Guest post: "I'd never raise my children as anything but vegan"

[MumsnetGuestPosts]

I have been vegan for almost nine years. My four-year-old daughter has eaten a plant-based diet since birth (yes, breast milk is vegan) and my second baby, due shortly, will be joining her. It was never something we questioned. We knew that children could grow up strong and healthy on a vegan diet, so why would we introduce foods we wouldn't eat ourselves? My grandma thinks it's a shame she's never tasted a pork sausage, but other than that our choice hasn't attracted much criticism.

Last week, however, an Italian politician proposed a law that would allow the state to prosecute parents who choose to raise their children vegan. The proposed law has come about after a number of high-profile cases of severe malnourishment as a result of parents imposing inadequate vegan diets, and has opened up a debate about whether it's ok to raise children on a vegan diet.

A vegan diet needn't be restrictive. While veganism means avoiding animal products - cheese, meat, gelatine, to name but a few - a rich and varied diet is easily achievable. My daughter eats fruits and vegetables, lentils, tofu, grains, beans and nuts, cereals fortified with vitamins and she also takes a daily multivitamin specially formulated for vegan children. However, she can also hold her own when it comes to chocolate, chips, ice cream and all the other junk foods four-year-olds love to eat. I don’t want her to miss out, so I plan ahead for birthday parties or nursery celebrations so she can have sweets and cake with the rest of the children. She might grow up and decide she doesn't want to be vegan any more, but I don't want that to be because she felt left out growing up.

The NHS says that a vegan diet is fine for babies and children as long as it includes all of the necessary vitamins and minerals. The vegan parents I know are clued up when it comes to nutrition. I think being vegan actually encourages parents to be more critical of their family's diet than they may otherwise be - and that can only be a good thing.

Perhaps, instead of looking to prosecute vegan parents, it would be better for Italy to introduce measures to educate all parents about the importance of a varied diet in childhood. Italy has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world - it’s clear that there's a pervasive lack of understanding about nutrition. Rather than vilifying all vegan parents for the mistakes of a few, resources would be better used educating people about how to achieve a healthy diet - whether this includes animal products or not.

I went vegan after years of being vegetarian. I found out about the cruelty involved in the dairy industry and decided to take the next step to reduce animal suffering. For me, veganism has always been about animal exploitation. The health and environmental benefits of the lifestyle are a bonus, but they're not the reason I choose to be vegan. I am raising my daughter to consider the needs of other people and animals when making decisions. She may not always be vegan. She might grow up and decide she loves beef burgers. I have no idea what the future holds, just like other parents don't know if their children will grow up to embrace the family's love of the outdoors, jazz music or the Labour Party. All I can do is try to teach her compassion now and hope that it sticks. And if it doesn't? Well, she's my daughter and I will love her unconditionally, no matter what.

[TwentyCups]

I was born into a family of meat eaters, however I have not eaten red meat since I was five years old, which was when I learnt where it came from.
White meat and fish were subsequently dropped once I figured that out too, and my mum realised I was not playing/going through a phase.
As an adult now I am vegetarian and make a concious effort to eat the majority of food at home vegan.
My children will be raised vegetarian. I will not purchase meat as I do not wish to support the industry. My DP is s meat eater, however he only eats meat out, as we eat the same meals. He is happy with our set up.

If my children want to eat meat I will allow them to once they are old enough to understand what it is and where it comes from. I would imagine this will be around 5 if they are anything like me! From there they can eat it if they wish.

[PortiaCastis]

I suffered from anorexia because my ex husband moaned and moaned about me being a little overweight. I was 5 stone at one point and almost lost my life so I think a balanced diet with everything in moderation is best.
There are refugees and starving children who do not have a choice to be vegan, they just want food and not an agenda. Far better to help them I feel.

[lljkk]

We don't live in Italy. .

[PortiaCastis]

Very true We are fortunate to have a choice.

[charlybs]

Portia I don't think being vegan means that person automatically is ungrateful for the food they have - I'm happy to support charities that empower refugees and starving communities :/ I do agree that moderation is a great way to go. I never feel like I'm denying myself anything.

[PortiaCastis]

I eat prawns but don't feel the need to brag about it

[sonlypuppyfat]

My friend is a vegetarian she came home from work to find her vegetarian children cooking bacon, she's just given in now

[Kennington]

I am sure being vegan is great if you have a clued up parent like OP.
I don't supplement my child as I think nutrients should come from food and vitamins are absorbed best from food, and not supplements.
The vegan diet, can be dodgy in the wrong hands. You cannot be lazy at any meal time!
We also have teeth designed for a meat eating diet, as it is a quick and efficient way to take in protein.
I agree we probably eat too much meat but being vegan isn't the natural answer to this. Reducing meat and eat more veg and pulses is.

[Natsku]

I'm not keen on vegan diets for very young children as from my own experience its hard enough getting enough fat into a young child without dairy, would be much harder without fatty meat. Would never raise my DD vegan anyway even if I was as there's no vegan meals at school.

[itsbetterthanabox]

Giving children meat is forcing your ideology on them just as much as raising them vegan or vegetarian.
You can eat healthily as vegan and you can eat unhealthily as a meat eater. This law is ridiculous and very controlling. It's controlling too much of people's lives.

[itsbetterthanabox]

Portia
People are starving in the third world because of the wests huge demands for meat.
You've got it really mixed up to think we are ungrateful to not eat meat. Meat eaters are destroying the planet.

[LaContessaDiPlump]

I'm vegan and my DH/kids are omni. Our default meals are vegan, with meat added as they see fit. Because we eat less meat, we can afford to spend more money on it and pay for better welfare standards. We also buy organic milk because welfare standards are higher for organic dairy cattle. Eggs rarely, but only from people we know who own chickens. Those are our compromises.

By the way, just because we evolved to be able to eat meat doesn't mean we have to keep doing it. Your required protein intake is 0.7g x body weight (kg) daily, so a 50 kg woman needs 35g protein daily. You can easily get that over the course of 3 vegan meals, provided you choose well.

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

I'm a vegetarian and have been for 12 years. So is my DM but she never pushed me to it.

My DD eats meat because, at 2, I'm not going to restrict her dietary choices or risk her not getting the right nutrients. If she decides when she is old enough that she wants to be a vegetarian/vegan, that's fine and completely her choice.

[PortiaCastis]

I haven't got anything mixed up. I eat meat other's don't. Where's the guest post for meat and fish eaters?

[FlemCandango]

We have to and choose to make "choices" for our children all the time, conscious, unconscious, circumstantial so I call "nonsense nonsense nonsense!" on people who claim we should not impose a vegan/ vegetarian diet on our children. We all should ensure our children have a varied diet and be healthy, some are more successful than others at that. I fail all the time with my ds as he is very food phobic, has ASD and sensory issues so if I can get him to eat a homemade pizza with carrot whizzed into the topping and wholemeal flour in the base, that is a good day! Other days it is chips and thank god for vitamins! Then I watch my dd1 tuck into mixed bean and lentil salads, avocado, spinach, reject cheese and embrace spices enjoy kale in her smoothies and think what a smug git I would be without my lovely ds!

Raising my children as vegetarians is just normal for me and I never understand why people get all het up about it, I can't see any serious difficulties with being vegan either. So what if it can be supported by taking a few vitamins? Since when was that so terrible. Unless you live entirely off grid, raise and kill your own livestock and grow all your own veg then you are eating some processed, and supplemented foods in your diet. We are very far from natural. So give over with the preachy attitude about how awful it is to get vit b12 from a pill. I have been veggie for 27years and have come across many ridiculous arguments over this time for how wrong I am. I fully expect that will continue but I have been vindicated by time, my children are healthy and energetic I could have managed this on a vegan diet as well I am sure. I can't see the harm for children to be raised by parents that care about the environment, have thought about the impact of our position on the food chain and the ethics of eating animals. I will expect them to make their own decisions when they buy and prepare their own food.

[itsbetterthanabox]

Portia
It's mixed up to say it's ungrateful not to eat meat when it's meat eating that is a huge contributor to third world starvation. Meat eating is incredibly selfish and cruel as well damaging to planet.
Write a guest post if you want to.

[PortiaCastis]

I love my roast beef

[awesomeness]

I know about 6 vegans.... and all are the most sickliest people I've ever met. if you have to supplement a diet then I don't think that's right for children

your not giving her free choice, your inflicting your views and opinions, and teaching them they have to pill pop to be healthy, not really a great thing to be teaching children

[awesomeness]

and for all these vegan and vegetarians saying meat eaters are destroying the planet

are you zero waste? doubt that very much

[WalrusGumboot]

Portia making an intelligent contribution to the thread there I see

[TealLove]

All the vegans I know are sickly and the rest sadly mask massive eating disorders
But if it works for you fine please don't preach to others though.

[FlemCandango]

Oh well if you know 6 sickly vegans... That is it argument's over, you are awesome, drop your mic and exit the stage...

I might nick that as a band name though. We could do Smiths covers.

[Curlgurl]

I worked with a vegan, a very hippy free spirited type of lady.
She lived on sandwiches. She would eat 8 slices of bread just at work. She was constantly tired, had an awful cough, her hair was falling out. Her GP sent her for a ceoliacs test which was positive but she carried on eating bread.

[HermioneWeasley]

Really, a guest post about being vegan?!

[FlemCandango]

And since when did giving free choice enter into feeding a child? I seem to be the cook and the food buyer in the house already I am not taking on a restaurant chef / waitress role as well there is no menu to peruse before dinner!