Vegetarian Anti-Defamation League anyone?

[Guest guest]

I think the facts CAN speak for themselves.

I believe instead in " building vegetarian culture " as the BEST defense:

sustainable lives for everyone as vegetarians.

 

I also believe that inevitable inequalities are the conditions under which

razzing endures. " Leveling the playing field " will do more, I believe, to

garner respect as our own folks - vegetarians - are taught more deeply and

sustainably about vegetarian and vegan nutrition, history, values, etc.

 

That needs to be done. Maybe " then " we can celebrates RIGHTS and not merely

grieve over wrongs.

 

Indeed, the facts CAN speak for themselves - there are plenty of facts, and the

overall picture points emphatically towards the desirability of plant-based

diets; like many religious folks are told, we must be the speakers of those

facts, and without learning we're not prepared to share them with others.

 

Maynard

(Is anyone archiving these comments?)

" Pamela Rice <pamela " <pamela wrote:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=83042

 

'Hostile' doctors and teachers discriminate against vegetarian children, say

parents

 

By Jonathan Thompson The Independent 02 March

2003

 

Vegetarian parents are protesting against the discrimination they and their

children are forced to face in everyday life.

 

A new report, to be published this week, claims that nearly half of all parents

raising their children on a meat-free diet have experienced " hostility " over the

decision - from doctors, health visitors, teachers or

relatives.

 

The findings - released by the leading animal rights group Animal Aid - are

based on a survey of 800 vegetarian parents across the country.

 

The study found that 47 per cent of those questioned complained about " negative

pressure " over their child's diet - despite the fact that the group claim there

is little or no medical evidence to support such concern.

 

Relatives were the largest group opposed to child vegetarianism, with 54 per

cent of respondents citing them as a problem. One in five reported a similar

attitude from their GP, with a similar amount pointing the finger at health

visitors.

 

Animal Aid's campaigns officer, Becky Lilly, described the results as

" surprising " .

 

" The finding that shocked us most was the amount of pressure coming from close

relatives - no doubt well-meaning, but ill-informed, " said Ms Lilly. " This is

despite bodies such as the British Medical Association and the American Dietetic

Association confirming that a well-balanced vegetarian, indeed vegan, diet is

exceptionally healthy.

 

" It is frustrating that, in this day and age, such prejudice is still

widespread. "

 

The charity has now called on the BMA and the Department of Health to issue

guidelines to all health practitioners enabling them to " provide their patients

with sound advice on vegetarian diets " .

 

Animal Aid's views were supported by the Vegetarian Society. " A varied and

balanced vegetarian diet is a healthy lifestyle choice for children and adults

of all ages, " said spokeswoman Kerry Bennett. " Most vegetarians find it easy to

meet the Government's recommended balance of good health. "

 

Despite these claims, leading nutritionists yesterday warned parents to be

careful when considering vegetarianism as an option for children.

 

" If a vegetarian diet is well thought-out and balanced, it shouldn't be any

better or worse than a normal diet, " said Brigid McKevith, a scientist at the

British Nutrition Foundation. " However, there have been some cases of children

on restrictive diets not thriving or growing properly.

 

" A vegetarian diet that keeps adults in good health is not necessarily

appropriate for infants and young children. This is a time of rapid growth and

development when a good supply of energy and nutrients is particularly

important. Diets that are low in energy and fat and high in bulk may pose a

nutritional risk for children. "

 

Other critics of vegetarianism were more outspoken. The television chef Anthony

Worrall-Thompson described introducing children to a meat-free diet as

" dangerous " .

 

" On medical grounds it can't be very good, " said Mr Worrall-Thompson, who owns

the Notting Grill, a meat restaurant in West London. " It also strikes me as

dangerous to start relying on supplements at a young

age.

 

" Children are growing, and protein is important for that. They'll be missing out

on things they need - vitamins they can't get from soya or the fungus that grows

on pipes or whatever they eat. "

 

'He's only six, but he handles it well'

 

Seamus Brough couldn't understand why he was told off by his teacher on a school

trip to Asda.

 

The six-year-old vegan from Wolverhampton was walking past the deli counter when

he pointed to a chicken roasting on a spit and explained to his classmates that

it was a dead animal.

 

" Some of the kids started crying and Seamus was told off by the teacher for

upsetting them, " explained his mother, Mary Brady. " He couldn't understand why

he had got into trouble just for telling the truth. "

 

Later on the trip, says Ms Brady, Seamus was told " not to be rude " after asking

if the doughnut he had been offered was suitable for vegans.

 

" A lot of people misunderstand veganism, often those in professional positions

who should know better, " says Ms Brady, 31. " Seamus is only six but he handles

it well. If somebody asks him why he doesn't have

eggs, he tells them he doesn't want to eat something that has come out of a

chicken's bottom. "

 

According to Ms Brady, bringing up Seamus on a vegan diet caused problems from

the start.

 

" When Seamus was 18 months old, a health visitor came round, " says Ms Brady.

" She kept commenting on how intelligent and well developed he was, until I

mentioned that he was vegan. After that, her attitude changed completely.

 

She started saying that he looked clumsy in his movements, and that his mental

functioning could be impaired in later life by his diet. " I was so frustrated

that a health visitor could be that ignorant. "

 

Jonathan Thompson

 

© 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd