To feed the vegan child cheese

[cheesyinkent]

NC for this to not out myself. DS 8 has a friend coming round for tea next week. The mother has stressed very heavily that he is vegan, can't touch any dairy or meat as it will make him very unwell. However ds says his favourite food is normal cheese and cheesy pizza. Apparently he has it all the time when away from his DM.

Who do I follow? I've looked in asda and could only find one vegan cheese, it didn't look like the pizza kind - more a spreadable cream cheese thing.

To return to an earlier point in the thread, there is no need for dry toast. Vegan margarine is widely available in supermarkets. Brands include Pure, Vitalite, and a new, incredibly expensive dairy-free version of Flora. Additionally, M&S do a dairy-free spread. Two actually- one standard, one "light".

Tara we was advised to go lacto free when DS appeared to be taking longer to recover than normal from a tummy bug. Within weeks he was out of pull ups and the toilet issues seem to disappear.

His useless community paeditrician told us to start reintroducing it 'as most children only require lactofree diet for a short time.
Needless to say they were wrong and we ended up back at square one.

Like PPs have suggested, follow mum and try make a vegan pizza.

I just love cheese.

Poor child

Those vegan fingers are nice.

YABU, obviously. Doesn't matter if it's ethics or allergies or both.

"Primary lactase deficiency is the most common cause of lactose intolerance worldwide. This type of lactase deficiency is caused by an inherited genetic fault that runs in families.

Primary lactase deficiency develops when your lactase production decreases as your diet becomes less reliant on milk and dairy products."

There is no genetic fault, and any lactose intolerance resulting from this is not a deficiency or a disorder of any kind; it is the biological norm. All mammals are supposed to lose the ability to digest milk after weaning, because we aren't supposed to consume milk after weaning (certainly not that of another species). The ~30% of the human population with lactase persistence are the mutants!

Linda McCart sausages chips and beans!

Why do you feel sad for the child and why not use it as an opportunity to educate your family about veganism?

I have pizza with the spreadable vegan cheese (violife) and it's nice so you could do pizza with it

What a shocking thread! My family is vegetarian but my youngest child has severe dairy and egg allergies so is "vegan" because of that. People like you, OP, are the reason I can't trust other parents to take care of her at their houses/parties. She eats pizza with vegan cheese all the time, but we call it by its name, Violife, and tell her never to eat "cheese". Judging by 8-year-olds I know, I would take a lot of what they say with a pinch of salt. The child might crave real cheese because it's somewhat of a forbidden fruit..rather than because he is wanting to make a lifestyle choice that differs from his parents.

I disagree with imposing dietary restrictions on kids for no reason too, but the mum's decision is final - no cheese.

I am not vegan at all but we don't hvae milk in the house and I don't eat cheese - there is none of that in the house either. I just don't particularly like diary products. Sometimes I have a bit of butter. One of my sons has butter. The other 2 don't. One has almond milk - that's the only milk in our fridge. People should just realise not everyone eats as they do. Many many cultures and peoples don't have milk. It's not a weird modern thing.

I am not a vegan but my two of my children are and that's fine with me. I don't eat pizza. We are all different.

Bizarre attitudes, we don't actually need dairy in our diet.

We cut it out completely, after I became dangerously allergic to it (I'm contact anaphylactic - I go into anaphylaxis if it gets on my skin etc). The only reason we buy 'fake' cheese is because we both love the pizza we can make with it, it's fab in bagels, and makes a seriously good sandwich with mango chutney. I'm not going to cut out a product that's harmless to me and the environment just because it's a replacement for a non vegan diet.

It doesn't matter what vegans eat, as long as it satisfies their requirements. And it's a perfectly adequate, and very fairies diet, unless you're living solely on the vegan versions of junk food, which really is no different, restriction wise, from eating 'ordinary' junk food.

The human body does not metabolise the eseential fatty acids it needs for brain function. We have to eat them in the form of meats, fish and dairy product.

One could argue that imposing a dietary choice on a child is form of child abuse.

However as PP's have said, there may be a dairy alergy?

The mother said it would make him ill which makes the veganism a health issue and therefore I 100% would not give him dairy.

If it wasn't a health issue and just a mother brainwashing her growing child and forcing extreme diets on him then I'd let him choose. Cannot stand when parents think it's acceptable make a growing child eat vegan only food, talk about making that child grow up with food issues!

Anyway, I'm missing the point...no, do not feed the child non vegan food against the mother's wishes when it could potentially hurt him

Totally unrelated but I want to know how I'm reading messages posted at '24.58' (Twilight Zone music...)

I have a severe dairy allergy, my family are strict vegetarians so I was brought up as vegan.

When I was 7 a friends mother thought like you, that I was being 'deprived' and should be free to choose for myself what I eat.
She fed me meat and milk and cheese and yogurt I had a severe allergic reaction and almost died, I ended up in intensive care and in hospital for over a week.

I have continued with my vegan lifestyle and DH and I chose to raise DS as vegan.
DS loves cheesy pizza, it's one of his favourite foods and he has it probably once a week.
We make us pizza with dairy free cheese.

You have no idea if this child is the same.

Do not feed them dairy.

I'm not vegan but please do listen to the mother's instructions. I follow another cultural food diet so only eat meat prepared at home, outside we're vegetarian. It's easier this way for playdates etc but one mother always gives ds chicken nuggets when I've asked her not to. So ds doesn't go anymore & I also got a call asking if dd can eat a ham sandwich even though she's ticked veggie option. People are thoughtless, please listen to the mother even if you think she's bonkers.

How the hell can a ham sandwich be regarded as a vegetarian option ffs.

You would be amazed at what some people think is vegetarian Chocolate, like fish.

Not sure why you're bending over backwards to give the kids rank vegan cheese.

Find another vegan meal! Jacket potatoes with beans, veggie sausage and mash, beans on toast etc etc. Plenty of options. Even fish and chips?

Careful with veggi sausages though. Many contain dairy or egg.

Case in point-
Believe fish and chips? Really? Vegan?

The human body does not metabolise the eseential fatty acids it needs for brain function. We have to eat them in the form of meats, fish and dairy product.

With respect, that simply isn't true. Seeds, such as flax and chia, are excellent sources of EFA, as are vegetable oils and algae.

If this is a lifestyle choice and not an allergy, I think 8 is old enough to decide for himself. I went veggie at 7 and wouldn't have wanted anyone to force me to eat meat so why should he be forced to be vegan?

People should just realise not everyone eats as they do

Agree EnormousTiger. I can have dairy like milk in my tea and cereal but I don't eat ice cream because it makes me ill. I went on a lovely day out with friends last year and I'm sure I looked a miserable sod in the height of summer with no ice cream but thankfully my friends understand and don't force it down me anyway.

Seriously OP, dont be one of those people that gets him the dairy anyway, especially given you know the consequences with your DD having a coconut allergy. Respect his Mums wishes here.