Raising your child as a Vegetarian??

[Erica]

Hello, just looking for some feedback from people who have been there and done that, with regards to being raised as a vegetarian or are raising their families as vegetarians. Anyone been on this path?

[Cindy Kelly]

Okay.....so you know I haven't been there and done that but here's my two cents:

I think it is extremely tricky and I wouldn't attempt it personally. Children have such a high need for protein and if they don't get it in appropriate amounts it can be very damaging. It's my personal opinion to stay away from vegetarianism (unless ovo-lacto) until children have finished growing. Having said this though, it can also be problematic to overdo dairy in the diet which is what many oco-lacto vegetarians do. Why not raise the child predominantly vegetarian but add some eggs, fish and organic chicken into the diet a couple of times per week?

[Sacha Martin]

yes. of my two kids (now adults...) my daughter eats some meat when dining out, and my son is mostly vegan, as am I.

the two cookbooks which I found the most invaluable were (and still are), Diet For a Small Planet and Laurel's Kitchen.

they provide healthy, nutritious, kid friendly recipes. Food combining, RDA's and the basis of sound vegetarian nutrition are explained in a way which is clear and concise. I found that these books took the worry and guesswork out of being vegetarian.

while both books are now out of print, you should be able to find copies at www.abebooks.com

[Heather]

I have not personally been there. However, I have a colleague who has lent her insight from time to time now that I have reached the proverbial "health and wellness" crossroads. I would recommend you do so with the guidance of a nutritionalist or your child's pediatrician if the Vegetarian lifestyle is new to you, simply because of the high caloric demand of a child's metabolism. But, I think you are no more at risk than those who rely on McDonald's for their family's meals.... kudos to you for thinking about it!

[Erica]

Hi thanks for your response Heather. I'm not the one raising my child as a vegetarian though. Probably should have mentioned this earlier but I was looking more for some nutritional info, daily requirements etc...and maybe some recipes to help support my sister in her journey. My sister has been a vegetarian for about 17 years now (and is currently eating about 90 percent vegan (although it does fluctuate) and she is 35 weeks pregnant..about to give birth to a little boy:) Her and her husband are going to be raising their little one as a vegetarian. She has a great book called "Raising Vegetarian Children". Her husband works with a woman who's parents are vegetarians and she has never ever eaten meat or meat products. They are pretty confident about their ability to do this...I just wanted to be better informed so that I can support her decision. It's amazing how much slack they are receiving from their meat eating friends and family. They have good friends who are in the process of raising their little one year old girl as a vegetarian too.
My son is 4 years old and he's like his father! He would eat meat 3 times a day if I prepared it for him;) I agree with you on the McDonald's thing too...it can't be much worse than all the crap people give their children.

[Jennifer]

Hi, I am raising my 17 month old a vegan. Or at least trying to. It seems that only the rich can afford to eat "properly" if you know what I mean. It's not that I don't believe meat is here for us to consume, it's just the crap, (hormones, antibiotics and steriods) the industry is "forced" to inject into the meat. With that being said, I was concerned with my daughter getting the proper essential fatty acids, iron, etc... So we went to my naturopath after I stopped breastfeeding (because we had chosen not to vaccinate also) and her advice to me was "Smart Oil" (vegan) or Udo's Blend and "Pediatrivite", which is an excellent children's vitamin (liquid). I made my own formula for her with half organic goats milk (research, it's worth it) and half kid's greens, smart oil, and prediatrivite. It was great, stinks really bad though when pyewked up! At a year old I switched to Almond Breeze or organic Ryza (rice milk), cow's milk has all the same crap in it as meat. Now I continue the smart oil and pediatrivite and she eats lots of beans, lentils, whole grains like Quinoa, rices, pastas. Raw veggies are important too for the enzymes, which we loose when we cook. Raw food is best for you, try a juicer. We try (emphansis on try) to eat 2 raw meals a day and one cooked...if your interested, research the Halleleujah diet, it's interesting and closest to our diet. It's strict and just meant to be used as a guideline unless you are not well, then it should be followed closely. But for a growing brain these things are necessary.

I hope this helps out a bit!
All the best!

[Erica]

Thanks Jennifer,
I agree with your statement that apparently only the rich can afford to eat properly. I read an interesting story on the slowfood movement site that critized the popular book "In Defense of Food". The writers on the site talked about the cost of local foods and people on fixed incomes not being able to purchase foods at the farmer's markets. It's unfortunate. I'll have to find the link for you.
Do you mind if I ask...is your little one picky? Do you see a paediatrician too? How is your daughter's growth?

[Cindy Kelly]

Jennifer, I have to mention that your statement about non-organic milk having all the same crap in it as meat does is not entirely true. Here in Canada it is illegal for dairy farmers to use growth hormones and when antibiotics are used the milk from the cows that are being treated has to be thrown away. The downside to using non-organic milk would be that the cattle feed isn't organic so it could have residues of pesticides in it.....and also the feed could be genetically modified. I still believe organic is better, but milk in Canada is quite safe compared to our neighbours in the States.

[Candis Loomans]

Hi Cindy, our milk may be better than the states but it really isn't that great.

I worked on a dairy farm for 5 years and managed it for the last year I was there. You are right there are no growth hormones in the milk. But you can give them other ones like Prosta Glandon and Oxitocin while there milk is going in the tank. (excuse my spelling it has been a while). These are to bring the cow into heat and help them let their milk down.
Also the cows are dewormed, after this is done you can't ship them out for "beef" for 30 days but there milk is good immediatly!! Throughout a cows life time they are pumped full of vaccines, drugs and antibiotics there are time periods to wait before the milk goes in the tank. In Europe there is a disease called Yoni's disease (I thinkthats what it is called), it is similar to chrone's or colititis only in the cow. When a herd has this diease their milk cannot be shipped out. Ever heard of that dis-ease? Not in Canada, because we don't even test for it!!

wow that was mouth full ;) Hope some of this info helps :)

[Ali]

It's nice to get feedback on this issue from someone in the industry. Thanks for this helpful post.

[Jennifer]

Hi Erica,
My little one can be picky, but I just keep trying. Her growth is excellent, in fact she's tall like myself and my husband and definately doesnt have any issues putting on weight. She's very healthy. We dont have a need to see a pediatrician, so, no we dont see one. When she gets a runny nose or sick, we use homeopathic remedies. That's not to say we dont use children's tylenol when neccessary.

And also thankyou everyone else for the info on milk, this is helpful. I am interested to know, Candis, if working on a dairy farm has changed what you eat?? I have a friend that is now vegetarian after working in a chicken farm.

[123RAWgirl]

Storm and Jinjee have raised all of their kids vegetarian (vegan). They have loads of great information! have you ever heard of them before?