Guest guest Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Hi, I have two vegan boys, since before birth. One is 7 the other 3. I get concerned when I read things too. I had my blood levels tested and was low in Vit D, so I got my boys tested. My older one was high in Vit B12. We eat a whole foods diet with very little soymilk. We do use alot of nutritional yeast, in fact, I didn't realize how much until I got him tested and looked back at the things I make. My other son and I were both fine in B12. I got the same kind of questions when I was pregnant with my first. I was confident this was the best diet and let the people who questioned know that. Oh, they also questioned, if you're vegan and don't drink milk, how are you going to feed the baby? I breastfed and told them that was what I planned to do because it is the most natural for babies, they couldn't see how it was vegan! I'm sure you've done your homework and will do fine raising your little one Kerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 You are absolutely doing the BEST thing (after nursing) that you can do for your child. I have 4 children ages 15 (6ft. tall athelete), 12, 9 and 5 and felt much the same way you did way back when. But they are all healthy, strong, smart and well behaved (most of the time!). People comment to me about it all the time. We don't " advertise " what we do, but it comes up when the children go to parties, etc. and then we tell people. The " proof is in the (vegan) pudding " , as they say. Try to find like minded people wherever you are located. Go to Vegetarian Summerfest - - it is awesome. We hold a vegan potluck at our home the first Saturday of the month and make it known that children are welcome. You've found a great resource in this webgroup. Read as much as you can. I am not a nutritionist, but what I've come to understand is that if you use fortified soy milk, etc., eat organically grown fruits and vegetables as much as possible, and take a supplement now and then there shouldn't be a problem with B12. Hope that helps. Best of luck. , " sherryzarif " <sherryzarif wrote: > > Hi everyone...I'm a new Vegan mom with a 7 month old daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Welcome! I'm a vegan (since shortly after his birth, had a vegetarian pregnancy) and have a vegan son. He is a thriving boy, about to turn three, very rarely sick, extremely active, and at the 50% for weight/75% for height. When your child starts to eat solids and depend less on your milk, it can be nerve wracking at first, making you worry they will get everything they need. Some people do regularly supplement B12, and if you're concerned there's no reason not to. We've never tested our son's B12 (doctor only tests for iron) and don't supplement it regularly. We give him an occasional vitamin, and I know he gets it from time to time from various fortified foods, nutritional yeast, and other random things like Emergen-C. We probably should pay closer attention for all of us, but that's where we're at right now. Here is some info about B12 you can read if you need more info. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/b12.html As for success stories, here is a page called Real Vegan Children, put together by Vegan Outreach that shows vegan kids of various ages: http://veganhealth.org/articles/realveganchildren I'm sure there are lots of people on this board that will chime in too once they see your post. It is hard when you don't have a support network of like minded people, but once friends and family see how well your child is doing that certainly cuts down on the negative comments. In the meantime, feel free to use us as your sounding board. The people on the list are happy to offer advice, encouragement, etc. :-) And here is some additional information on raising vegan kids that may help build your confidence: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/veg_diets_for_children.html If your family are the kind that put trust in authority figures like doctors, you can point out to them that this is from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and that the ADA also says that properly planned veg diets are great for all ages. Heather http://unsheeply.net , " sherryzarif " <sherryzarif wrote: > > Hi everyone...I'm a new Vegan mom with a 7 month old daughter. Everyone is questioning how I'm going to raise her. I want her to be vegan. I have read a lot on this topic but still find that I'm not that confident in my decision. It would really help if I get in touch with Vegan parents and if they could tell me their success stories. This will ensure me that I'm not alone and that my daughter is going to grow up to be healthy and strong. One topic that really worries me in particular is vit. B12. Many people say that your body won't absorb it the same way when it's not from an animal product. Is this true??? How do I make sure my daughter gets enough. I really don't want to do anything wrong. Thanks for your support. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 I say stick to your guns and do what you know in your heart is right for your baby. When I became pregnant, everybody just assumed I'd start eating meat again. This baffled me because I had been vegetarian then vegan for 15 years! Everyone questioned every little thing I did when I was pregnant. I even heard, " you can't be vegan when your pregnant, its not good for the baby " . I heard it all. I did not listen to what anyone else said. Not only did I have a completely healthy and perfect pregnancy, my son was born a completely healthy and perfect baby boy! I nursed him and fed him a well rounded vegan diet. Many times just steaming broccoli or cauliflour till it was mushy enough for him to eat. Everybody asked how did I get him to eat veggies? I'd say I just give it to him! Kids will eat and get used to what they are exposed to. I didn't worry too much about the vit b12. I experimented with some vitamins. I gave flax oil and probiotics at times....my son started reading at 3 and now at age 6 is way ahead in every subject in school (we homeschool), and is even ahead a grade. My daughter who just turned 4, is still nursing and is just as smart as her brother. They are also both tall for their age. They both understand being vegan and are very proud of it. They will always ask if something is vegan before eating it. So.....don't fear! It can be done, easily, and it is the very best thing I believe, for our children! Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry " sherryzarif " <sherryzarif Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:48:23 New Vegan Mom Hi everyone...I'm a new Vegan mom with a 7 month old daughter. Everyone is questioning how I'm going to raise her. I want her to be vegan. I have read a lot on this topic but still find that I'm not that confident in my decision. It would really help if I get in touch with Vegan parents and if they could tell me their success stories. This will ensure me that I'm not alone and that my daughter is going to grow up to be healthy and strong. One topic that really worries me in particular is vit. B12. Many people say that your body won't absorb it the same way when it's not from an animal product. Is this true??? How do I make sure my daughter gets enough. I really don't want to do anything wrong. Thanks for your support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Hello: My two boys are now 2 yrs old and 3.5 yrs old. I have raised them lacto-ovo vegetarian and they are seriously two of the healthiest kids ever. They rarely ever get sick compared to their meat-eating, junk-food eating friends - and they are strong, tall and energetic. They take a daily multi-vitamin which takes care of the B12 requirement. The B12 does not have to come from an animal for your body to utilize it. Nutritional Yeast also has a good amount of B12 - you could shake some on your daughter's food to get extra. Also, many cereals are fortified with B12. You can have your pediatrician periodically test her B12 levels to make sure they are adequate and for your peace of mind. One of the best books I've ever read was " How to Disease Proof Your Child " by Dr. Joel Furman. I too questioned raising my kids vegetarian but this book made me 100% confident that I am doing the right thing. I HIGHLY recommend you get this book. The best thing for you to do is to get completely educated on the benefits of veganism and remember why you yourself are vegan and don't worry about what people think or say. Read as much material as you can on the subject so that next time you are questioned you will know exactly what to say. And make sure child is raised on a wide variety of whole foods and introduce lots of veggies at this prime age. Another thing that may help you is finding a vegetarian pediatrician in your area who can offer you lots of reassurance and good advice. Good luck! May you always have a healthy blessed baby! Denise " sherryzarif " <sherryzarif@ .ca> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:48:23 <@gro ups.com> New Vegan Mom Hi everyone...I' m a new Vegan mom with a 7 month old daughter. Everyone is questioning how I'm going to raise her. I want her to be vegan. I have read a lot on this topic but still find that I'm not that confident in my decision. It would really help if I get in touch with Vegan parents and if they could tell me their success stories. This will ensure me that I'm not alone and that my daughter is going to grow up to be healthy and strong. One topic that really worries me in particular is vit. B12. Many people say that your body won't absorb it the same way when it's not from an animal product. Is this true??? How do I make sure my daughter gets enough. I really don't want to do anything wrong. Thanks for your support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 >Many people say that your body won't absorb it the same way when it's not from an animal product. This shows that these particular people are not to be trusted for their nutrition knowledge. There are B12 analogues that are of little to no benefit (from seaweed, residual soil on veggies etc) but if you get adequate amounts of B12 from fortified foods such as soy milk or cereal or from b12 supplements or from Red Star Veg Support Nutritional Yeast you have no worries. And whether your 7 month is nursing or on formula - B12 is not an issue for her right now. Read all you can from credible sources and prepare yourself to be able to respond to well meaning but misguided folks such as these. For me that journey ended up with me going back to school to become an RD. But that isn't necessary (unless you really want to) - there are plenty of good books and online resources to self educate and defend your self. All the best, Danita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.