To think veganism is not for children?

[ohhhhlivia]

Yes, I am aware that it is perfectly possible to have a healthy vegan diet at any age. I know that.

However, it is more difficult and easier to get wrong if you want to be vegan. It still is restrictive (even with all of the new stuff coming out) as in you need to tell hosts, check menus in advance etc.

It's a barrier that has to be overcome. I don't understand why you would do that to someone who has no choice in the matter.

Lots of kids go through a fussy phase too, add veganism in and surely you're at a high risk of health problems?

I think what I'm getting at, is that childhood nutrition can be hard enough as it is, so it just feels wrong to make it harder for reasons that do not directly benefit the child.

If you took a nutritional study of all the kids in this country guaranteed at least half would not be getting everything they need.

I've found parents with vegan kids are more aware of what foods need eating because it's so driven into them. A parent with a child who doesn't eat a certain food is held to a different standard than the parent of a child who is fussy, who is just fed a 'normal diet' etc.

As a nation we eat far too much meat and dairy and nowhere near as many wholefoods as we should.

There are lots of things that 'aren't for children' that they are exposed to daily. Parents do what they think is best for their kids, if that means not feeding them meat why does that make them wrong and you right?

Many cultures don't eat certain foods or do certain things for ethical or religious reasons, does that make them wrong too? Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad.

What I will say is that it is not healthy or normal if the vegan diet needs to be supplemented. And most vegans supplement.

Agree it seems deeply unfair that the child has no say in it.

I don’t know how many more times this has to be said but an omnivorous diet also has to be supplemented. And again whatever the diet, the child has no say it. Would you let a child just eat junk food and sweets even though it’s bad for them? Just because you let them have a say. No not if you’re a decent parent. Of course there should be an element of choice. However, Your children eat what you give them whether it’s an omnivorous diet or a vegetarian or vegan one. Which should be healthy and balanced. Both of which are possible. There are many benefits of eating a vegan or plant based diet. Please actually google the benefits before saying it’s bad.

@namechange46

Both kids drink oat milk. We eat beans, seitan, tofu, spinach. I've just made a big batch of blueberry muffins using Stork marg.

So not one source of b12?

Well kind of, if you used flour to make those muffins the government realising the idiocy of many parents decided to fortify it with essential viriamins

A healthy diet is one we, as a species, have evolved to eat and gain optimal health from through how easy it is to access vitamins and nutrients etc.

I don't think a diet that is fully vegan is a healthy choice for a child - meat, fish, eggs etc all provide easy access to certain nutrients when compared to a vegan diet. While a vegan diet can provide the right nutrition some of these need to be eaten in larger quantities than a toddler can manage, even if they are non fussy.

By the same token - I believe breast milk is the healthiest choice and processed foods should be avoided for children. If suppliments are needed it means the diet provided isn't adequate and this needs to be looked at. (Vitamin D is different as it is primarily gained via sunlight - I also believe that children should be allowed to play outside without sunscreen at certain times in the day).

Vegan children I have known have been prone to more colds and tend to be anaemic. One child I knew broke his arm quite badly as he didn;t have a sufficient calcium intake. I realise these are just children I know rather than the wider population but it has coloured my view on this topic.

@RockinHippy

Name change.

Yogurt isn't vegan, so that's a vegetarian diet, not a vegan diet & as such it does sound very health as the yogurt means it isn't lacking in any B12 & too low in other important nutrients

Name change is a vegan so a bit of common sense should tell you that when she says yogurt she is referring to dairy free yogurt.

Kind of like how I sometimes might mention casually that I am going to order a pizza or a burger...I don't need to specify every time that I am ordering vegan pizza or a vegan burger. People can use their common sense.

Dairy free yogurt is fortified with calcium and B12. Soya yoghurt also has protein and is a complete protein at that.

@Elsewyre

That poster quite clearly said they give their children a multivitamin which will very likely include B12. Oat milk and other non dairy milks are often fortified with B12 as well.

I also highly doubt that list of food is all she feeds her children. Those were just some examples.