Guest guest Posted March 7, 2001 Report Share Posted March 7, 2001 Hello. I'm new to this list and it has really been rewarding to read all of your messages. My wife and I are expecting our first baby in June. In line with the standard advice, we are interviewing three pediatricians before selecting one. What questions should we ask to find out how familiar they are with vegetarian nutrition? How can we tell a good pediatrician from a not-so-good one? Thanks for your help! Jeff Get email at your own domain with Mail. http://personal.mail./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2001 Report Share Posted March 7, 2001 Hi Jeff, Concerning pediatricians, I think what is easier than finding a pediatrician who is knowledgeable about vegetarianism/complementary medicine, is finding one who is supportive and open to it. I copied information on vegetarian nutrition issues, and gave him a list of the foods we eat and why we were NOT lacking in protein, calcium, etc. Since your children will not be sick nearly as often as junk food and meat eating children, you will be visiting the Dr. infrequently anyway. Being upfront on the issues that are important to you is a big help. Lisa - " bike n veg " <bike_n_veg Wednesday, March 07, 2001 11:37 AM interviewing pediatricians > Hello. I'm new to this list and it has really been > rewarding to read all of your messages. My wife and I > are expecting our first baby in June. In line with > the standard advice, we are interviewing three > pediatricians before selecting one. What questions > should we ask to find out how familiar they are with > vegetarian nutrition? How can we tell a good > pediatrician from a not-so-good one? > > Thanks for your help! > Jeff > > Get email at your own domain with Mail. > http://personal.mail./ > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 Jeff, It's interesting about pediatricians; we had a vegan pediatrician at one time that I simply couldn't work with. The others have been omnivores, but we find that most pediatricians are not all that interested in the child's diet! Weird, huh? So maybe the thing to do is find a doctor who claims to be interested in preventative health care, diet, etc...and does not sound skeptical when you tell her/him you will be raising a veg baby. You'll recognize one to avoid right away if they panic and start calling veg diets " extreme " , etc... Most important of all is a doctor who is kind to children and respectful to parents, who communicates well, is not too pushy, but who knows his/her stuff! Sometimes finding all this out takes trial and error, so don't be afraid to switch doctors if you are not happy with yours. Oh-another idea! CHeck with your local La Leche League about local doctors. The leader may not be able to make recommendations, but the members sure can (and will)! susan p. ______________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 Jeff asked: <<What questions should we ask to find out how familiar they are with vegetarian nutrition?>> You can tell a lot by how they react when you tell them that you are a vegetarian. As someone else said, you're going to have better luck finding someone who is open to it and/or willing to learn, rather than hold out for that one elusive vegetarian pediatrician. Conversely, a less-than-sympathetic doctor can be useful in dealing with your extended family...whenever challenged about bringing my daughter up as a vegetarian, I point out that her first pediatrician, her current one (considered one of the best in the Midwest) and her pediatric allergist (ditto) are all against vegetarianism in general, but have grudgingly agreed that Anna is in perfect health and that our diet as I've described it is well-balanced and fully nutritious. It makes a more powerful statement, since it's coming from the " opposition " . <<How can we tell a good pediatrician from a not-so-good one?>> Do they look at you when they speak to you? Do they answer your questions? How? Do you feel comfortable after being with them, or rushed, or stupid? Also, if you do your own research first (the Web, obviously, is an easy place to start), then you can have prior knowledge on any questions you bring up. Do their answers jibe with what you've learned elsewhere, are they more thorough, or do they not know as much as you do? (Yes, that can happen. Don't ask me about my dad's oncologist.) Are they willing to admit if they don't know something, and offer to get back to you? Well, those are my ideas, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2001 Report Share Posted March 12, 2001 I've never found a doctor who had a negative opinion about vegetarianism. When I mention it, it is always dismissed as irrelevant to whatever ailment I've gone in to have looked at. Seventh Day Adventists are usually vegetarians. Their denomination has medical schools which produce vegetarian doctors and nurses; I went to one once. The Merck manual for doctors lists vegetarianism under Nutritional Disorders in Vegetarians: " The most common form of true vegetarianism is ovo-lacto vegetarianism in which meat and fish are eschewed. Iron deficiency is the only risk. Ovo-lacto vegetarians tend to live longer and to suffer less chronic disabling conditions than their meat-eating peers. However, they also usually abstain from alcohol and tobacco and take regular exercise as part of their lifestyle. Vegans consume no animal products and are susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiency. Yeast extracts and fermented foods of Oriental origin provide this vitamin. Ca, Fe, and Zn tend to be low. A fruitarian diet diet consists solely of fruit, is deficient in protein, salt, and many micronutrients, and cannot be sustained for long. " The manual then goes on in the next section to describe problems with fad diets where dire warnings of severe health problems and death are reported, adding that most of these fad diets are condemned by the AMA. It is possible that some doctors may not recognize that those condemned diets do not include the previously lauded vegetarian diet, or they may perceive some kinds of vegetarian diets or vegetarian people as fad-based and not well thought out. -- Be kind. Be of good cheer. Dick Ford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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