Raising babies/kids vegan or vegetarian

Posts: 133

I thought this could be an interesting thing to discuss. I've had this discussion with my fiance since he's a meat eater and im a vegetarian. Luckily we did find a ''middle'' way Wink

Anyway, what is your view? Do you think it's such a bad thing raising a baby as a vegetarian? or vegan for that matter.

In my eyes nothing is wrong. No matter what diet you have it shouldn't be a problem as long as you know what you're doing. Just because you eat meat, doesn't mean the baby gets all the nutrition it needs. It's about how aware you are about the different things you feed your kids with.

Only reason we say meat is the right and best way is because we've been doing this for thousands of years... This doesn't necessarily mean its bad not feeding them with meat. There are A LOT of other alternatives now a days. Of course, its a bigger problem if youre a vegan.

The biggest reason i am what i am, is because of the animals. But if we put animal welfare aside. Is it really a good thing feeding your kids with diary and meat products full of proteins? Yes proteins can be good for you, but it's never good with too much. And who knows what else they put in the animals. It' s something else eating meat some decades ago, but the meat and milk isnt as it once was. Children start their puberty MUCH earlier than they should. Girls get breasts and their period in a YOUNG age and it makes them ready to give birth young. The thing is, even if the body gives signs of being able to give birth early, it doesnt necessarily mean the body can manage to go through it. It can lead to a early birth for example.

Anyway, i wont get too into this. Just wanted to see your opinion.

Here is a video i thought maybe could be interesting for some of you to see:

http://www.current.tv/studio/media/2683042?cpg=vmmA&video=Vegan+Parenting

Posts: 8245

Great topic!

You can download this video from here: http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=181686

I've seen children that when finally given meat; it's almost all they want seemingly indicating that veganism isn't natural. The video doesn't address the lack of B-12 in the vegan diet, and condones soy as a replacement for things (Soy is worse than meat). People jumping into veganism most often suffer health problems which this video irresponsibly does not address.

Last edited by madthumbs on Tue Oct 31, 2006 6:21 am; edited 1 time in total

Posts: 297

Meat is good. instead of cow I eat deer. The meat is better for you. It is leaner, No additives/preservatives and there are none of those fatty tumors commonly found in steaks.

Posts: 8

I did a semi-vegetarian diet during my last pregnancy (I ate fish a bit and had chicken maybe a half-dozen times throughout the 9 months). I had no problems whatsoever and neither did the baby.
My husband is a strict vegetarian, I am not (although I eat far more vegetarian meals than most people). We do not raise our children to be vegetarian, they can eat what they want (including sweets & desserts - funny thing is when you don't forbid it, it becomes less appealing to them). But the majority of their meals are made w/ subsitute meats like Boca meat crumbles or veggie chik'n nuggets. I ONLY allow them to eat veggie hotdogs (the real ones are NASTY!). But they can also eat fish sticks and regular hamburgers if they want.
I certainly do not trust all of the chemicals and hormones in the animal products and eating meat can certainly increase your risk of heart disease. But my kids eat far more fruits & raw vegetables than most kids, and they seem to really like them, so I feel even with a little meat, they are pretty healthy.

Posts: 2699

After watching Earthlings and being shaken up I found the message of the film was not to stop eating meat but to respect what you eat. We are omnivores but the bulk of our diet should come from vegetables, fruits and nuts. I tend to avoid dairy as humans seem to be the only animal that likes to drink another animals milk after maturity. (Cats don't drink milk by choice. Cats don't hang on cow nipples). From evidence available it seems certain people on the planet were more meat eating than others. I'd say to use your heritage as a clue to try to achieve a balance for yourself.

I don't eat any other meat if it is not grass fed family farmed meat. I wish I could eat deer like the poster up there but its not available in large quantities in the city.

I'm no expert on this subject but I don't believe it is good to raise a baby vegetarian, especially not with soy formula. That shit should be banned from this planet. Perhaps a vegetarian mom with her own breast milk is more viable.

Posts: 8

I am a vegitarian. My boyfriend is not. Our son exibits his own sort of personal choice and I can tell, he is not a fan of meat, generally. I have tested him to see if it was that he saw that I dont eat it or if he just did not like it. You know, like I put something in front of him and said, ''do you like that... Dad loves it.'' Did not work. Laughing

I do eat a diverse diet of veggies and do enjoy dairy. Sorry but soy ice cream sucks... lol

There are so many ways you can invite children to eat less meat without freaking them out.

The younger they start, the better if you are trying to convert.

Ask me anything you would like to know about this. Smile

Posts: 8

	edisme wrote:
	From evidence available it seems certain people on the planet were more meat eating than others. I agree with that. I'm no expert on this subject but I don't believe it is good to raise a baby vegetarian, especially not with soy formula. That shit should be banned from this planet. Perhaps a vegetarian mom with her own breast milk is more viable.

It depends. I was a pregnant veggie and my son was born at 8 pounds and completely healthy. He is in the 90% as far as size and has only been sick one time in over 3 years. I think the most important this is nutrition in general. I really think that is what a lot of people miss. I think eating meat is just gross and frankly, the average American does not know squat about health. However, vegans and vegitarians can also be ignorant insofar as thinking that just skipping meat is the answer.

To me, the most toxic thing a person can ingest is white sugar (which seems to be in everything!) JMO.

Posts: 2699

	Quote:
	To me, the most toxic thing a person can ingest is white sugar (which seems to be in everything!) JMO.

One of my mentors once taught me, avoid the four white devils as his first rule for nutrition:

White sugar, white bread, white flour, white rice

	Quote:
	However, vegans and vegitarians can also be ignorant insofar as thinking that just skipping meat is the answer.

I think this why they piss me off at times. I respect their choice to be that way just don't mess with my choice of food, especially if I know where it came from. [/list]

Posts: 4

We plan to raise our son vegan. He can choose for himself when he is older. I had a 100% vegetarian pregnancy and was perfectly healthy the whole time. And he gets breastmilk, not soy.

I think it should be up to the individual though. I never liked eating meat and I feel healthier now and haven't been sick in years since I became veg. But, that's just me, and everyone is different.

A vegan diet can have B12 (nutritional yeast) and i cook with it a lot. I think regardless your dietary choice organic, whole unprocessed foods are the way to do it.

Posts: 8245

I just realized that breast milk is not vegan. Razz

Posts: 4

	madthumbs wrote:
	I just realized that breast milk is not vegan.

I've thought of this before.. my baby is a breastmilkatarian.. lol. I would feed him goats milk if I had to supplement. It isn't soy, nor is it hormone injected cow's milk. And Goats' milk is the closest to human milk commercially available. Not vegan.. but the best alternative, IMO.

Human milk, though, is for human babies.

A little off topic ,but, Have you ever looked into breast milk treatment for cancer patients?

Posts: 506

	Quote:
	A little off topic ,but, Have you ever looked into breast milk treatment for cancer patients?

Continuing offtopic:
There is apparently H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) in breast milk.
http://www.healingformula.com/hydrogen_peroxide.htm

	Quote:
	There is a high content of hydrogen peroxide in breast milk.