Is it healthy to raise a child on a vegetarian diet?

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just recently

had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and they told my husband

and me that it was not healthy to raise a child vegetarian as it has been proven

that " young children need animal protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and

explained how they (like me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I

was vegetarian throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy

baby boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these comments

were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of resources to show that

a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to be raised that way?

 

Thanks,

Meredith

 

 

 

 

Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Here is the position paper from the American Dietetic Association. There is

an abundance of scientific evidence showing that it is healthy, probably

healthier, to raise kids vegetarian, than as meat-eaters. There is

absolutely no evidence whatsoever showing that kids need animal protein.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/ada1993.htm

 

Some more research:

http://www.vrg.org/family/adatranscript.htm

 

From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vegetarian_kids.html

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/veg_diets_for_children.html

 

And several respected physicians have written extensively on why kids should

not be exposed to cowmilk products.

 

Another article:

http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/Vegan%20Children.html

[Guest guest]

Also there is tons of protein in most everything we eat. No shortage if you eat

a good diet.

Judy

-

leena

Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:16 PM

RE: Is it healthy to raise a child on a vegetarian diet?

 

 

Here is the position paper from the American Dietetic Association. There is

an abundance of scientific evidence showing that it is healthy, probably

healthier, to raise kids vegetarian, than as meat-eaters. There is

absolutely no evidence whatsoever showing that kids need animal protein.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/ada1993.htm

 

Some more research:

http://www.vrg.org/family/adatranscript.htm

 

From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vegetarian_kids.html

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/veg_diets_for_children.html

 

And several respected physicians have written extensively on why kids should

not be exposed to cowmilk products.

 

Another article:

http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/Vegan%20Children.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Gift your friends and hubby with John Robbins books and maybe they'll understand

how unhealthy animal anything actually is for anyone children or adults....

health reasons, the environment, the animals etc.... There's also a great book

that just recently came out called " The Way We Eat, Why our Food Choices Matter "

by Peter Singer and Jim Mason. These books will give a new level of awareness

that everyone needs.

 

Meredith Blake <meredithblake1 wrote:

Hi everyone,

I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just recently

had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and they told my husband

and me that it was not healthy to raise a child vegetarian as it has been proven

that " young children need animal protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and

explained how they (like me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I

was vegetarian throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy

baby boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these comments

were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of resources to show that

a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to be raised that way?

 

Thanks,

Meredith

 

 

 

 

Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Are you certain that these are friends?

 

My sole concern with vegan children is that they get enough good fats for

their growing brains. This becomes a challenge when they give up breatfeeding.

 

Meredith Blake <meredithblake1 wrote:

Hi everyone,

I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just recently

had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and they told my husband

and me that it was not healthy to raise a child vegetarian as it has been proven

that " young children need animal protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and

explained how they (like me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I

was vegetarian throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy

baby boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these comments

were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of resources to show that

a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to be raised that way?

 

Thanks,

Meredith

 

 

 

 

Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

 

 

[Guest guest]

There is a great article in the May-June 2006 issue of Mothering

magazine, called Raising a Vegetarian Family. It deals with all the

ignorance out there, the major myths about vegetarian (like the whole

protein thing) and cites sources like the American Medical Association

and the American Dietetic Association etc. It even has a Did You Know...

section with quick bullet points such as

- Vegetarians live 7 to 15 years longer

- the death rate from cancer among vegetarians is 25 to 50 percent

lower than among the general population

....and several more, with everything referenced.

 

You could photocopy that article -- your library might even have a copy

of the magazine.

Heather

 

Meredith Blake wrote:

>

> Hi everyone,

> I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just

> recently had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and

> they told my husband and me that it was not healthy to raise a child

> vegetarian as it has been proven that " young children need animal

> protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and explained how they (like

> me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I was vegetarian

> throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy baby

> boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these

> comments were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of

> resources to show that a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to

> be raised that way?

>

> Thanks,

> Meredith

>

>

>

>

> Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

>

>

[Guest guest]

as vegans, our only struggle as far as making sure isaiah has a good diet is

making sure he gets enough fat. most people find it freakin' hilarious that

an american child might not be getting ENOUGH fat, but that's how it is. so

we do lots of nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. when he was about 12 months

old he suddenly could eat anything and people were asking me when i was

going to put him on milk, and telling me that hot dogs were a good protein

source...ahhhh! so i had this sort of freak-out of wondering if he was

going to get sick. for a week i wrote down EVERYTHING he ate, without

making any changes, and at the end of the week i counted up how much of

every vitamin and mineral he was getting. how much protein, how much

calcium, how many omegas, how many calories, etc. he was getting more of

everything than he really needed and we weren't even being that

conscientious about it. the only thing he needed help on was fat; he was

just under his daily requirement. he's 16 months now and nobody asks us

anymore if veganism is a healthy diet for a little kid; they just have to

look at him and spend time with him to see. once every few months i still

sit down and count up how much he's getting and make changes if we have to

based on increased or decreased growth rate, etc., but overall i let my

son's hunger be my guide, and luckily he's not a fussy eater. so, it might

take a bit more thought and work, but it's COMPLETELY worth it when i see

two-year-olds who weigh twice as much as him sitting in front of their

parents' tv eating cheetos for lunch. my kid's never even seen tv, lol,

he's got better things to do. anyway. good luck trying to convince other

people, but remember, actions speak louder than words. you don't need to

impress anyone. ultimately they'll be more impressed by seeing how healthy

you and your child are, and you won't have to say anything.

 

chandelle'

 

On 7/24/06, Hossfeld Family <jhr wrote:

>

> There is a great article in the May-June 2006 issue of Mothering

> magazine, called Raising a Vegetarian Family. It deals with all the

> ignorance out there, the major myths about vegetarian (like the whole

> protein thing) and cites sources like the American Medical Association

> and the American Dietetic Association etc. It even has a Did You Know...

> section with quick bullet points such as

> - Vegetarians live 7 to 15 years longer

> - the death rate from cancer among vegetarians is 25 to 50 percent

> lower than among the general population

> ...and several more, with everything referenced.

>

> You could photocopy that article -- your library might even have a copy

> of the magazine.

> Heather

>

>

> Meredith Blake wrote:

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> > I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just

> > recently had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and

> > they told my husband and me that it was not healthy to raise a child

> > vegetarian as it has been proven that " young children need animal

> > protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and explained how they (like

> > me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I was vegetarian

> > throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy baby

> > boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these

> > comments were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of

> > resources to show that a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to

> > be raised that way?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Meredith

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Mothering Magazine is my favorite magazine. I have a subscription.

 

Hossfeld Family <jhr wrote: There is a great article in

the May-June 2006 issue of Mothering

magazine, called Raising a Vegetarian Family. It deals with all the

ignorance out there, the major myths about vegetarian (like the whole

protein thing) and cites sources like the American Medical Association

and the American Dietetic Association etc. It even has a Did You Know...

section with quick bullet points such as

- Vegetarians live 7 to 15 years longer

- the death rate from cancer among vegetarians is 25 to 50 percent

lower than among the general population

....and several more, with everything referenced.

 

You could photocopy that article -- your library might even have a copy

of the magazine.

Heather

 

Meredith Blake wrote:

>

> Hi everyone,

> I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just

> recently had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and

> they told my husband and me that it was not healthy to raise a child

> vegetarian as it has been proven that " young children need animal

> protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and explained how they (like

> me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I was vegetarian

> throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy baby

> boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these

> comments were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of

> resources to show that a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to

> be raised that way?

>

> Thanks,

> Meredith

>

>

>

>

> Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

>

>

[Guest guest]

My favorite magazine! I started reading it long before I had any plans to be a

mother. Try this link:

http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/pavlina-archive.html

 

 

Hossfeld Family <jhr wrote:

There is a great article in the May-June 2006 issue of Mothering

magazine, called Raising a Vegetarian Family. It deals with all the

ignorance out there, the major myths about vegetarian (like the whole

protein thing) and cites sources like the American Medical Association

and the American Dietetic Association etc. It even has a Did You Know...

section with quick bullet points such as

- Vegetarians live 7 to 15 years longer

- the death rate from cancer among vegetarians is 25 to 50 percent

lower than among the general population

....and several more, with everything referenced.

 

You could photocopy that article -- your library might even have a copy

of the magazine.

Heather

 

Meredith Blake wrote:

>

> Hi everyone,

> I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just

> recently had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and

> they told my husband and me that it was not healthy to raise a child

> vegetarian as it has been proven that " young children need animal

> protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and explained how they (like

> me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I was vegetarian

> throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy baby

> boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these

> comments were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of

> resources to show that a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to

> be raised that way?

>

> Thanks,

> Meredith

>

>

>

>

> Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I agree 100% with Chandelle. I am 31 now and have been brought up a vegetarian.

Absolutely no issues thus far. I did great at school, have no issues with weight

myself, had a pregnancy that went by the books (perfect BP, sugar, iron, weight

etc) and best of all, have a perfectly happy, healthy weighing son who's 14

months.

 

Its true that you have to watch what you eat...but is'nt food one of those

things in life worth spending a moment planning for?

 

I have been brought up with a philosophy that you earn to eat well and stay

healthy and have a roof above your head...rest all is secondary...

 

So, for me, food is an important part of life. I always spend 1/2 hour in

kitchen and eat home made. We have made it a point to go to restaurants no more

than once a week. I just don;t understand why people would depend on ordering in

pizza, eating out in neighbourhood joint....i mean, c'on...is food really the

least of your priorities? So, what are you " really " earning for?

 

I have heard phrases like " oh, cooking is stressful " ....well, i can;t imagine

how they would handle " real " stress

 

There is also this notion about " why should i be cooking " ? Man's job v/s

womans etc...hey, just do what you can to keep yourself and your loved ones

healthy...period.

 

Anyway, guess some of it is cultural difference....but people need to take

time to rething their priorities...

 

I am glad to know you folks are putting so much thought and time to introduce

healthy eating habits to your family. Its especially hard when most of people

around you believe in take-outs and order-ins. I don't think i would consider

spending time cooking everyday if i had'nt seen my mom doing it for us. I hope

my son grows up learning that cooking for yourself is important. So, keep up the

good work y'all.

 

earthmother <earthmother213 wrote:

as vegans, our only struggle as far as making sure isaiah has a good

diet is

making sure he gets enough fat. most people find it freakin' hilarious that

an american child might not be getting ENOUGH fat, but that's how it is. so

we do lots of nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. when he was about 12 months

old he suddenly could eat anything and people were asking me when i was

going to put him on milk, and telling me that hot dogs were a good protein

source...ahhhh! so i had this sort of freak-out of wondering if he was

going to get sick. for a week i wrote down EVERYTHING he ate, without

making any changes, and at the end of the week i counted up how much of

every vitamin and mineral he was getting. how much protein, how much

calcium, how many omegas, how many calories, etc. he was getting more of

everything than he really needed and we weren't even being that

conscientious about it. the only thing he needed help on was fat; he was

just under his daily requirement. he's 16 months now and nobody asks us

anymore if veganism is a healthy diet for a little kid; they just have to

look at him and spend time with him to see. once every few months i still

sit down and count up how much he's getting and make changes if we have to

based on increased or decreased growth rate, etc., but overall i let my

son's hunger be my guide, and luckily he's not a fussy eater. so, it might

take a bit more thought and work, but it's COMPLETELY worth it when i see

two-year-olds who weigh twice as much as him sitting in front of their

parents' tv eating cheetos for lunch. my kid's never even seen tv, lol,

he's got better things to do. anyway. good luck trying to convince other

people, but remember, actions speak louder than words. you don't need to

impress anyone. ultimately they'll be more impressed by seeing how healthy

you and your child are, and you won't have to say anything.

 

chandelle'

 

On 7/24/06, Hossfeld Family <jhr wrote:

>

> There is a great article in the May-June 2006 issue of Mothering

> magazine, called Raising a Vegetarian Family. It deals with all the

> ignorance out there, the major myths about vegetarian (like the whole

> protein thing) and cites sources like the American Medical Association

> and the American Dietetic Association etc. It even has a Did You Know...

> section with quick bullet points such as

> - Vegetarians live 7 to 15 years longer

> - the death rate from cancer among vegetarians is 25 to 50 percent

> lower than among the general population

> ...and several more, with everything referenced.

>

> You could photocopy that article -- your library might even have a copy

> of the magazine.

> Heather

>

>

> Meredith Blake wrote:

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> > I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old (I'm now 36) and just

> > recently had my first child. I was at lunch today with friends and

> > they told my husband and me that it was not healthy to raise a child

> > vegetarian as it has been proven that " young children need animal

> > protein " . I don't buy this, of course, and explained how they (like

> > me) can get enough protein, including the fact that I was vegetarian

> > throughout my pregnancy and managed to grow a nearly 9 lb healthy baby

> > boy. My husband is not a vegetarian and I'm concerned that these

> > comments were concerning to him. Does anyone have thoughts/know of

> > resources to show that a vegetarian diet is fine for a young child to

> > be raised that way?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Meredith

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

my husband actually does a lot of the cooking in the house, especially when

i'm pregnant. being vegan in a very non-vegan-friendly place (utah) we only

go out to dinner, oh, once every few months. can't afford it, the portions

are too big, and i can't trust what they put in it. i do miss going out to

eat but i don't miss that over-full, sick feeling you get after eating out.

we have one very nice, 100% organic vegan place here, but it's pretty

up-scale, so we only go for anniversaries, special occasions, etc.

 

i do want to throw in here that whether a child is veg or not, but

especially if they are, breastfeeding is so important for their nutrition.

i'm studying midwifery and also to be a holistic nutritionist, and i meet

people a lot who want to raise their kids veg but are worried about various

things. i always say that the best thing you can do is breastfeed on demand

right from the beginning; that's the best foundation for a good, healthy

diet.