Guest guest Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 Hi, My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if children need meat for something that they don't know yet… Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the house (school). What do you guys think? Thanks Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 Well - you could say to him " just to be safe " maybe we shouldnt give him meat. There is more evidence pointing toward a meat-free diet being healthier and " what if " dietary guidelines suddenly start saying that even non-vegetarians should not give meat to children that young. You never know. If I were you I would try and out rule him on this one!!! PS - there are many very healthy veg*ns out there that have never eaten a bite of meat in there lives - probobly some on this group. , " Anna Macknight <macknighta> " <macknighta> wrote: > my husband thinks we > should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand > that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my > baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, > and that they might not know if children need meat for something > that they don't know yet… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 I believe that unless you WANT to give him meat, eggs and dairy, there's nothing in them that you can't get from a vegan source. B12 is the only debatable area and there are so many fortified foods and supplements that I still don't think it's a big deal. Sandra (whose kids are vegetarian, but vegan at home most of the time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 There is absolutely no reason to feed your baby meat. I've never encountered a doctor who is gung-ho on my son and me being vegans (but some of those have admitted they just don't know much about it, and I've managed to convince them, I think, that we eat healthy). However, every one that we've seen (I'm thinking of four different ones), have only suggested I add eggs or yogurt, one percent milk, etc. (I'm not suggesting this - just saying what they said.) None have ever said I need to feed him meat, and in fact, some of them have even said that's great we don't eat meat. I know my doctors have said that about me, being an adult. His first pediatrician said that he and his wife were trying to limit their meat, anyway. The dietician/nurse to my ob/gyn wholeheartedly dismissed it when my ob/gyn wanted her to talk to me about my diet. She said it's so becoming an old wives tale that you need meat. She said you do not. I would believe this without any of them saying it, but I know some people have to be convinced by the " word " of doctors. (my husband, too, for example) - <macknighta Wednesday, January 29, 2003 9:06 AM meat to babies... Hi, My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if children need meat for something that they don't know yet. Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the house (school). What do you guys think? Thanks Anna 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 January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 I started letting my children take a little meat when they are 2. The main reasoning I used to my husband is that their internal organs are not yet fully developed to digest the meat. He thought about it and agreed to postpone meat until 2 years old. Josephine - Anna Macknight <macknighta Wednesday, January 29, 2003 11:06 PM meat to babies... Hi, My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if children need meat for something that they don't know yet. Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the house (school). What do you guys think? Thanks Anna 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 January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 On Wed, 29 Jan 2003 15:06:27 -0000, Anna Macknight <macknighta <macknighta wrote: > Hi, > > My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving > him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him > meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is > worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument > is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if > children need meat for something that they don't know yet… > > Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. > > I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore > (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the > house (school). > > What do you guys think? There is absolutely no need for a child to consume dairy products if fed a healthy balanced diet. You need to know your nutritional facts though - and many of these are available from The Vegan Society (UK) online. Indeed, if done properly keeping your baby vegan could be the best gift you could ever bestow, given the -proven-long term health benefits of a healthy vegan diet. Actually, dietary guidelines may change a lot, but they tend to come from government agencies who have vested interests in the dairy industry, and also from people who think that the general population is not intelligent enough to eat healthily. Hence the increasing recommended intake of Calcium in the USA - because of excessive protein consumption by the general population. On a diet contain adequate but not excessive amounts of protein, the approximate daily calcium requirements for an - adult-are only 600mg. Vegan diet for Infants and Children: http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/mod.php?mod=userpage & menu=10000 & page_id=25 Diet and Bone Health: http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/mod.php?mod=userpage & menu=107 & page_id=30 B12, Homocysteine and Health: http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/mod.php?mod=userpage & menu=106 & page_id=29 Dairy products, diabetes and heart disease: http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/mod.php?mod=userpage & menu=103 & page_id=4 That last article reviews a study that showed -reduced-IRS in a group consuming increased dairy products. However there are several indications from the study and other research that the real picture is somewhat more complicated, and that saturated fats from dairy products are indeed believed to increase Insulin Resistance Syndrome. If you feel you cannot / do not want to bring up your child vegan then just don't do it. It does require some extra time and thought in terms of ensuring a healthy balanced died. Nobody wants another " Vegan parents malnourish their child " story in the news. We will be bringing up our baby vegan - as we believe it is definitely the best choice for our child's long-term health, animals and the environment. Just do -not-forget the Vitamin B12 !! Best wishes, Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 Hi Anna, This sounds just like my family! My daughter just turned one and is vegan, and my husband wants her to have egg and dairy, and fish once in a while (maybe once a week.) He is not advocating meat...our local market just started carrying irradiated meats and he is saying " If you have to irradiate, there must be something really wrong with it. " I am, like you, vegan mostly, and he is vegetarian mostly. My daughter ate tuna casserole last night, her first meat ever. She ate virtually no tuna, mostly noodles, but I still felt weird. However, he respects me and my lifestyle and choices for the baby in nearly every other area, so I respect him and decided once a week (or less!) isn't the end of the world, nor will it kill her. (Also, I make dinner in my house and can control how much tuna goes in the " tuna noodle " - not much! ) It is important to him to share certain things with her, and he doesn't want to feel like a criminal when she is older and wonders why daddy eats " bad foods. " He did agree no chicken, steak, or other meat foods, since I was very adamant about those) We drink rice milk and she eats soy yogurt (try Whole Soy vanilla - tastes like YoBaby.) Life is about compromises and respecting each others values - in the long run your will be able to talk with your child about food choices and what's best and why. Perhaps you two could decide which foods are off limits and which are okay on a very limited basis. It's hard, I know, when you hold strong beliefs other don't. I wish you luck in your decision! Emkaysmommy " Anna Macknight <macknighta " <macknighta wrote:Hi, My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if children need meat for something that they don't know yet… Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the house (school). What do you guys think? Thanks Anna 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 January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 Anna, I need to let you in on another possible " side effect " on giving your child meat at an early age. I became vegetarian 12 years ago because I developed reactions to the chemicals/hormones in the meat. My husband (an omnivore) agreed to raising our youngest (of five) vegetarian. He is now almost nine and my healthest child. Now about a danger of giving in to the " little meat " ... When my son was 7 1/2 he developed strep throat and had to go to the doctor for the first time ever in his life. He was put on the standard antibiotics (amoxicillin) and within 4 days he broke out in hives from the medication (his father became allergic to penicillin in his 30's). When discussing it with his doctor she said that his allergic reaction was so high that he was to NEVER have any form of penicillin again but interestingly she went on to say that he was also not to have much hamburger or meats either for the antibiotic use in the meats were just as dangerous to him. She then remembered that my son was veg and said " GOOD - thats the best thing for him " now this was a doctor who just 5 days before had grilled me on his diet but now had a turn of heart and realized that this meatfree diet actually had saved him from a life long bout with illness. Your young one does not need meat to grow up healthy and strong. My daughter (almost 13) is also primarily meat free now (her choice - YEAH!) and has developed everything just as she normally should and has no where near the difficulty with her normal cycles as I did at her age. If you want to introduce dairy - do it slowly as my son has developed an intolerance to that also (he still loves eggs and can eat them). There are wonderful soy yougurts (we love the Silk brand), soy & rice cheeses (he eats veggie cheese sandwiches alot - LOVES them) and many other subs for " meat " foods you can share with your child. Don't be in a hurry to eat meat - when your child is older you can then let him choose for himself if he will continue veg but talk to you husband and get him to agree to wait - there are plenty of years ahead for your son to " try new things " right now keep please his immune system healthy. Virginia - <macknighta Wednesday, January 29, 2003 9:06 AM meat to babies... Hi, My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if children need meat for something that they don't know yet. Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the house (school). What do you guys think? Thanks Anna 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 January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 If it ain't broke don't fix it Stephanie - Anna Macknight <macknighta Wednesday, January 29, 2003 10:06 AM meat to babies... Hi, My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, and that they might not know if children need meat for something that they don't know yet. Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the house (school). What do you guys think? Thanks Anna 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 January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 On Wed, 29 Jan 2003 18:19:01 -0500, Sandra Mort <sandra.mort wrote: > I believe that unless you WANT to give him meat, eggs and dairy, there's > nothing in them that you can't get from a vegan source. B12 is the only > debatable area and there are so many fortified foods and supplements that > I > still don't think it's a big deal. Infant diets are slightly trickier though, in terms of quantities of fortification etc. - aren't they? Also B12 is -not-the only issue. You must ensure adequate calcium (fortification, dark leafy greens etc., almonds etc.) but it is vital you also supply adequate vitamin C, D and K, as well as iron and other nutritional elements. I don't mean it's really hard or impossible - just that to say the only issue is B12 is misleading. Acquiring safe levels of Iodine, for example. Depending on where you live, you may receive no Iodine through your diet, and will have to supplement with seaweed or related products. However seaweed is unpredictable in its iodine content and too much iodine can be very bad. For adults, the current Vegan Society recommendation is two Kelp tablets per week. " Iodine is provided by iodised salt in many countries, but for most people in Britain and Ireland the main source is dairy produce because iodine is routinely added to cattle feed and also used to treat udder infections in dairy cattle. Iodine can be readily obtained from kelp (about 15 grams spread over a year, or two kelp tablets a week, is about right). Low iodine intake can cause hypothyroidism leading to tiredness, skin problems, tingling sensations and elevated cholesterol. For more details see Iodine Information Sheet. " Iodine Info Sheet: http://www.vegansociety.com/html/info/info56.htm However I am not sure what are desirable iodine levels for infants. Marc -- Marc Palmer (Wangjammer5) http://www.wangjammers.org Java Consultants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 I had similiar anxiety about raising a vegetarian baby since I was raised as an omnivore. But I realized that those worries are very ethnocentric since people around the world, especially in India have been raising vegetarian children for thousands of years. Of course I believe most Indian vegetarians eat dairy products (maybe to get their B12 before the advent of vitamin supplements.) So there is already " proof " that humans don't have to eat meat. Generations and Generations of children have been raised without meet for thousands of years and are perfectly healthy. Melanie > - > <macknighta > > Wednesday, January 29, 2003 9:06 AM > meat to babies... > > > Hi, > > My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start > giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we > should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand > that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my > baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, > and that they might not know if children need meat for something > that they don't know yet. > > Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. > > I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore > (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the > house (school). > > What do you guys think? > Thanks > Anna > > > > > 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 January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 Do you know if iodine (like some other nutrients are) is passed through breast milk to the child? , Marc Palmer <marc@a...> wrote: > > Acquiring safe levels of Iodine, for example. Depending on where you live, > you may receive no Iodine through your diet, and will have to supplement > with seaweed or related products. However seaweed is unpredictable in its > iodine content and too much iodine can be very bad. For adults, the current > Vegan Society recommendation is two Kelp tablets per week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2003 Report Share Posted January 30, 2003 > " Anna Macknight <macknighta " <macknighta > meat to babies... > > Hi, > > My son just turned 1, and he is still a vegan. I'm going to start > giving him egg yolks and yogurt soon, but my husband thinks we > should give him meat once a week " just to be safe " . I understand > that my husband is worried, but I don't want to give meat to my > baby! My husband's argument is that dietary guidelines change a lot, > and that they might not know if children need meat for something > that they don't know yet… > > Kevin (my son) eats well, and I'm still nursing him. > > I'm a vegetarian (vegan 90% of the time) and my husband is omnivore > (vegetarian 90% of the time). Our 9yo daughter eats meat outside the > house (school). > > What do you guys think? > Thanks > Anna naturally, I disagree with your dh. Respectfully, of course. I think he's scared and unconvinced, but that doesn't mean your son has to eat meat, given that many babies are healthy on *vegan* - let alone vegetarian - diets. Meat and eggs are, nutritionally speaking, very similar. So if you're going to do eggs (though I'm not sure why....?) then your ds certainly doesn't need meat. If you're still nursing, you have even less to worry about. ~Doh vegan mom to healthy vegan son Griffin, 3.5 yo. ---------- " I believe reality is a marvelous joke staged for my edification and amusement, and everybody is working very hard to make me happy. " --Terence McKenna > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 On Thu, 30 Jan 2003 20:47:56 -0000, smartgirl27us <thesmartfamily3 <thesmartfamily3 wrote: > Do you know if iodine (like some other nutrients are) is passed through > breast milk to the child? I am not sure, but given that breast milk is all human babies are supposed to consume, it's safe to say that it should pass on -everything-that is required - given a healthy mother's diet. Otherwise, all breastfed babies would be Iodine deficient! There are no kelp tablets for babies in " the great outdoors " -- Marc Palmer (Wangjammer5) http://www.wangjammers.org Java Consultants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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