vegetarian children

[aquilegia]

Thoughts, comments, experiences on bringing up children as vegetarians?

I've been a veggie for 16 years (since I was 13) and Mr Aqui has been since the beginning of this year (although he's been mostly vegetarian since we started living together). We're both very healthy.

We're thinking about the big question. Nothing is planned or in the oven yet (before anyone gets excited!)

[aquilegia]

[undercarriage plan]

Sorry Aqui, I have no experience in this matter!! I eat alot of veg, but do enjoy meat to, not much red, but lots of fish and chicken.  My Niece decided to become vegetarian at the age of 10,  not sure where it came from her family aren't, but she had no knowledge of what she was doing, consequently she wasn't very healthy.  I'm sure it's possible, but I think alot of thought and planning would be necessary to make sure all food groups/trace elements etc were covered. Good luck! Lottie  ;D

[Margi]

Hi Aquilegia

My Seedling is a demi-veg.  I've been veggie for 20 years or so, though soon-to-be-ex-OH was a flesh-eater. She's happy to eat veggie stuff with me (cos it's really nice!), but eats non-veggie school dinners and meat when she's at her dad's.  She loves fruit and veg, and nuts and some pulses.

She's now just over five, and is starting to ask questions about meat and where it comes from, and if she decides in due course she wants to be veggie that will be JUST FINE with me, though I'm not going to push her into it.  She watched the film Babe the other night, and was a bit concerned about eating pork for Sunday lunch at her Grandma's the day after, but did it anyway...

Her diet was assessed when she was about 3, when she was more veggie because she wasn't at school yet, and they said she was getting everything she needed with the possible exception of Omegas (normally found in oily fish), so she now takes a supplement for that and school reckons she is very intelligent, so she's not deficient in any way.

Hope that helps...

Margi x

[GREENWIZARD]

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/infant.html
this may help a :)

[Lazybones]

Hi Aqui

As you are experienced veggie you really know what to eat to get the right nutrients but a little word of warning.  I was veggie from the age of 13 to 25.  I was a v. awkward veggie in that I wouldn't drink milk, eat pasta or rice (goodness know what I did eat). Subsequently I went for a bone scan to find out why I had fractured my spine after a fairly minor accident and found that my bones were slightly thinning.  This was never actually attributed to the lack of calcium in my diet but have to say I now wish that I had found it out earlier.  My Mum did her best at the time to feed me all the right things but I know she found it v. difficult.

Anyway, please ignore this if you wish, now a part-time meat-eater again and my daughter (22 months) is a meat-eater.  However, if she ever made the choice to become veggie then at least I know what she SHOULD be having. 

I also have a friend who is still a veggie and can't bear cooking meat so she gets her Mum to do meaty meals for her child as she wants him to make his mind up if he wants to be veggie later in life - now, Grans cooking meals for kids sounds like a great option to me - why didn't I think of that  ;D

Lazybones

[daveandtara]

i am considering going veggie myself. i have found, however, that my youngest daughter (nearly three) is a definate carnivore. she's very picky and often refuses anything but a slice of plain meat!
when my eldest daughter was small she ate predominently veggie food but with maybe two portions of organic meat a week. when she went to great ormand street hosp on an unrelated matter, the dietician told me that this was the IDEAL diet for a small child, giving the gut enough time to clear the meat before adding any more.
she also told me that the meat could be substituted for oily fish with no ill effects.

[RosieM]

Hello,

I've been a veg for about 30 years, hardly pale and wan though and certainly not undernourished!

Both my children were brought up with the choice of veg and non veg as all my partners have been meat eaters. 

My son who is now a strapping 16 of 5'11'' consistently took the veg option but my equalling strapping 12 yr daughter is a true carnivore. They both eat a very varied diet and most of their foibles are meat based apart from daughter not eating toms, citrus or bananas (aarrgh!!).

Anywhere one would use mince, I use vege mince and quorn for chicken so most of the time they are not even aware as the texture has been with them all their lives.

In summary I would say, don't insist they are veggie, make sure you introduce as many different textures as poss, lots of people don't like the 'mouthfeel' of pulses, seeds and nuts etc so can't get the balance right.

And whatever else you do - make sure you breastfeed as long as possible as it really does make a difference. (not an evangelist then!)

Good luck when you do get round to it!

Rosie

[bupster]

My best mate's a vegan and will be bringing her daughter up as one as well. It's perfectly possible to do so, healthily, once you've made the commitment to all the extra work!

Personally I'm a carnivore but I love vegetables. I think the key is to get kids to eat as wide a variety of good food as possible; they'll make up their own minds in the end.

[aquilegia]

thanks all for sharing. Given me lots to digest! ;)

[daisymay]

I was vegetarian for 16 years, from the age of about 6. My whole family switched, following a serious health scare for my father (high cholestoral, for the curious amongst you!). I started eating meat a couple of years ago (suddenly occurred to me I was big enough to make my own mind up!).

The hardest thing growing up as a veggie kid was peer pressure as it was quite unusual, even 20 years ago. Most of my friends didn't understand it, nor did their parents. They felt sorry for me and tried to feed me meat (or hide it in my food, which was worse) if I went round for tea.

BUT - I am 5ft 11, my brother is 6ft 4 so it did not do us any harm.

An important things that are harder to come by in veggie food are B vitamins and iron, so include lots of milk/ dairy, spinach/ leafy green veg.

My sister is vegetarian and has just had a baby, her OH is a meat eater so they have decided to give there daughter meat until she is old enough to make the decision herself.

[BAGGY]

My sister's 2 sprogs are veggie, as are both parents.  Nephew has toyed with meat, ate a lamb chop one (not the ideal choice to try), was violently sick and went back to veg.  Neice is very fussy, no eggs and no cheese unless it's cooked plus other don't likes.  He has been on various school holidays and suffered as the food provided is genrerally rubbish  Other than that no probs.  She does have a problem with her daughter filling herself up on fruit and not leaving room for her 'growing food', but 15 years later they are both in fine fettle.

[Svea]

not wanting to scaremonger but:
i went on holiday once with a 17 year old vegetarian (i was much younger then myself) and she had been brought up veggie and she couldn't digest meat protein anymore as her body didnt have the ability to. maybe she was vegan, i dont recall. anyways, she kinda blamed her mother for not having given her the coice, and consequently she would have had to stay vegan for the rest of her life, even if she didnt want to.
does that make sense?

just how much of that is down to the veggie upbringing, or down to some other allergies she may have suffered unconnected with her upbringing, i dont know.

i love veg but i definately eat meat, and i would feed my (future) children the whole spectrum until they figure out themselves what they want.

[adam04]

not sure, im 15 and to be honest would never be forced into begin vegetarian, i suppose at first it will work but as they get older they will decide for themselves if they want to be or not,   they will just have to learn to cook wont they!

[redimp]

I and D have been vegetarian for a long time - me 18 years, D 22 years.  We have three children and we have never made them be veggie - although pf course most home cooked food is vegetarian.  Our 14 year old drifts in and out of being vegetarian - my only problem with that is the drifting - she eats all the good veggie then all of a sudden she is a meat eater and leaves the rubbish for us.  Our middle son is resolutely a carnivore and we have to buy him meat and he leaves the veggies.  Our youngest appears at moment to be a veggie - she leaves most meat offerings and eats the veggie (esp mine) first.  They also have complete freedom of choice out of the home.

My big fear is rebellion - I believe in freedom of choice and education.

[BAGGY]

My sister's two have always been given the choice.  Although she never cooked meat at home for them, every Sunday they had the option of meat or veg at Grandad's or Aunties.  (we take it in turns to host Sunday dinner and she cooks meat then).  She always told the host that her kids were veggie if they went for tea or parties at friends but they were nehver forbidden to try anything.  My neice has still never eaten meat as she said she doesn't want to eat dead pigs and my nephew has tried various things but would rather stay veggie.  And that's having free rein to try and not being brain washed by anyone, even if my sister has been accused of being cruel and a bad mum by narrow minded folk.  I'm sure she would not get so much stick if she had brought them up in a strict religion that dictated what you could eat. I think kids will figure out what they like in the end. 

[terrace max]

Our household comprises two vegan adults, three vegetarian children and an omniverous dog!

The humans definitely benefit from the diverse allotment produce. We're as likely to eat meat as eat the grandparents.

As long as kids' food is tasty and nutritious it's a doddle.