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Original poster

To become pescatarian but let me kids still eat meat

20 replies

GettingScaredNow · 12/05/2017 11:13

So I'm toying with the idea of being pescatarian.
I am already almost dairy free haven't quite given up chocolate and haven't found it that difficult.
I don't want this to turn into a bun fight about dietary choices so I'm not gonna go down that road if why. Just that I want to.

However, I'm not a big fan of Quorn. Or meat substitutes. And DD's school menu uses them quite regularly. Also, I struggle with the autonomy. (There is some background here regarding a forced halal diet when visiting her father. But currently the dc don't see him and we lead a pork free life at home) I don't want to enforce choices on the dc, dd especially as she's old enough to make up here own mind about what she eats I feel (she's 5 shortly, ds is 2)

Anyway, I was raising this idea to a few friends and they all thought it was bizarre that I would turn pescatarian but let the dc eat meat at school/nursery.
Is it really that strange?

OP posts:
bumbleymummy · 12/05/2017 11:15

I don't think it's strange. I know a few families where one parent is vegetarian/pescatarian and the children are not. Usually they eat less meat and it's more ethically produced but still. It's up to you what you want to eat.

Original poster
GettingScaredNow · 12/05/2017 11:16

Just seen the title and am mortified it says 'me kids' instead of 'my kids'.....
Autocorrect has not helped me there..... 😳

OP posts:
user1493022461 · 12/05/2017 11:18

Pescetarian isn't really a thing. So you don't cook meat at home, so what?

And a 4 year old is by no means old enough to choose what they eat!

TheTurnOfTheScrew · 12/05/2017 11:20

this is quite common IME
I know four vegetarian parents with omnivorous DHs and DC
One doesn't cook meat at home, but doesn't mind what the DC have elsewhere. The other three sometimes cook meat to give their slightly fussier lentil-refusing DC a bit of lean protein now and again.

DownInThePark · 12/05/2017 11:22

Not strange at all. I don't eat meat but cook it for DP & DD.

JeffJarrett · 12/05/2017 11:25

Not strange at all. I became vegetarian when my DS was 5, he has ASD and is massively fussy about food so I didn't change his diet at all. He eats some Quorn products now and again as he likes them and requests them, but I would never enforce a full lifestyle change on him.

I think it's different if it's your own choice and also from birth/a very young age, but then again, I wouldn't judge anyone changing their kids to a veggie diet as long as the kids are happy to do so and not undernourished or deficient in anything.

Mistigri · 12/05/2017 11:28

It sounds perfectly normal to me. There needs to be a dose of pragmatism in food choices.

My DD eats fish (but not meat), purely for practical reasons (school lunches) - in an ideal world she'd be vegan.

thepatchworkcat · 12/05/2017 11:32

Not strange at all. I've been variously vegetarian/pescetarian over the years and currently giving up dairy and thinking about going vegan eventually. Husband and son are omnivore. No chance of husband going veggie but he does eat a lot of veggie stuff with me. I'm starting to chat to son about me not eating meat - I'd like it if he wanted to be veggie but for it to be his choice.

DuggeeHugs · 12/05/2017 11:34

Sounds fine to me. My sister is pescatarian and her children eat meat. I'm vegetarian and DC eats fish and meat. It'll be up to DC to choose their own diet when they're older.

Yokohamajojo · 12/05/2017 11:45

My husband is a pescetarian but me and the two DCs are meat eaters. I like it this way as we cut down on the meat and I also love fish so no problems in our family anyway. I agree with the meat subs I don't like them either except for the quorn chicken pieces. My youngest DS quite like veggie sausages but prefers meat ones.

Floggingmolly · 12/05/2017 11:46

Not at all. I was vegetarian for years.

BloodWorries · 12/05/2017 12:11

I don't see an issue with it.
Would you be cooking fish and veggie only dishes at home and letting them eat what they want elsewhere?

I don't tend to eat meat, very rarely cook it at home but I'm not exactly a vegetarian (gelatin, will eat chicken in take aways etc) and wouldn't change if we had DC. But I'm not going to dictate what they can eat. As soon as they are old enough I will carefully inform them where meat comes from, ie no reason a 2 or 3 year old cannot understand animals are chopped so we can eat them. If the basic truth puts them off then so be it. I wouldn't tell a child about factory farms etc, but feel they should know the truth ie a pig was killed so we could have this bacon.

fanfrickintastic · 12/05/2017 12:17

My mum is now vegan, but until I 6 she was pescatarian, then veggie until last year. Myself, my dad and my siblings were fed meat, at home and out of the home - mum cooked a roast dinner and made a meat free version for herself. She educated us in how animals are farmed, killed and prepared for consumption and we even raised lambs which we then ate. She allowed us to make our own choices when it came to food. My sister tried vegetarianism for herself for a while but decided against it. I am very much a meat eater, however try and chose high welfare meat when possible.

It isn't strange, it's the right way to do it. Educate them and let them make up their own minds.

FizzyGreenWater · 12/05/2017 12:30

We're vegetarian and so are the children for now but they're getting to the age where I expect them to make up their own minds. If they want to eat meat I'll be fine with that. I don't think that's unusual! The main thing is - as you say - encouraging them to think about and make their own choices.

Sciurus83 · 12/05/2017 12:42

Pescetarian is a thing.

And this is not in the slightest bit unusual, go ahead!

IWillOnlyEatBeans · 12/05/2017 12:46

I am vegetarian and both my sons (and DH) eat meat. It didn't really occur to me to raise them veggie. They can decide for themselves when they are older!

I don't mind handling/cooking meat or fish for other people, I just don't want to eat it myself.

LucyAutumn · 12/05/2017 13:01

This is not strange in the slightest- I am vegetarian and DH is pescatarian but we both agreed to bring our DC('s) up on meat whilst alternating meals between meat/ veggie/ fish based so that they are aware of the variety and are open to the choices available to them.

luckylucky24 · 12/05/2017 13:08

To me it is a sensible decision. I think kids should choose their own paths even at 4/5. This for me means not being christened/being veggie until they are old enough to decide.

Original poster
GettingScaredNow · 12/05/2017 13:08

Don't get the comment about pescatarian not being a thing, but I'm guessing whoever posted is a little bit of a GF. So I'm going to not really bother with t too much.

Thanks all. I was surprised by their reactions. They seemed to be saying that we either all did it or I do it but almost secretly. For unity of our family.
So your replies are good.

I think I would probably not cook meat at home. Not buy it, or cook it. There are a wealth of plant proteins available so I don't see the need really

OP posts:
TellMeItsNotTrue · 12/05/2017 13:26

Not unusual at all

If you wanted to get rid of dairy completely then I strongly recommend Vegan Town for chocolate! Mostly doesn't taste vegan at all and there are some amazing treats on there! only mentioning because you said mostly dairy free but still want chocolate I only had moo free before I found that website and I pretty much didn't bother because moo free didn't satisfy that chocolate craving

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