any other veggie mums out there?

[superbagpuss]

how do you cope with carnivorous children? I want them to eat meat for the health properties and am hiding the fact I eat different stuff from them so they don't end up fussy with food like me. luckily I have a dh who eats meat and doesn't mind cooking so most nights they have meat, with me doing quorn the other nights. Am I being hypocritical by encouraging them to eat flesh when I find in vile? Any other mums in this position?

[brightwell]

I am, I've always got round it by giving them a choice ie chicken curry or lentil curry. And because I work shifts I batch cook mince for shepherds pie/spag bol/chilli so I can cook something fast for ds. Dd is almost veggie but will eat chicken now & again. Ds on the other hand asks me to buy meat balls and put a piece of steak in the shopping trolley this week...no idea how to cook it.

[superbagpuss]

thanks bright well when did you tell them you are veggie or did they always know? mine are 3.9 and haven't realised yet

[brightwell]

They've always known I suppose. Certainly known there are things I don't eat (meat) and just accept it. Just as they know I prefer granary bread to white, tea to coffee. Even as babies I gave them meat as I was concerned about them having enough protein, B12 etc. Having said that my cousin has brought 2 dc up vegeterian.

[MERLYPUSS]

My sisters kids were bought up veggie and went through primary not eating meat. her DD said it tasted like wax. Sis still cooked/s meat for us and her DS eats meat (or anything with a yellow woopsie sticker at uni).
She gave them the option of either and didn't berate them if they chose meat.

[Drladybird]

Hello
I'm a longstanding vegetarian and am bringing up my daughter (2) as a vegetarian. I didn't feel that it would be right to do it any other way. She can choose to eat animals when she understands what that means and I'll be fine with any decision that she makes. Her dad eats meat (albeit very rarely) but we have a vegetarian household. I'm not concerned about protein, iron etc as I'm confident that she can get everything she needs on a vegetarian diet. I did some research about nutritional needs of veggie children and posted it here protein
iron
B12

[TeaOneSugar]

I'm veggie, DH and DD aren't but don't eat much red meat, mainly fish and chicken., it's all pretty flexible here.

I also do some batch cooking which helps, like tomato and vegetable sauces for a quick bolognese (quorn or meat) or lasagne so I'm not starting every meal from scratch (but it's still all home made)

I also sometimes give them my veggie main dish as a side dish, for example I might have a vegetable and lentil casserole, they have that as their vegetable portion with meat or fish.

Sometimes we all eat veggie.

We often have different meals with similar ingredients, for example a casserole or stew with the same veggies in, saves chopping and helps with meal planning/minimising waste.

When it's just me and dd eating she'll usually have the same as me, which helps.

[ppeatfruit]

superbagpuss DD1 and DS refused meat from very young,I believe in telling the truth to them and not pretending that they were not eating animals. They are both very heathy and slim adults. DD2 is unhealthyish and wants to lose weight as does DH they both eat meat . As drladybird says there's lots of protein in fruit and veg and eggs etc.

Our GD (6 yrs old) is a vegan and she is one of the healthiest DCs I know.

[MegBusset]

I wouldn't call myself veggie as I eat fish, but I don't eat meat. My DC do, mainly because DS1 is allergic to eggs, nuts and pulses so it would be hard for him to have a balanced diet without any meat in it. I'm not really an ethical non-meat-eater any more, it's just force of habit really.

I reckon they have meat once or twice a week and fish a couple of times. I struggle with preparing raw meat (having never cooked it for myself - it turns my stomach and I've no clue what to do with it) so make use of things like precooked chicken strips for stirfries, frozen fish fillets, meatballs, sausages, fish cakes and fish fingers type thing.

DS1 (6yo) did once say that he didn't want to eat animals but I explained that because of his allergies he really needed meat to grow properly, and could stop eating meat when he was older if he wanted to. This seemed to satisfy him and he ate his meatballs quite happily that evening!

[superbagpuss]

thanks for all the advice. I plan to teach my boys about where food comes from etc, but I don't eat meat as I don't like the taste and they love it. However its reassuring that if they do chose to give it up it wont be bad for them :-)

[EggsEggSplat]

I'm a longstanding vegetarian but my DCs eat fish - their father was omnivorous, so they were a kind of compromise. I don't mind putting a few fish fingers or salmon portions in the oven once a week or so, but I could never bring myself to cook meat.

I have to say I really don't understand why you would want to feed them meat when you say you find it vile. There is no nutritional reason for them to need it, as a balanced lacto-ovo vegetarian diet can easily provide everything they need. I had a few comments from relatives etc about how growing children need meat when the DCs were little, but as they have merrily continued along the 98th centile for height/weight, and have certainly never been sickly or anaemic, the comments have dried up... DS is now a solidly-built, nearly 6ft tall 14-year-old who has never eaten meat (or drunk milk, for that matter, but that was his choice).

Personally, I'd say you'd do better bringing them up on a diet you feel comfortable with, so that you can all eat the same family meals. Or if your DH cooks meat anyway, then let them eat meat when he cooks it, but not cook it yourself. Trying to cover up the fact that you're eating something different sounds a bit daft - they will eventually notice and you will have awkward conversations.

[chocoholic73]

I just don't understand why veggie parents feed their little ones meat as though they are somehow depriving them of something...the only thing they are being deprived of by not having meat, is buying into the inhumane meat industry and all the health risks associated with a diet containing animal meat and dairy.

I'm vegan and so is my little boy. I had a fabulous vegan pregnancy and delivered a very healthy baby. He is happy, healthy, adores food, loves to experiment with different tastes, textures and cuisines. He is nearly two years old. He is not missing out nutritionally...in any shape or form. Instead, he is getting the maximum health benefits from having a diet without animal cholesterol, drinking cow's milk which was never intended for human consumption, avoiding meat and fish pumped full of antibiotics and chemicals.

I am proud of my son being vegan. Should he wish to eat meat once he knows where it comes from, then that will be his decision. But for the time being, he is also putting all the right stepping stones in place health wise...for he will have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes etc, etc in adulthood.

Having a vegan baby/infant, is so easy and it's so much fun preparing meals.