DP wants the baby to be vegetarian...

[CassandrasCastle]

DP said this morning that he would like DD (13 months) to eat a veggie diet, and that we should think about asking the nursery to accordingly change the food they give her.

I just don't really want to! We cook and eat mostly vegetarian at home, and I totally get DP's ethical concerns re. meat, but I I'm afraid I really love it :/ - if we go out, I tend to have steak. And I just think it's too early to change DD's diet, I want her to have a range of tastes.

However, arguing against it makes me sound awful, I WANT THE BABY TO EAT FLESH sort of thing.

Anyone bringing up vegetarian kids?? I'm not sure what to do

@underneaththeash

A child cannot get all of their essential Amino acids from a veggie diet. It’s impossible, some are not found in non-meat/fish products.

Absorption of iron from veggie produce is also less efficient.

Not true

I agree with what someone says about they might not like the texture anyway.
The only meat/fish my 4yr old DS will eat are sausages, chicken nuggets and fish fingers. He's not exactly getting any nutrients from that, he might as well be vegetarian.
I'd just stay flexible, offer meat if you are eating it, stick to veggie if that's the meal that's been cooked.

@Pengwyn

I've never eaten meat. Late forties, still alive.

And healthy.

...just wait and see. Early days.

Thing is, if you do 'get' something, you'll never in a million years be able to put it down to your diet as you are so entrenched in your belief system

Even though this is true it will fall on deaf ears on this thread

It should be illegal to force a child to be vegetarian

Oh hush

I wish I had have been raised vegetarian. I went vegetarian as an 11 year old and it made me feel sick that id ever eaten animals. A lot of my friends who became vegetarian later on in child or adulthood feel the same (not helpful probably, just a perspective).

Thing is, if you do 'get' something, you'll never in a million years be able to put it down to your diet as you are so entrenched in your belief system

It's not really 'early days' when you've reached late 40s with no health or developmental issues. It would also be impossible to attribute any later life health issue to one sole cause as there are many and varied factors that contribute to ill health, environmental, societal and genetic.

There is nothing whatsoever wrong with being a life long vegetarian. There is also nothing wrong with being a predominantly meat eater (from a health point of view). We are omnivores. We can survive and thrive on both meat and plant based food. Great, isn't it!

I did not raise DS as a vegetarian however, I insisted that he ate decent meat. He had his fair share of McDonalds which isnt decent but then it meant him joining in parties. I let him decide.

He is very much a meat eater but it's about quality not quantity with him. I eat some meat but not alot and not all the time.

Would this work?

Meat is the reason for multiple cancers and diseases. You’d have a healthier baby/ toddler.

@Bopot2012

Meat is the reason for multiple cancers and diseases. You’d have a healthier baby/ toddler.

Comments like this are not greatly helpful when the OP has already indicated she is struggling some days to prepare good meals for her child.

@PleasantBirthday

Has he done the research into how to balance a baby's diet properly? It can't just be that you eliminate meat, he has to know what he's doing.

^^ this ... with bells on

Oh man, I feel even more confused now. I think I really want to continue as we are, and as some posters have described - mostly vegetarian, but also some having some good quality meat, and not stopping her from eating stuff at parties or whatever.

Thanks also for comments advising me about meals for dd - the keeping a portion of an evening meal for her is a great plan, but unfortunately my beloved Hello Fresh meals kinda work against me here - there is really only enough for 2 :/
I'm trying to branch out with different types of veg for her, as have got stuck in a broccoli rut for some reason..

@Noshowlomo

My boy is veggie, well actually pescatarian as he occasionally eats fish but otherwise he is veggie, never eaten meat and he is a big strong beast of a boy :) he is 2 years 3 months Its easy to be veggie these days, just get the protein in them

It's not all about protein though is it --iron,essential amino acids, vitamins unavailable in a restricted diet

Sorry, should I be saying something she wants to hear instead of facts?

I have a 2.5 year old, struggle every bloody week to think of what to cook for dinner. Luckily we are in a day and age where there are millions of cookbooks, cook apps and i learn new things 🤷🏼‍♀️.

@hamstersarse

ODFOD x2

@custardbear and its easy to get those things in a veggie diet as well :)

Introduce vegetarian days by all means but making the decision on behalf of the child on unnecessary restrictive diet is idiotic

@kikisparks

My DB has never eaten meat or fish and is over 6ft, wonder how that happened without all the essential amino acids! But realistically you can get all the amino acids from plants, as the animals people eat do. I’ve been vegan over a decade and recent blood results show my iron and iron stores, B12, D, calcium etc are all in the healthy range.

OP you are both parents you both get to choose what your child eats when they are too young to decide for themselves, personally I preferred not being fed animals and then having the choice whether to eat them when I was old enough, but many do it the other way round. I don’t think your DP is being unreasonable but it’s not all his decision either, I think it’s just a case of continuing to discuss it and coming to a joint decision.

Seriously?! You honestly think humans a d all other animals have the same metabolism .... this is why I get frustrated with pseudo scientists spouting shit

Sorry, should I be saying something she wants to hear instead of facts?

Well coming along with a scaremongering comment about cancer when it's clear shes already struggling isn't helpful is it? There are ways to make your pint whilst also being sensitive to the fact this is a real person who maybe on top of everything else doesn't need to be now worried giving her child meat will possibly lead to them developing cancer.

I've raised DD as vegetarian since birth, we're both now vegan (although she obviously isn't anywhere near as strict as me because she's 5).

The nutritionfacts.org website is useful, but essentially it is extremely easy to have a healthy vegetarian child. DD has never had any health problems, as long as they're getting enough fat sources (hummus, avocado) amino acids and omega 3 by mixing chia and ground flaxseeds into smoothies or cereal and you're sorted really.

[quote Noshowlomo]@custardbear and its easy to get those things in a veggie diet as well :)[/quote]
Not all of them, plus absorption is a problem with a non meat based diet. Whilst it's fabulous to eat a healthy wide range of fruit, veg, pulses etc humans should have a healthy balance including quality meats including fish

@custardbear where did I say that?

Do you actually know what amino acids are? You say it’s not all about protein then mention amino acids- which are the building blocks of protein.

You can get them all from plants anyway. Soya, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat etc are complete proteins plus:

Mostly these are just the foods highest in these- many other plant based foods have the essential amino acids just in smaller quantities

Histidine- rice, wheat and rye
Isoleucine- lentils, beans, seeds
Leucine- oats, beans, legumes
Lysine- beans, leaks, tomatoes, pears, peppers, seeds, nuts
Methionine- beans, whole grains, nuts
Phenylalanine- beans, nuts
Threonine- beans, seeds, nuts
Tryptophan- peanuts, seeds, cocoa, beans, oats
Valine- mushrooms, whole grains, lentils, nuts, seeds

Plenty of iron in beans and leafy greens which is easier absorbed with vit C which is abundant in many plant foods. Iron is also added to bread as standard in this country. Calcium from plant based sources is easier to absorb than calcium from animal based sources.

What vitamins do you think vegetarians don’t get?

Since you and your partner are mostly veggie, I would stick with that.

Really, your partner isn't veggie if he does eat meat, however occasionally.

Aaargh I'm sorry, didn't mean to start any arguments about vegetarianism!

@PegPeople thank you for being nice!
I'm not worried that giving DD a bit of meat is going to cause her cancer though - agree that that is scaremongering.

@MorriseysGladioli You're right, he really is a flexitarian! But a bit of a guilty one I think, he ideally does want to have a 'meat free house'...

@Pengwyn

It should be illegal to force a child to be vegetarian

ODFOD

Okay. But humans as a species are omnivores. Will you acknowledge that?

Ps—I do not care how anyone chooses to eat, other than myself and my growing children. Live and let live.