MIXED HOUSEHOLD

July 29, 2003

HELLO GRUOP I AM NEW TO THIS GROUP AND I THANK YOU FOR WELCOMING ME.

I AM A VEGETARIAN AND MY HUSBAND ISN'T. WE HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD

DAUGHTER THAT I WANT TO STOP EATING MEAT AS WELL. THATS WHERE THE

CONFLICT BEGINS. MY HUSBAND DOES NOT THINK IT IS FAIR TO OUR CHILD .

HIS WORDS WERE " I DONT THINK THAT IT IS FAIR FOR YOU TO MAKE HER A

VEGETARIAN JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE. " CAN YOU BELIVE THAT! AS IF I WERE

A CRACK HEAD AND TRYING TO MAKE HER ONE! I TOLD HIM THAT HE MUST

UNDERSTANAD THAT IT IS NOT A PUNISHMENT. IF ANYTHING I AM TEACHING

HER THAT HER BODY IS A SACRED TEMPLE AND ONLY LIFE SHOULD ENTER IT. I

KNOW THAT I JUST NEED TO EDUCATE HIM MORE ON THIS LIFESTYLE. I WAS

REALLY OFFENDED THOUGH. MY HILD (LIKE ANY OTHER ) LOVES SWEETS,

THOUGH I TRY TO LIMIT THEM. IF YOU GUYS KNOW OF ANY KID FRIENDLY

SNACKS I WILL BE THANKFUL. ( I HAVENT READ THE PREVIOUS POSTS)

July 29, 2003

You may want to check out the discussion boards at vegfamily.com for kid

friendly snacks & support. It is a vegan site, but most of the people there are

very friendly & wouldn't mind that you are vegetarian, not vegan. I am vegan, &

my husband, too is a meat eater. I guess to an extent I am lucky b/c my

husband saw it as enough of a compromise that I was willing to let the kids eat

dairy sometimes if he compromised on never giving them meat. Good luck

Christa

July 30, 2003

>IF YOU GUYS KNOW OF ANY KID FRIENDLY

> .SNACKS I WILL BE THANKFUL. Hain makes some good animal crackers, I

just posted a recipe for dirt cake and Katie one for ice cream cake (

which sound delicious, by the way, Katie!!) Newman's also makes a lot of

really good cookies and snacks, their arrowroot cookies should be good

for a 2 year old. I think that if you can both agree on the basics of

her diet, that there are no preservatives, that her food be organic,

that you may be able to get your hubby to come around. If he thinks it

is alright to feed her organics and such, he may become more open to

meat " substitute kinds of foods, and let her decide if she likes to eat

the meat free kind. I feel you on the emotional side of it, I know that

you want to argue with him, but just find a way to discuss other aspects

of feeding her, and the more you find things to agree on with her diet,

the more open he may be to it. Also, find a good vegetarian toddler

cookbook and ask him to read the things that you read. Good luck!!

Love,

Natalie Joy & her boys

July 30, 2003

I'd like to add to the snack ideas for kids - the more fresh fruits and

vegetables we can do for snacks the better. As Dr. Hans Diehl said at a

recent lecture I attended " Beware of the crinkly bag! " Just because

something is 'vegan' doesn't mean it's healthy. It's perfectly possible to

eat a junk food vegan diet. My advice is to serve nutritionally dense foods

for meals and snacks and let the animal crackers/pretzels/cookies

(nutritionally void)... be special treats to be eaten occasionally.

How about...fresh veggies dipped in hummus, fruit, smoothies, whole grain

crackers & hummus, trail mix (nuts/raisins). Here's a great recipe for kids

(and adults): Fruit Salsa - it can be a snack, dessert, appetizer. The

recipe is on my website on the recipe page at:

http://www.healthymomshealthyfamilies.com/

Or go directly there at:

http://pweb.netcom.com/~rbendick/HMHF/recipes/fruitsalsa.htm

There is also a great recipe for Fruit Smoothies out there. Make them into

smoothie pops for summer!

All the best to you -

Connie Bendickson

Natalie Yarbrough [natalie]

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 1:59 AM

RE: MIXED HOUSEHOLD