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Original poster

reassure my partner veggie is ok

119 replies

hollya · 22/02/2005 16:06

hi, i'm new here and am a veggie, have been since i was 8. please can someone with vegetarian children tell me that they are healthy and well.
my partner doesn't agree with bringing up our baby as vegetarian and it is really irritating me as i know it is a very healthy and normal way of life.
our baby isn't born yet (due may 9th), but this is creating issues already.
someone help!!!

OP posts:
serenity · 22/02/2005 16:10

Probably shouldn't let him read this then, I'm sure there are plenty of MNers who are bringing their children up as vegetarians who will be able to reassure you/provide you with compelling arguements!

scotlou · 22/02/2005 16:15

My dh and I are not veggie - but when we had ds we wanted to bring him up veggie as felt due to all the scares with bse / foot and mouth etc it would be better for him. We managed about a year before we gave up - but only because we did not have enough experience ourselves in making sure we got enough protein etc into him (he was a fussy eater!) but during the time he was veggie he was healthy and fine and health visitor was perfectly happy with his weight etc.

HappyMumof2 · 22/02/2005 16:21

Message withdrawn

bundle · 22/02/2005 16:29

i think i saw something today re: people bringing up children as vegans, i'll try to dig it out.

DillyDally · 22/02/2005 16:29

I think to compare veggie kids in developing countries to those in the western world is probably not very fair.
I am veggie and DD is mainly veggie - in that if there is ever someone else eating meat and DD makes a grab for it, it has never been my rule to deny her what she wants to try
I make a concerted effort to ensure she has sufficient protein and I give her kids vitamin supplements. She is above average height and wholesomely chubby.
Our western veggie diets are different to only eating plants in kenya - take care and you should be fine.

bundle · 22/02/2005 16:30

oh yes, that was it, in kenya

dramaqueen72 · 22/02/2005 16:34

ah yes well if your dp is NOt a veggie he'll never quite believe you, my dh is not a veggie, and i've been thro it all with him. all my children start off 100% veggie, but my two 'big' ones (10 and 13) now eat chicken. but not any 'hidden' animal ingredients in anything, i'm abit strict on that..... i have always said they could choose once they were old enough and they choose to eat chicken/turkey occassionally so there we go. dd2 (is 2)is offered chicken (by dh usually!) but hates the taste (cant tell you how glad i am about that. LOL) any meat i do cook my 'meateaters' is organic, free range (and bloody expensive). i have had many many hv and dr tell me its no good being veggie as children, (absolute RUBBISH!!!) and the minute i'm ill/they're ill lack of iron is always brought up...(but proved wrong).... its going to be an ongoing fight at certain times i'm afraid.
can you maybe come to some agreement, say the baby will be veggie until eating finger food and then you'll try fish or chicken?? or something like that to meet half way?

Twiglett · 22/02/2005 16:34

as long as you know what you're doing and are very careful that your child gets the right balance of proteins too then it will be fine

that said, its not something you'll have to worry about for months and months ... you most probably won't wean on to solids until 6 months (WHO recommendations) and you wouldn't introduce proteins for a couple of months after that

daisy1999 · 22/02/2005 16:35

I haven't an opinion on this myself but read this today.

Original poster
hollya · 22/02/2005 16:42

thank-you. i know i'm going to have a fight on my hands, it is already causing some controversy amongst my friends who are accusing me of being cruel and that i am going to starve my child. at least my mum is supportive and is gathering info for me. although she is not veggie she can see the advantages and has fed me since i was 8 with no ill effects.

OP posts:
tarantula · 22/02/2005 16:54

All Shikhs are veggie and Ive never noticed any of their children having any problems (and I have know quite a few). Think that the report in the papers this morning was daft as it didnt compare like on like and was totally unscientific in the extreme.

DillyDally · 22/02/2005 16:55

ah but it made great headlines to scare more people with (after the cancer causing food scare too)

gothicmama · 22/02/2005 17:01

DD is veggie as are we - no problems I remember someone saying about how'd she be missing out on protein but remeber even potato has protein in it - A bit glib but it is possible to have healthy veggie children teh key is to plan outings, and to learn to trust your instincts above others There's a book called what do you et that is excellent for veggie recipes as is the children's book from the vegetarian society-

daisy1999 · 22/02/2005 17:02

The guidelines on food and children change almost daily. How can it be right that my now 5 yr olds were told to be weaned between 4-6 months, but no later than 6months or their muscles wouldn't develop properly for talking!!!
If I had a baby today it would have to wait until 6 months!
There are so many problems with food and additives, pesticides, etc that I've decided the only safe way to go is to stop eating food. (except for chocolate which is perfectly safe!)

Azure · 22/02/2005 17:02

My niece was brought up veggie and is now a healthy 18 year-old doing dance and drama at college. IMHO a veggie parent is far more likely to plan and care about what a child eats than the thoughtless parents who think children can survive on chicken nuggets and no fruit or veg.

CrazyandConfused · 22/02/2005 17:04

Sorry to say this but I strongly believe that we would have a mouthfull of flat teeth if we were only suposed to eat veggies.

Kelly1978 · 22/02/2005 17:05

I'm not veggie, but my partner was veggie until he was 16, and is perfectly healthy! We don't eat meat very much at all, I think vegetarian diet is far more healthy than eating loads of meat. dd has vegetarian school dinners, as we don't eat beef at all. They have a very varied diet, and are healthy children.

beansprout · 22/02/2005 17:05

Mmmm, and not so much colon cancer if we were supposed to eat meat, given that it is the main cause?

DecafArabica · 22/02/2005 19:18

Here's some information from the \link{http://www.vegsoc.org/Vegetarian Society} which has a section about nutrition.
I haven't eaten meat for 23 years and DS has never had it. He's a strapping, healthy young thing. If he fancies meat later he's welcome to try it.

DecafArabica · 22/02/2005 19:20

Vegetarian Society

tallulah · 22/02/2005 22:38

I have been vegetarian for 25 years. All 4 of my children have been raised vegetarian & now at 19, 17, 15 & 13 are perfectly healthy, same height as their peers (taller than me!) & at grammar school!

This study looking at malnourished Kenyan children has no relevance to a Western child on a balanced vegetarian diet.

I would have problems trying to raise a child vegan, but only because it involves a lot of planning & organising which I can never seem to manage.

My DH does not consider himself to be vegetarian but when we got married we agreed he could do what he liked away from home, but in our house we do not have meat. At the time I did most of the cooking so it made sense. HTH

(daisy1999, when my eldest was born, the "right" age for weaning was 12 weeks! By the time her brother was born 19 months later it was suddenly dangerous to wean a baby before 4 months... )

motherinferior · 22/02/2005 22:40

Sikhs aren't veggie. Not that it matters.

bundle · 23/02/2005 09:40

hollya, do you live in london? there was quite a measured piece in yesterday's Standard by Dr Mark Porter

root · 23/02/2005 09:46

but buddhists are and there are millions of them in the world...

both my partner and me have been veggie for 20 years so we're not giving our baby meat. he can make his own decisions about it later. you can get all the amino acids you need from dairy, eggs, tofu, pulses, nuts and grains. my main objection to mass-produced meat is that it is full of growth hormones, antibiotics and GM feeds, none of which can be good for anyone. having said that, i personally don't have objections to organic meat (if you can afford it), as it is generally reared in a sustainable and humane way.

WideWebWitch · 23/02/2005 09:46

Hi hollya, yes, I researched this extensively when my son was born. He is now 7 and has been veggie from birth. Carol Timperly's baby vegetarian cookbook is very good. There is NO nutritional problem with being veggie as long as you get enough of certain vits/minerals, will post them later if I have time but might have to go in a second. You will get stick, or I did, variously from health visitors, family, friends and complete strangers. And, in your case, your dp! The only answer is to know your stuff, be aware of the facts and be prepared to defend yourself and your choices (if you can be arsed) or to tell people to fuck off and mind their own business if you can't! Why people think it's their business I don't know but they do seem to when it comes to vegetarianism. he Vegetarian Society is here and the Carol Timperley book is here . Back later if I can!