Raising kids vegetarian?

Bringing your children up veggie is the greatest gift you can give them.

My son has been veggie and on off vegan since birth, he is so much more healthier than his meat eating friends. Hardly ever got sick- he is now 15 and never wants to eat meat and thanks me for our lifestyle..

For healthy happy kids, keep dead animals out of there diet.

 

That's not entirely correct. I was a vegetarian and now I eat a bit of meat again. I do this because I was worried about fatigue I was dealing with, my doctor insisted it was because of the lack of nutrients meat brings.

I feel a lot better these days. I play a lot of sports and I am supposing your son doesn't, and if he does then he'll end up seeing his GP like I did by eighteen. You're so much more nimble as a young teenager.

 

That's not entirely correct? excuse me do uno me? I beg to differ ...

This is your life and Im commenting on mine- I hope thats ok with you?

 

Hmm...if you dont want a lion to eat you play nice at the zoo and dont sunbathe on a rock in the African Savannas. Pretty simple.

A few things.....
1. Children can be raised veg and be perfectly healthy. My daughter is lacto/ovo and gets plenty of protein and iron through eggs, lentils,peanut butter, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, kale, chard, brocoli, spinach, etc....the trick is to start them young so they grow up eating healthy alternatives and develop a taste for it.

2. Of course your children are going to be indoctrinated with shit from you weither you realize it or not. They become you in a sense! My daughter has taken on all my weird little mannerisms and she talks just like me too. I never forced that onto her....children are sponges...they become their environment. So...I think you may be overthinking things. If your lady wants to raise them veg and you dont care then let her raise them veg but maybe you two can come to an agreement that when the kids are old enough they can make their own decision. They're not going to hate you for depriving them of meat for a few years...neither would they hate you for feeding them meat if they later decided they wanted to be veg...either way it's going to be a learning experience for them.

 

I always found it extremely silly to argue that by not giving kids meat when they're young, you're forcing your vegetarian choices on them. That attitude stems from the internal belief that being a vegetarian is less valid than being an omnivore. I've been told the same thing about religion - I'm a Wiccan and obviously will be raising my children in that religion. I was told in all seriousness that I should take my children to a Christian church when they're young and let them choose later if they want to stop going. It was just assumed that Christianity was the standard and anything else was an oddity or aberrant in some way.

It's the same with meat. I could just as easily say that by feeding your kids meat, you're forcing your omnivore choices on them. We all make decisions for our children that we believe are best. Feeding them what you believe to be the best and healthiest diet is not forcing any beliefs on them, regardless of what that diet may be.

I am a vegetarian, my husband is not. My son is 5 and vegetarian by choice. He is old enough to understand why I choose not to eat meat and why his stepdad and dad do eat meat and has decided that he agrees with me. My children will be eating vegetarian diets until they are of an age to understand and can decide for themselves. By feeding them vegetarian food, I am not forcing any beliefs on them or indoctrinating them. That's just ridiculous. I'm simply giving them what I believe is the best and healthiest diet for them. We have no choice but to decide what our children eat when they're little - let a 2yo decide and he'd live off candy and ice cream. Calling it indoctrination simply because the diet given to children who are too young to choose for themselves happens to exclude something makes no sense at all.

 

Well, we intentional do not start eating meat at first and it does make sense going to a vegetarian diet. I was actually a borderline Vegan at one point in my life, however that changed incredible when I could not sustain a healthy diet. I began to eat grass fed, organic meats but portions, not full on steaks. The reason being was I became ill from not eating meat. Not everyone can be a vegan or vegetarian. It can be difficult for some people. Anyway, I don't think it is wrong raising a child to be a vegetarian or vegan, however as they get older it can hurt them if they decide to eat meat.

As for the argument over whether it is moral right to eat meat or not... I think it is personal, however I think it is wrong how we get our meat. All life that is consider an omnivore or a carnivore eat meat and kill for that meat. You can't really claim humans be immoral for eating meat, but I do believe it is how we get our meat. This is why I choose to eat organic/ grass fed meats. It is how the cattle, chickens are raised. I also refuse to eat veal. I also do not think hunting for food is wrong. If we abuse it, obviously it is wrong but if a hunter kills for food and uses the entire animal it is not wrong. We are essentially animals and omnivore at that. We can become a vegetarian, however we can not be a vegetarian in the wild. If the world goes into chaos and we have to survive in the wild, the likely hood of hunting is 100 percent or you will die. We only can be a vegetarian or a vegan because we have the ability in first world nations. We have the food that can provide the protein and other sources to keep us healthy. Other then that we can not survive in the wild without the need to eat meat.

 

I definitely agree with the people saying let her feed the vegetarian diets... a point a lot of these people have missed is the ridiculous amounts of chemicals and growth hormones in meat these days.... 50 years ago pre-teen girls weren't going around with huge sets of boobs looking like they're 16! and that's just one example, I'm sure all of these chemicals nd hormones are detrimental to a child's health. Anyone capable of providing themselves with a balanced vegetarian diet that provides required nutrients, should be more than capable of raising a small child on a vegetarian diet and the child will thrive on that, i wonder how often children raised on properly balanced vegetarian diets end up at the doctor or at the hospital because they're sick compared to people who feed their kids the same crap they're eating? Vegetarians are REQUIRED to think about what they put into their body and to think about their nutrition as opposed to people who opt for a "normal" mainstream, eat whatever you want to eat diet... HAPPY MEALS... fast food, hot dogs etc...

This is only my personal opinion but both myself and my partner are vegetarians and we eat exceptionally well because we've developed a palate for many different types of foods providing many options of where we get our nutrients, not just meat n' potatoes diets. I was raised by people who eat the mainstream, (sheltered in my opinion) diets and it took me SO long to be able to take care of myself as a vegetarian because i was never exposed to anything different.

We're expecting our first child (I'm 7 weeks along ) Our children will be raised on a vegetarian diet not based on morals but because that's the food that's cooked and on the table. and once they're old enough to discuss why other people eat meat and we don't, they'll get a simple, unbiased explanation and then they can choose for themselves. Until then and continuing, they'll be raised on healthy, balanced diets and taught about how your body needs a bunch of different nutrients to be healthy etc etc.

(I can't wait to be a mom)

 

That's the best way to do it, I think.

Oh, and congratulations

 

Awesome post mi dear, I actually enjoyed reading that- you sound like u will make an amazing mumma!

xxx

 

Alright, so saw that this was posted way back in May, an boy do I wish I had seen it sooner.... I am both a vegetarian and a non-religious person.....I also have a fifteen month old son. Of course I believe that my choices are right, otherwise they wouldn't be the way I CHOSE to live my life. However, when it comes to your wife and you raising your child vegetarian, well, why the hell wouldn't you? My boyfriend-father of my son, eats meat, and so far he has agreed with the way I feed our child. Our baby is so healthyy, hasn't been sick once yet this winter(knock on wood), he is happy and so very smart, says more than thirty words, I feel like he totally gets me-which ofcourse you can choosenot to believe, and think I'm just a normal mom thinking her kid is better than everyone else's. But, aside from the cruelty issues-eating meat is not healthy...why would you want to expose your baby or young one to something that, no matter how small the chance can ultimately kill them...(mad cow disease, e coli..etc.) I am a server and every time someone orders medium rare,,or meat in general, fr that matter-for their child, I can't help but cringe! Cloned meat and genetically modifed ingredients being fed to the animals are also another huge reason not to expose your pure little baby to this tainted Frankenfood we as a people have become so accustomed to consuming without asking any questions. and, GMO's are a big reason as to why your child should not eat meat, but also only eat Organic. Like I said my little boy, is so luckily never sick, and that is the way I have been feeding him. ofcourse, it is important to make sure he is getting his protein through beans and eggs and getting fruitsand yogurt, but there is absolutely no reason to think that because a child doesn't eat meat they won't be healthy, in fact it is quite the opposite. I suggest you google vegetarianism, and GMO's and Monsanto for that matter, to see what eating meat is really doing to our environment and humanity. Atleast, non-organic meat... As for the religion...I struggle with that one. I consider myself an Agnostic,however my boyfriend has faith that there is an almighty God, and once in a while I struggle with the what-ifs... so, part of me wants to have our son baptised(just in case) I was baptised, and confirmed-Lutheran, which I have to admit is what I would want our son to be-but my boyfrind- who doesn't ever go to church-wants him baptised his religion...you know all I can say is it is very, very tough being a PARENT. I hope I've helped without coming off too preachy, and good luck with your new little one-it really is a blast. It's very, very, hard-but way worth it!

 

Also, another big reason that I just can't feed my baby meat-which might help you see your wife's point of view is... say I did feed him something-that I don't eat, like a hamburger, and he did get sick...that feeling of feeding your kid something that even you won't eat and them ending up in the hosptal...being a possibility-no way! I just can't do it- and no one can understand THAT, unless they're a parent! Maybe rent, Food Inc., or read Fast Food Nation... that might also help you see her point of view.