To think it’s not right to bring a baby up as a vegetarian?

[veggiesup]

Surely a baby/child should have all food available until they can make their own decisions?

Nicely done.

We don’t eat meat, fish or dairy, no supplements required by anyone, beyond me needing b12 injections as I have pernicious anemia which obviously is never a result of diet. I was a fulltime professional athlete for quite a few years.

Well if you don't need supplements it's not a problem @Simonjt - I was referring to a PP upthread who was asking about a diet that requires B12 supplementation in order for them to have the required nutrients required a

All animals that have evolved to 'hunt' have eyes that face forward in their skulls (so they can track prey). Herbivores have sideways facing eyes (so they can see predators). Meat eaters also have canine teeth which are designed for tearing meat. Humans have forward facing eyes and canines. Whilst societal developments means humans no longer need to hunt and can just buy meat in Tescos now, biological factors would suggest human bodies are designed to need and process meat.

Animal cruelty/ sustainability/ the processed nature of modern meat products are ethical reasons for vegetarianism, but they are separate from whether or not meat is a necessary part of a human diet.

To me, the argument that giving a child meat is cruel/ unnatural is ridiculous- humans have evolved as meat eaters. If a child grows into an adult who decides not to eat meat for ethical reasons, then that is different.

None of your beeswax. And we are omnivores with a highly developed consciousness, the fact that we have evolved as meat eaters is hardly relevant as we have also evolved to survive perfectly healthily as vegetarians with a full understanding of our dietary requirements. We aren't all bringing down buffalo in the Serengeti.

Vegetarian is fine, vegan needs to be looked at because there have been dumb people in the past who killed their baby because they didn't understand the nutrition their baby needed and made wrong decisions.

I said I think it’s selfish and wrong and to raise a child as a vegan Or veggie .
That is my opinion.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. But what have you based your opinion on? Do you believe that a child is missing a nutritional element? Do you think it's not fair that a child can't eat exactly the same food as the child next to them? What is is about a veggie or vegan diet that is selfish?

There's lots of evidence to show that veggie and vegan diets are (with some possible tweaks for vegans) very good diets for children, and can actually be better than meat based diets. Does that make the meat eating parents selfish?

At the end of the day, there are good and bad diets, and whether meat is included in that doesn't really come in to it. There are plenty of children who have a poor diet, with not enough fruit and vegetables, and too much sugar, fat and salt. Regardless of whether they are meat eaters or veggie. In fact, in my limited experience, vegetarian parents tend to think more about the nutrition they give their children.

As long as the diet contains all the essential nutrients, what's the problem? I myself am vegetarian and think I have a good diet. I knew a vegetarian family growing up who only seemed to eat cheese. Their children are now adults, still have an awful vegetarian diet and are obese.
Kids will obviously choose their own diets when they're grown up. I really can't see a problem with a child eating a healthy vegetarian diet when they're young. There are so many vegetarian kids these days it's not like they'll stand out.

I eat meat, but as long as the child is getting the correct nutrients, then I don't see an issue.

I can imagine a nice vegetarian meal is much healthier compared to nuugest, chips and beans!

Exactly. I doubt many British parents feed their kids, I don't know, cat meat or lamb's heart - is that wrong too, OP, since children should eat all food available?

My mum hates artichoke so she never gave it to me. I didn't try it until I'd left home and was cooking my own food. Should we call childline?

I’ve been a strict vegetarian for over 30 years but all of our children were fed meat. That’s a nutritionally balanced and varied diet. It’s up to them to choose when they are old enough, and independent enough, to make that choice. YANBU.

My ex DIL bought both of her kids up to be vegetarian.

As soon as they had the freedom, and were at the right age, they headed, with their mates, to Maccy D's for a burger lol

Teenagers do as they want to.

You should let bonobos know they are doing it wrong as well then. Primates all have forward-facing eyes and canines, regardless of diet.

If you’re a vegetarian household you are not going to make special meat dishes for a baby. No baby will have all food choices available to them simply because all families have their own preferences and do not by all foods!

Primates hunt don't they ?

Some do, some don’t.

Most will eat meat even bonobos

Parents make all sorts of choices for their children, up until those children reach an age where they are able to make those choices for themselves.

As long as they get a balanced diet, I think it's fine.

They will generally eat what their parents eat which makes sense.

It's making a choice for them either way.

There is nothing wrong with parents keeping a vegetarian household.

once children start having the opportunity to make food choices outside the home, they need to be allowed to make choices that might not align with a parents particular food philosophy. That doesn’t mean a non-stop parade of sweets, but If a child wants to choose a non-vegetarian meal at school, then I think that should be an option.

I could say what not bring them up as vegetarian and they can choose to eat meat if they want to when they are old enough to understand the issues.

I’ve been a strict vegetarian for over 30 years but all of our children were fed meat. That’s a nutritionally balanced and varied diet

That suggests that you don't believe a vegetarian diet is nutritionally balanced and varied diet. It's fine to feed a baby/child meat, if that's what you want to do, but it's also fine not to . Their diet can still be nutritional and varied.

Insects and worms, not cows.I wouldn’t describe that as “hunting”, or requiring physical adaptations such as canines and forward-facing eyes.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/human-ancestors-were-nearly-all-vegetarians/

Insects and worms, not cows.I wouldn’t describe that as “hunting”, or requiring physical adaptations such as canines and forward-facing eyes.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/human-ancestors-were-nearly-all-vegetarians/

We don’t cook meat at home. I’m vegetarian but DH will have meat sometimes if he goes out to eat. so our kids are functionally vegetarian at home but they can have whatever they like out of the home. So if family is looking after them or they’re out at friend’s houses or at a party or whatever they can have what they like.

they don’t actually like much meat except for the really terrible processed stuff. So most of their friend’s parents will give them a vegetarian meal. funnily enough MIL will make sure there’s always sausages when they go round for tea though as she thinks it’s her duty to make sure they get meat or they’ll waste away 😂