I have spoken to dietary consultants and done my own research the nutritional value of red meat is overrated and it is more than possible to gain the necessary nutrients from a vast variety of food alternatives.
Now, I actually believe that this post (1st_baby's) was out of order (although maybe just misinformed?) but I do not think anyone should take it upon themselves to go out and tell another parent how to raise their child or what to feed them. I would NEVER go up to a bottle feeding mum and say, "factually your child would benefit nutritionally from drinking breast milk you are NEGLECTING your child by not offering them it." (just an analogy - please don't read anything into this I could not think of any other analogy to show what I mean and I believe that statement if ever spoken would be VERY wrong - that is why it was used here - to demonstrate my point). It is all down to CHOICE and if your child is fed, healthy and being given the necessary nutrients then GREAT! It is none of anyone else's business what they are being fed, as long as they ARE being fed.
I choose not to give Anna meat, because eating meat is against our beliefs, I do, naturally, take it upon myself, though to ensure that she is getting the necessary iron / protein etc from alternative food sources and believe me she DOES get all that she needs - I make sure of that. You should never assume that because a child is not being given meat, they are not being given a responsible diet with all that they need in it.
When Anna is old enough to CHOOSE what she wants to eat, she can have whatever she wants. While it is up to me, I will be feeding her a healthy, balanced, nutritional, vegetarian diet.
