What are your opinions on bringing a child up vegan?

[special_kala]

I love being called ignorant just because i eat meat

I also love that vegan/vegetarians can bash meat but if meat eaters did it back its wrong

 

[fantastica]

I love being called ignorant just because i eat meat

I also love that vegan/vegetarians can bash meat but if meat eaters did it back its wrong

I used to bash meat eaters a lot (to be fair I was 13) but now tbh...although I don't eat it, it's definitely up to the individual to make that choice!

There are however more facts in favour of vegetarianism, if someone can point me in the direction where it says otherwise then i'd be really interested to see (a lot of things on veggie sites is quite bias!).

 

[special_kala]

I love being called ignorant just because i eat meat

I also love that vegan/vegetarians can bash meat but if meat eaters did it back its wrong

I used to bash meat eaters a lot (to be fair I was 13) but now tbh...although I don't eat it, it's definitely up to the individual to make that choice!

There are however more facts in favour of vegetarianism, if someone can point me in the direction where it says otherwise then i'd be really interested to see (a lot of things on veggie sites is quite bias!).

The facts say that drinking a certain amount water a day is best for you..does everyone here do exactly that??

 

[fantastica]

Ok never mind...wasn't really the point I was getting at! I cba to make an argument out of nothing...I really don't care what people do, as long as they're happy it doesn't matter!

 

[special_kala]

all i was saying it i dont appreciate people saying most meat eaters are ignorant. If i said i think vegans are deluded would that be ok? (i dont btw)

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

The one that always got me was people (my OH included) saying that they would feed my kids meat. As it happens both my kids are meat eaters (but Kaya doesn't like most meat) but the fact that people seemed to think that feeding meat to my kids was ok just astounded me.

Oh we have had that too! "As soon is your back is turned we will be giving her a burger. lolololol." Yeah, great. Give a child who has never eaten meat a burger, and you will make her very sick because her tummy won't be used to it. Won't that be lovely and funny.

And thanks KayleighJayne for your lovely post. If everyone was as logical and nice as you, veggie or meatie, the world would be a better place!

No need to thank me hun. I just don't get the need for an argument.. If the thread was something like "Should I raise my child to be a smoker" then I could see the need for attitude or rudeness but I really can't see the argument in choosing to give you're child a meat free diet .. Like I said I am a meat eater so my DD probably will be raised with meat in her diet but that said I don't eat ALOT of meat. If we mean the odd bacon sarnie or the odd Sunday roast then yeah I'm guilty but as a meat eater I don't think that gives me the right to bash someone who doesn't want their child eating meat.

As for meat eaters saying they would feed a child meat when the parents back is turned I honestly don't see the joke in that .. It's just a shame that so many meat eaters do have that attitude though.. I don't like broccoli but I've never had some wave a bit in my face saying "oooh you're missing out"... There's just no need for it

 

[midori1999]

I love being called ignorant just because i eat meat

I also love that vegan/vegetarians can bash meat but if meat eaters did it back its wrong

I used to bash meat eaters a lot (to be fair I was 13) but now tbh...although I don't eat it, it's definitely up to the individual to make that choice!

There are however more facts in favour of vegetarianism, if someone can point me in the direction where it says otherwise then i'd be really interested to see (a lot of things on veggie sites is quite bias!).

The main 'dangers' attached to eating meat seem to be involved with eating red meat in excessive quantities.

It's actually pretty hard to conduct proper studies on diet as most people eat meat and most people also do not eat anywhere near enough fruit or veg, and eating enough fruit and veg has been linked to reducing cancer risks.

I could show you dozens of links suggesting eating a diet containing meat is more healthy and what we are 'designed' to eat. (for example, vit B is only really available from animal sources and we cannot utilize enough vitamin B from plant/vegetable soruces) But what's the point? You could probably post just as many links showing the opposite. You can find information to prove just about whatever you want if you try hard enough.

Each to their own. What others eat make no difference to me, and what their opinion of it is doesn't either really. However, it is a little irritating to keep hearing that a vegetarian diet is more healthy. It isn't always. Vegetarians can have poor diets too.

 

[fantastica]

all i was saying it i dont appreciate people saying most meat eaters are ignorant. If i said i think vegans are deluded would that be ok? (i dont btw)

yeah fair enough, sorry if I got a bit over-defensive or w/e! Agree with you though...no-one should bash someone elses views just because they are different...guess it's just hard when people feel passionate about something!

 

[trumpetbum]

As long as you are informed and can feed your baby an age appropriate diet, go for it.
A balanced vegan diet for an infant and toddler may well be harder work and you will almost certainly face uninvited criticism from people who assume a diet without meat products cannot possibly be healthy for a child. I think the hardest part, will be social functions and eating out, depending on where you live but a lot will be trial and error.
I don't see a vegan introducing their child a vegan diet appropriate for their age as any different from a meat eater introducing their child to an appropriate meat based diet. They are both just ways of introducing the child to the lifestyle of the parents. Choice can come later with the introduction, through socialisation, to other diets and lifestyle choices.
In a society where many children's diet leads a lot to be desired I think it's nice to see vegans, veggies, pescatarians and meat eaters putting thought into what their children eat and trying to make sure their diet is a healthy one.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[debbie7155]

I will bring mine up on meat, but if it decided it doesnt like meat then i wont force it to eat it, i think everyone has a right to choose

 

[BlackBerry25]

I love being called ignorant just because i eat meat

I also love that vegan/vegetarians can bash meat but if meat eaters did it back its wrong

I used to bash meat eaters a lot (to be fair I was 13) but now tbh...although I don't eat it, it's definitely up to the individual to make that choice!

There are however more facts in favour of vegetarianism, if someone can point me in the direction where it says otherwise then i'd be really interested to see (a lot of things on veggie sites is quite bias!).

The facts say that drinking a certain amount water a day is best for you..does everyone here do exactly that??

Actually studies have shown you do not need to drink a lot of water, since a lot of food has a high water content.

 

[Rmar]

I was raised as a meat eater. I chose to be a vegetarian later in life. I'll raise my children vegetarian but if they choose to not go on that path later in life, I wont have a problem with it. Isn't that they same with all things I teach my children? I'll just teach them how to balance out their diet in whatever choice they make so that they develop healthy eating habits and they can go from there.

I was able to make my own choice and my mum didn't question that I knew what I was doing (she even made the transition with me) and I would like to offer the same respect to my children.

I wont be feeding them meat just the same way I wont be teaching them swear words. For other people, it is fine to teach their children swear words and that is their choice but I don't, so I wont. They'll pick it up somewhere else, I'm sure, just like they are bound to come across a meat eating situation. It is up to them which decision they will make.

Bringing up a child in a vegan lifestyle is fine.

 

[huggybear]

hahaha this reminds me of one of my mums friends whom years ago was a child minder and looked after a little Hindu boy whom was strictly vegetarian but he had a horrible habit of stealing meats (ham or whatever from the fridge) whenever he could and would run and hide and curl up in the curtains munching his stolen food, my mums friend was too scared to tell the mum. whhoops

 

[LolaAnn]

Dairy is not an essential part of anyone's diet. I'm not vegetarian nor vegan and I eat a lot of dairy (in fact I love it), but even the worst doctor can tell you that. All the calcium and vitamins can be easily attained from other sources and your body will be much better off for it as well

 

[lulu61388]

i was brought up as a meat eater, but my mom didn't feed me junk or processed foods. she made us meals every single night from scratch and we'd have at least one meal a week with no meat at all. i love vegetables and if you put a bowl of chips and a plate of carrot sticks in front of me, i will reach for the carrots. i still stick to having at least one vegetarian meal a week and i don't eat charred meat because we don't have a grill. i only have red meat once or twice a month. chicken breast, ground turkey and pork reign in this household.

with my future children, they will be raised with the same diet as mine. just like my mother, i will not be a short order cook and they can eat what i've provided or they can wait until the next meal to eat. once they are old enough to be trusted with a knife, the stove and cooking and choose to have dietary restrictions like being a vegan or a vegetarian then they can make their own meals. i will happily buy them anything they need/want to eat as well. but i will not buy any sort of processed soy food because that stuff is terrible for you.

i eat meat because it tastes good and it does provide me with the protein i need in my diet. i will not preach to anybody if they decide to be any different. my ex is a vegan and i never batted an eye at his choices.

i would hope that anyone that would choose to bring up their child as a vegan would take the steps to really research and make informed decisions. a couple was arrested and charged with life in prison because they decided to fed their 6 week old baby soy milk and apple juice, he was so severely malnourished that he died. i think that is why lot of people don't agree with it because of a couple of bad seeds that didn't take the time to really research about when it is appropriate to switch a child to a special diet.

as long as you are responsible about it, keep an eye on her weight and are in touch with her doctor about the things you should do to make sure she is getting enough then you are absolutely on point.

tbh it just reminds me of ff vs bf. i don't care WHAT the kid eats, as long as the child is fed responsibly and nutritionally .

 

[bubbles123]

Firstly, veggie, vegan or meat eater is entirely up to the individual.... all three have advantages and disadvantages... do what YOU think is right.

I haven't had a chance to read the whole thread so sorry if this has already been mentioned but Alpro have just bought out a toddler soya milk for 1 year + that is fortified to have the extra fat etc that children need so can be used to completely replace dairy milk. So you can now go from formula straight onto toddler soya milk at a year without needing to worry about dairy (as regular soya milk can only be used as a main drink from 2 years due to it's low fat content). I'm veggie myself but eat an almost completely vegan diet and my hubby is vegan and we know many vegan children - all perfectly healthy. Vegans I find tend to be very clued up on nutrition, far more so than the average person. The main potential trap is to fill baby up with too much high fibre/bulky low fat food and not enough protein/fat etc. Giving fat fortified soya milks, high fat veg like avocados, not scrimping on cooking oils, nuts (when age appropriate), high fat spreads like hummous/peanut butter, using full fat vegetable spread etc can all help with this. A good multi vit is a great idea. The Vegan Society make one called Veg 1 which is great and can be taken by kids and they also have a book about raising vegan children which is very good. Make sure you have a reliable source of b12 in the diet (should be no problem as can be found in fortified cereals, plant milks, marmite etc etc), a source of iodine (sea weed, especially kelp is great for this, you only need small amount or vit pill) and vitamin D (Vitamin D2 is vegan as it's from plants - get plenty of sunshine, is added to pure vegan margarines and plant milks and use a supplement in the winter. The Vegan society can advise you where to get D2 as most in the shops will be D3 which is only veggie as it comes from sheep's wool).

So do your research hun but go for it! My little man is veg at the moment (as he's FF) but I hope to have him on a mainly vegan diet at some point in the future.

And OP - people don't understand veganism and there are so many false ideas about it and just plain wrong nutritional 'facts' about needing meat and dairy that simply are not true. Do not let people get you down! and tofu cheesecake rules! and apple pie with alpro soya custard... yum yum! Swedish Glace vegan ice cream with apple strudell... am making myself hungry now!!!

 

[PeanutBean]

Oh there's a veggie/vegan group somewhere. Can't link as I'm on my phone but ER you might want to check it out.

 

[Dopeyjopey]

I must stop reading these in the middle of the night!

I don't see why it would be an issue at all... it's just another of those decisions that has to be made as a parent and no one is right or wrong. Personally, I am a meat eater and will be raising Albert that way but if he chooses to be vegetarian/vegan at any time that's fine with me.

My favourite comment people make to vegetarians... 'do you eat fish?' makes me chuckle that some think that is the norm.

I can't believe some of the posts on here... child abuse!?! Sometimes i wonder whether they are said to spark an argument. As for someone else mentioning circumcision and ear piercing, we ALL know how those debates end

 

[Blue_bumpkin]

Meat-eaters: have claws
Herbivores: no claws
Humans: no claws

Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue
Herbivores: perspire through skin pores
Humans: perspire through skin pores

Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding
Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding
Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly
Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.
Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat
Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater
Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.
Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits
Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits

Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

But we're omnivores, or have I missed something?

It is late and im tired so I probably have. Sleep deprived fool that I am

 

[Dopeyjopey]

Meat-eaters: have claws
Herbivores: no claws
Humans: no claws

Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue
Herbivores: perspire through skin pores
Humans: perspire through skin pores

Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding
Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding
Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly
Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.
Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat
Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater
Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.
Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits
Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits

Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

But we're omnivores, or have I missed something?

It is late and im tired so I probably have. Sleep deprived fool that I am

Haha, TattiesMum gave some extra info a few pages in from this i was always told we were omnivores in school!