Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Vegan

Join Mumsnet's vegan community and discuss everything related to the vegan diet.

Original poster

Vegan Kiddie Lunches

44 replies

MrsKC121 · 04/01/2020 16:37

We’ve decided to try a plant based diet as much as possible after watching The Game Changers on Netflix. In terms of recipes, I’m all set for dinners but I’m really struggling for school lunch ideas. Everything I’ve come across just doesn’t seem like it’s either very appealing or filling for our very active 10 year old. Does anyone have any school packed lunch suggestions?

OP posts:
theneverendinglaundry · 04/01/2020 17:10

I'd be interested in hearing ideas.

My kids (7 and 10) won't eat things like avocado, hummus or falafel. I do sometimes give them a quorn sausage roll but I dont think they're vegan.

muddledmidget · 04/01/2020 17:17

Vegan sandwich fillings I like are jam, peanut butter, cold cooked sausages, quorn do vegan ham and chicken style slices, sheese spread, tartrex pate (available from the health food shops) or a pot of cold pasta with tomato sauce or vegan pesto

nocoolnamesleft · 04/01/2020 17:21

Be aware a lot of schools are nut (or at least peanut) free.

PurpleDaisies · 04/01/2020 17:23

What sort of thing are they eating at the moment?

Pitta with houmous and grated carrot is really nice.

Doggodogington · 04/01/2020 17:26

Mmmm pitta with grated carrot, keep them coming Smile

Doggodogington · 04/01/2020 17:27

Oo, and humous!

Marcipex · 04/01/2020 17:27

Our school doesn't allow any nuts and Nursery doesn’t allow nuts/pesto.

Falafel, salad wrap, banana loaf?
Cold sausages, mayo style dip and carrot sticks?

WellErrr · 04/01/2020 17:29

Do your children want to be vegan, with the associated health risks for kids?

DialsMavis · 04/01/2020 17:30

Pasta salad, Iceland do brilliant sausage rolls in their vegan range, little pot of chopped up salad veg and a mini wrap, lidl branded malt loaf, if they like soft cheese the asda garlic and herb one is nice.

PurpleDaisies · 04/01/2020 17:30

Coleslaw is easy to make vegan using Hellman’s vegan mayo (or any other brand). I make a batch and eat through the week. It’s very good in a sandwich with tofurkey. Or quorn slices.

DialsMavis · 04/01/2020 17:32

What are the health risks for kids? I've read around and as long as they eat a balanced diet it seems fine? If they eat a very limited range of foods it wouldn't be great but that's the same for omni children too?

CarlyCuckoo · 04/01/2020 17:36

@DialsMavis I'm not an expert (or a vegan) but I agree there are no higher risks for vegan kids than veggie or omni kids. It's about nutrition overall, as long as they get that nutrition it doesn't matter if it comes from meat or not.

I have seen stories online/in the press/on social media about vegan children who are undernourished and in some terrible cases have died. This happens to kids who aren't vegan as well but for some weird reason lots of people hate vegans and the stories of this happening to vegan kids get publicised way more. This leads even more people to think that a vegan diet is bad and kids will become ill on it.

Apolloanddaphne · 04/01/2020 17:39

What age are your DC? Have they also agreed to try a plant based diet? If so get them to help you try out different options. If they are too young then maybe let them have vegetarian options that they like nd keep plant based meals for breakfast and dinner? I guess I am thinking things like egg and cheese.

Apolloanddaphne · 04/01/2020 17:40

Posted too soon. My feeling is it is better for your DC to be fed and happy on healthy food they enjoy than hungry and miserable by not eating things they don't like.

DialsMavis · 04/01/2020 17:40

Donkey and goats milk are definitely not vegan Grin

B vitamins are a must really too, especially B12 as animals used for meat and dairy are given supements to top up the humans who eat these foods as we do not get enough naturally anymore.

DialsMavis · 04/01/2020 17:48

OP is only doing plant based as much as possible I think? Not forcing her children to live on lentils. I think it would be really hard to keep an unwillingly vegan child healthy and well nourished.

I have one that would probably die as he is a typical teenager that is scared of salad and loves to eat processed shite.

I have one that would do very well as she naturally loves all the super healthy stuff. She isn't vegan as DH doesn't want her to be so she eats eggs and fish but hates dairy. She went pescatarian of her own accord when she was tiny and we (except eldest DC) have followed her into it.

Im vegan now and about as healthy as I was before, as after getting in really good shape I have found new ways to be fat. Smile

NonUrinatInVentum · 04/01/2020 17:50

Your children need B vitamins for methylation. You can't get B vitamins on vegan diet. Look for Game Changers debunked.

WellErrr · 04/01/2020 18:02

B vitamins are a must really too, especially B12 as animals used for meat and dairy are given supements to top up the humans who eat these foods

Farmer here. No they’re not. Unless someone is supplementing my grass in the night?

OP - don’t radically change your kids diet to one that could do them harm, based on what you saw on Netflix.

Cam77 · 04/01/2020 18:05

@WellErrr
The vast, vast majority of doctors and nutritionists worldwide would disagree with the belief idea that a half decent vegetarian diet is in any way nutritionally deficient compared to one containing meat. The fact that a very small minority of the worlds tens of millions of doctors hold this belief and have made their feelings known in a letter online is neither here nor there. Perhaps they need to take a class in basic nutrition. Manmade climate change is disputed by a small minority of climate scientists (perhaps currently fewer than 1%). The fact that they are scientists does not make their view any less wrong.

Original poster
MrsKC121 · 04/01/2020 18:06

I’m not “radically” changing my child’s diet - the facts speak for themselves and it’s not just off the back of the Netflix programme although the studies carried out on the show were an eye opener. I wouldn’t put my child at risk - I actually fail to see what the risks are with a nutritious, well balanced, plant based diet? So less of the judgy comments, thanks

OP posts:
WellErrr · 04/01/2020 18:06

The OP is talking about a vegan diet, not a vegetarian one.

ZoChan · 04/01/2020 18:07

Cheese and pickle sandwiches!

Original poster
MrsKC121 · 04/01/2020 18:12

@WellErrr having read that study - it was carried out off the back of a brain damaged child with a vit b12 deficiency. It quite clearly states in all research that I’ve done that you would have to supplement with vit b12 anyway which is also difficult to get from animal products to the recommended limit. In terms of eating meat - cows, chickens, pigs aren’t carnivores ie: they eat a plant based diet! So effectively they act as a middle man by providing nutrients to humans anyway. I would NEVER put my child at risk without doing enough research and as I said in my original post - we’re going plant based as much as possible ie. we’re open to him still having meat if he doesn’t like the meals we make for him but so far he’s enjoyed all of his dinners and has asked for seconds. I was simply asking for lunch options, not to have studies thrown in my face that, if you dig deep enough, are funded by the agricultural industry anyway :)

OP posts:
DialsMavis · 04/01/2020 18:13

@WellErrr I stand corrected, I didn't know that animals can be grass fed all year and thought that animal feed was supplemented. Is that typical for factory farmed animals too?