Not to want our children to eat red meat?

[Flymeaway4]

I'm vegetarian, have been for 20 years, partner is not. Since before they were born, I've said I'll let them have chicken, fish etc, but not red meat including pork. Once they're old enough to properly understand that meat was once an animal, then they can decide for themselves whether they want to eat red meat too, or be vege if they like, their choice. Partner thinks I'm ridiculous and said "why can't she have a ham sandwich" at a party yesterday, "what harm will it do". There were plenty of other options there anyway: chicken, cheese and egg sandwiches, quiche, fruit etc.

In case you think it's relevant, my reasoning behind no red meat is that I think cows and pigs are too intelligent, they know exactly what is happening when they arrive at the abattoir and I think that's just too cruel (and lambs are babies). Allowing chicken and fish, until they can make their own informed decision, was my compromise. If it were purely up to me, I'd be happy raising them vege!

So, am I being unreasonable?

There are nutrients that are needed from red meat, that are less concentrated in products elsewhere, such as:

taurine
carnitine
creatine
conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)

If you're worried about raising animals humanely, buy grass fed from producers you know slaughter humanely. Don't buy the shit from supermarkets.

I think you're being unreasonable restricting your children's diets to omit animal products that humans have relied on since the beginning of humanity to nourish them.

Dont understand why you are happy for them to eat fish and chicken. Is that because you think its healthier than red meat? If so , you are choosing on health not ethical grounds?

what i did when kids were small was ate v high meat , but less often . The date or birth and death and who looked after the animal was known . It was £££ . But a cple. Times a week was better than eating other meat and was affordable . I wd never chose to feed my dc any ither form of animal as my personal choice .

I also forgot iron. How are your kids going to get enough bioavailable iron? (the kind that is actually absorbed)

The way all vegetarians do.

No, they jolly well don't. People can do what they want. But they don't need meat to be healthy, if you have a proper diet. Not if you eat the processed food associated by many to mean a veggie diet.

I don’t eat red meat but nothing to do with the animal intelligence angle- red meat farming is hugely more carbon intensive than chicken/fish. Surprised hardly anyone else seems to know that.

but I have one vegetarian and one carnivore dc and I don’t expect them to make the distinction. I never buy ham but would have no issue with my kids eating it at a party.

This is bringing back memories of my health visitor who insisted that I need to feed my kids meat to ensure they were healthy. I ignored her.

How? Help us to understand, rather than giving a smart answer?

How? Spinach?

Quite often tablets.

How do you ensure that you're getting all the right essential nutrients, though? I thought that many vegetarians actually don't, but often don't realise until levels get so low that they start to develop symptoms.

YABU. Your logic around which animals you think it’s ok to eat is ridiculous. Of course all eat veggie at home, from a health perspective I would limit red and processed meat. But for gods sake let them eat a ham sandwich at a party.

Do you also take creatine, carnitine and taurine? You should. These aren't in most multivitamins.

I already have upthread. I am Asian so can only speak to what I eat traditionally, which is not what other people eat. Don't want to labour the point.

I ask this as a former vegan who became anaemic. I wasn't absorbing iron supplements and didn't know it.

Ah right thank you.

Lentils

I don't take tablets and neither do my DC normally.

Good luck. You're going to need it.

Why can't you take a more nuanced approach if they're already eating meat.

Decide what's you're happy to cook in your house and then when they're at other people's houses or at parties then it's their choice?

@BansheeofInisherin

No, you didn't explain how you make sure you get the essential nutrients. You gave a couple of examples of what you eat. I'm asking how you check you're not low on something that you need. How do you check?

Why? My entire family is veggie, slim, not anaemic. My DC played football for his school and uni. My dad was a doctor actually. Are you not aware that there are entire veggie cultures which have survived without eating red meat? The bad thing about my diet is carbs, which I have reduced for myself and DH.

The narrow mindedness on MN is astonishing really.

Omnivore, hopefully?

Lambs aren't babies, they are animals. HTH.

Get a blood test if you are feeling tired or fatigued?

I forgot. My DC do take Vitamin D supplements in winter, as do I.