to think parents shouldn't bring their child up vegetarian?

[Picante]

Unless for religious reasons.

Yes this is a thread about a thread but I think I was annoying too many people over there so I've started my very own for people to get annoyed with me here!

I just think it's mean. Meat is such a huge part of our culture and fair enough if you're old enough to decide that you don't want to kill animals... but children should be given all sorts of food in the early years, including meat, until they are old enough to make that decision for themselves!

I've had a quick glance at that article and I can tell that it's full of utter nonsense.

Look, mrsruffalo, human beings can adapt to pretty much any diet. That is why we have managed to live in almost every environment the world has to offer.
Veggie, vegan or omnivorous, it is entirely possible to have either a healthy diet or to eat a pile of shite.

I've more respect for the majority of vegetarians than I have for those meateaters who whinge about dp and I hunting and killing animals that we later eat,often the same people who don't want to face up the reality of how meat gets on their plate.

paleo diet

I think that's commendable thunderbuck

Oh, well, if Ray Mears says so...

What tosh.

I don't give a shit what other people eat and they shouldn't care what I eat either!

i did not bring dd up to be a veggie ,but she dont eat meat now was her choice yabu

My dd decided not to eat meat when she was 18 months old (I know, but I kid you not).

After a trip to a petting zoo / farm type thingy, she refused to eat meat from that day onwards. She would point to the meat on her plate, make the appropriate animal noise (fairly easy as she was only really having fish and chicken) and say 'no.' She refused point blank to touch it.

I did not want to 'disguise' meat in her food.
I did not want to lie and say something wasn't meat when it clearly was.

So she became vegetarian. Fairly easy for us as dh is veggie, I eat chicken, fish and have a luuurve of bacon but that's about it.

She is three now. If she wanted to try meat, I would let her, however I am not going to start buying pork roasts cos she fancies a nibble! But trying while out and about would be fine.

However I don't think she's bothered. Children are fed such vastly different diets and barring serious and obvious health risks, I wouldn't worry what someone else feeds their children.

Now where did I put that pack of findus crispy pancakes?...

I have a small pert arse and only eat organic meat, so speak for yourself
Plenty of veggie crap too Driven

Oh please

I was brought up not eating meat, but plenty of fish. My children can eat meat if they like, but none of them like it. I am not sure what they are supposed to be missing? Its really easy to find substitutes to meat. In fact, I think the UK is a great country if you are a veggie!

YABVU I'm a veggie and have chosen not to give DS meat or fish at home until he can ask for it.

I'm not sure I qualify as someone raising a total veggie because he has had fish at my Mum's (she has him while I work). I don't particularly like it but I realise how lucky I am that she'll have him without expecting her to cook seperate meals. Fishy nappies are rank though.

Nancy66 Not sure why you think veggie is ok but vegan is cruel? Cow's milk isn't really designed for children, it's designed to get a calf big and fat in a short space of time, not a human! I prob have more of an issue with feeding kids dairy than feeding them meat!

Parents bring up their DC with the foods that they eat themselves. If they don't eat meat they are not going to cook it-as simple as that. I don't eat tripe, therefore there is no way I am going to serve it in my house, ever.
However as soon as the DC goes out of the home they will be offered other things and it is up to them what they choose to accept.e.g they may be at a party and have a sausage roll. It is much better to allow them to be flexible because in the end they will make up their own mind. It is a nonsense for a veggie parent to get upset about the DC getting a gelatine sweet at nursery-the nursery DC isn't a vegetarian-they are merely getting a vegetarian diet at home.

Most nurseries offer a vegetarian alternative.

I'm actually more comfortable with eating game animals and birds that we've hunted and killed ourselves,Mrs Ruffallo than I am with farmed meat, though I eat both.

I don't know that I'd use the term commendable to describe it,though I know what you mean.
It does make me feel much more comfortable ethically speaking with eating meat, when I know that I can and would kill the animals myself, and that I fully understand the processes between cow and burger or chicken and goujons etc.

If you are a vegetarian I would imagine you would choose the veg option for a DC. As they get older they will make choices for themselves. I don't think anyone can be called a vegetarian until they have actively made the choice for themselves. Some might do it at a very young age.

Spotted this on twitter, and not sure what the rules are, or even if I'm allowed to get involved, but I would just like to reassure people it is perfectly possible to grow up vegetarian and get a balanced healthy diet.

I'm 24 and have never eaten meat or fish, and didn't have any dairy products for the first 15 years of my life.

I have a 1 year old baby who is growing up on a vegetarian diet, and is happy and bouncy and a little wonder.

I'm strong and healthy and have played sport at a high level my entire life.

I have never struggled with my vegetarianism while travelling.

I have always maintained a very healthy body weight, in fact I think I find it easier to keep fat off because of my vegetarian diet.

The only weird thing about it is the fact that people CONSTANTLY bring up the fact I'm vegetarian - why are so many meat eaters so apparently insecure about things that they need to rib us about it all time?

I don't think it is anything to do with being insecure-it is the inconvenience of having to do a special diet for a vegetarian if they come to your house, but knowing that if you go to their house you will have to eat what they eat-like it or lump it!

I've been a veggie for 25 years (decided myself when I was 12 and saw a film about an abbatoir at school). Even though I had 7 siblings at home, my wonderful mum did not have a problem giving me, the only veggie, an alternative meal .

I am certainly not pale and thin (am working on the thin bit it though) and have brought 3 healthy children into the world (including twins with a combined weight of 14lbs 5ozs) with no meat or fish in my diet!!

DH is a meat eater and I have always prepared and cooked meat for him, even though it makes me want to puke but I knew he was a meat eater when I married him. When we had the DCs, I decided to give them meat from the start and they love a bit of bacon, a juicy steak and strangely crispy chicken skin (ewww). I could not take that pleasure away from them although we quite often have veggie meals. When they've been playing up and I am feeling evil, I make them a lovely lentil and bean stew (the threat of that is enough to make them behave!). I will not inflict my views on them, they know meat is dead animals and at the moment they don't care. I am hoping that will change though.

OP - YABU. What's it got to do with you what choices other people make for their children ?
As you may guess by my response my DS does not eat meat just as we don't. I think that I have to put a lot more thought into his and our diet to make sure that we get all the nutrients we need as a consequence. I haven't eaten meat for 20 odd years but I am sensible enough to realise that my DS may make different choices to us when he is old enough to buy/cook/choose his own food.

YABU. This is a personal parenting decision. It's non of your business. If they were chopping their foreskins and clitorises off, something that would scar them forever, you might have a point. Otherwise..I dunno..do you need to get a hobby to stop you fretting about worthless things?