vegan parenting
Posted by nmpixie on May 01, 2008 · Member since Jan 2008 · 1243 posts
I have a vegan 2 yr. old, and thought it would be nice to meet other vegan parents. Share stories, recipes, ways to deal with doubting relatives, etc. For example, I had the doctor do an extra anemia test when my mother-in-law was visiting, just to shut up her very nice, very annoying concern about what my daughter eats. She's just now starting to understand that there are some things we do not eat. I'm slightly worried about pre-school and beyond.
He also told me that IF he gets married, he wants it to be a vegetarian girl! way to think ahead! ;)b
i just find this hilarious!! :-D
He went on to say, that he was just going to walk down the street and say "are you a vegetarian?" to all the girls till he finds one!!!
If only it were that easy......
biodancer.....my dh and I didn't really talk about it until Noah was getting to the age of eating real food, about 18 months. At first he was so skeptical too,but then I had him read some things, such as "Diet for a New America" and he was pretty much sold. In fact, he doesn't eat meat anymore either!! Education is key. I think before that he thought that I just thought meat was gross.
NOT that I recommend waiting that long....but I'm just sayin'-I think I was afraid to bring it up, and then one day , I we were out to eat and I just said, "I really like the way Noah is eating!" (which had been veg all along) and DH was like, "UH OH, I see where this is going!" Luckily, I win most arguments ;)b
He hasn't worried at all about this pregnancy, and rightly so. I am eating super healthy except for my daily dose of chocolate. I was MOSTLY vegan for my first pregnancy, but this time, all the way! I definitely eat much healthier now...I was pretty new to the lifestyle back then (only 2 years in) and didn't really know what i was doing! Noah came out fine, luckily! ^-^
He went on to say, that he was just going to walk down the street and say "are you a vegetarian?" to all the girls till he finds one!!!
If only it were that easy......
I need to adopt this approach. ;D
He went on to say, that he was just going to walk down the street and say "are you a vegetarian?" to all the girls till he finds one!!!
If only it were that easy......
I need to adopt this approach. ;D
lets see, when KMK is 40, Noah will be 26. Maybe you guys can hook up then!!???
I was vegan throughout my entire pregnancy and had no problems. My daughter was a month early, but no one figured that out until after she was born, because she was so strong, and passed all the developmental tests they give them straightaway. I gained a normal amount of weight, and just pretty much ate the same way I always do. Plus, I didn't have to worry about mercury in my fish.
Ditto for me!! Same experience...except that my daughter was born one week early. I didn't even take prenatal vitamins, and always passed my blood tests with flying colors. Which is more than can be said for many non-vegans who develop iron deficiencies, etc....
Not bragging, just another shout out to healthy vegan pregnancies!! :)
I never understood why people get so paranoid about vegetarian diet. I mean, why is it soooo much "easier" to eat a healthy with an omnivore diet? I mean, you have to worry about proper nutrition whether you are omni or veg*n. In fact, I think eating a healthy diet is EASIER as a vegetarian. You don't have to worry about fat and cholesterol like you do with an omni diet, and you just naturally eat more veggies and nutritionally packed food. I stand firm that meat is horrible for a person's health. It is only a tad more nutritions than a candy bar. But tofu, beans, seiten, etc. on the other hand is all packed full ofprotein, nutrition, and naturally low in fat and has no cholesterol.
I guess they just don't understand. People fear anything that is different.
EXACTLY! ;)b
Does anyone have adopted vegan children? If DH and I ever have a human family to raise, we want to adopt, but not a baby. We're more interested in the 2-6 year old age group. I wonder how hard it would be to transition them over? What would adoption agencies think about our plans?
Kudos to all the veg parents!
Ive actually wondered this exact same thing. I desperately want to adopt. (not now, of course) and I want it to be children who are "older" from the foster care system. I know they ask about all sorts of things during your home study. If the issue of veganism doesn't come up on its own, I think I would bring it up. I can only assume that hidding a lifestyle preference would make you more subject of scrutiny than having a vegan diet. Ive wanted to ask this question on message boards, but am afraid of getting flamed.
Now, I look at the children-in-waiting profiles from time to time and some of the older children will articulate that they "love, love. love animals. Even cows and pigs. Nothing makes me more angry than someone mistreating an animal" (OMG this little boy, I wanted to adopt him right now...) other children state that their favorite foods are fruits and veggies. The thing I worry about more than getting past the case worker is how the change will affect the child. I almost think that Id just buy a $h!t load of analogs to keep in the freezer for the first few months the kid was there and SLOWLY introduce the concept that the food we eat is vegetarian. Oh course by then, I hope to have a few rescued farm animals and hopefully that will help the kids want to be veg. I wonder if anyone at the ppk parenting board has adopted older children????
Oh and i tried to buy the veg news magazine with your article in it...was it April? Cause I got that one and I cant find it anywhere...hummm...
I can talk about transitioning with kids becouse that has been my experience. I have a 7 y.o. girl and a 2 1/2 year old boy. In November of 2007 I decided to quit eating meat and all dairy products, I also made this decision for my children, my husband said he would try it for a month and then he felt so good he has stuck with it. My daughter took it fine and even bragged about being a vegetarian to her teachers and friends, she loves all amimals and we talked about how we don't want to eat them. I started using alot of meat replacements she was familer with like veggie dogs, burgers, chicken nuggets, etc. I slowly introduced cheese substitutes like rice cheese and veggie cheese that still had casien in it, but was not the drastic change to vegan cheese or nutritional yeast, of which she hated. Soy milk, rice milk, and soy ice cream replaced the other dairy and were accepted well. My 2.y.o pretty much never really liked meat and would spit it out, and his eating at that time was pretty precarious anyway, normal for most 2 y.o. to eat one day and not the next, but he has had no problems with the transition. I had always packed my daughters lunch so that isn't an issue, and she takes her own snack. I don't worry about the occasional birthday treat at school and as far as overnight at a friends house Ive never encountered any problems. My kids diets are full of lots of fresh fruit, muffins (flax, wheat germ, snuck in) soy yogurt, vegan cookies of all types, whole grain bread, soy meats, lentil tacos (my daugters favorite) potatoes, veggies of all kinds, soups (broccoli, pasta, corn chowder) noodles, maceroni,spaghetti, trying to phase in beans and hummus, pizza. We have chickens so we eat eggs they lay, I would not and have not ever bought eggs in the grocery. We don't have a Rooster so the eggs are not fertile. The biggest help for me was a cookbook given to me by my brothers vegan girlfriend, The Vegetarian Family by Nava Atlas.
The biggest obstacle with my daughter was the fact that she loves sausage and I still havn't found a good substitute, that and she will say "Mommy I miss your meatloaf" Ranch dressing is an issue to becouse we eat alot of raw veggies and she loves to dip! Thus far Ive tried many recipes, but she hasn't liked any of them so I buy Kraft Cucmber Ranch.
My Kids have always been super healthy, I breast fed them both and so far my son has never been on an antibiotic!! I can and will brag that this past winter niether of them were sick (other than a little cold) enough to even have a doctors visit. I would say that they have been deemed small at the doctors office by being measured on growth charts based soley on an average of all kids who by far have gotton bigger and heavier over the years. Im proud as a mother that I can pass on good nutrtion to my children, it is the best gift I could ever give them and when somone suggests my kids are deprived, I try to remember that.
Thanks, that was very helpful! Its cool that you are being flexible enough so that the kids dont start hateing the diet! Way to go teaching them about healthy eating too! Out of curiosity, have you tried Annies ranch dressing? Its vegan and I have never tried it myself, but Ive heard great things about it. As for sausage...I have found one hands down winner...its called "origional feild Roast Grain Meat Co." I love it because it keeps teh shape of sausage when you slice it for use in jumbalya(sp) My omni dad says it taste just like the real thing. We found it at a large whole foods in Portland, Me. We stock up every time we go there. They have a website, I have not been to it but its written on their package...www.FIELDROAST.com.
WOW, thanks Veghead! I will definately try that sausage, when I get to whole foods in a couple of weeks. I was just at our local health food store and picked up a new brand of Tofurkey breakfast sausage, so we will try that this weekend, but Im sure I did not see the brand you speak of. I did find some vegan ham today and my daughter ate it out of the package after school today and she was so funny-she was so happy and she was like cool veggie ham, now we have alot of veggie stuff MOM! Ive never tried any of Annie's dressings, I'll try that too.
As for sausage...I have found one hands down winner...its called "origional feild Roast Grain Meat Co."
Hey Zealia, add a review! http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=21606.0
vegweb is such a great reource! Ii like hearing what all of you moms have to say! I have been vegetarian for a looong time and always thought I had a pretty healthy diet......then I had my darling baby girl 6 months ago and began breastfeeding. She started getting blood in her dirty diapers./......talk about scary!!!!!! She also would spit up quite a bit and pull her legs up to her chest and groan at night......her doctor said the blood was a classic symptom of a milk protein allergy....so i cut outall milk protein products but the blood kept coming so he said if I wasn't willing to give up breast-feeding.....which I wasn't........I would then have to do an elimination diet...after a month of quinoa, rice, and beans I found out she was allergic to milk protein, soy, and eggs. I had always wanted to be vegan and this was the motivation I needed!!!! I've been vegan for almost 5 months now and I feel wonderful. My diet is so much more centered around whole foods. The doctors say she will probably grow out of her allergies but I am now committed to raising her vegan....and when people question me on this.......(just like they did when I wanted to continue breast-feeding when she was reacting...) I will remember that her diet will be filled with fruits, veggies, and grains not the typical happy meals and chickeen nuggets that make up manny children's diets and that this will lay down the foundation of a very healthy life for her!!!! I don't think I'll be strict either if she eeats a treat at a friends or something..........keeping it all positive is a good idea!
She also would spit up quite a bit and pull her legs up to her chest and groan at night......her doctor said the blood was a classic symptom of a milk protein allergy....so i cut outall milk protein products but the blood kept coming so he said if I wasn't willing to give up breast-feeding.....which I wasn't........I would then have to do an elimination diet...after a month of quinoa, rice, and beans I found out she was allergic to milk protein, soy, and eggs. I had always wanted to be vegan and this was the motivation I needed!!!! I've been vegan for almost 5 months now and I feel wonderful. My diet is so much more centered around whole foods. The doctors say she will probably grow out of her allergies but I am now committed to raising her vegan....and when people question me on this.......(just like they did when I wanted to continue breast-feeding when she was reacting...) I will remember that her diet will be filled with fruits, veggies, and grains not the typical happy meals and chickeen nuggets that make up manny children's diets and that this will lay down the foundation of a very healthy life for her!!!! I don't think I'll be strict either if she eeats a treat at a friends or something..........keeping it all positive is a good idea!
Welcome, babysgotsauce! I'm giving you a virtual hi-five for sticking with the breastfeeding! It is the best and I'm sure your baby will be super healthy with your new diet.
Thank you!!!! Finding this site has been very helpful...lots of support and great recipes!!!
oh, and by the way.....
anyone who is worried about breast-feeding while vegan......don't listen to doctors or well-meaning grandparents who think it won't provide enough nutrition! As long as you keep consuming enough calories and get enough calcium...(baby will always get enough from you but at the expense of your bones and teeth if you are not getting enough...) and I also suggest feeding on demand!!!!!!!
my little one has been exclusively breast-fed and is a whopping 21 pounds at 6 months of age!
My husband and I are raising our children vegan. We have six children ages 12 down to 6 months. The baby is still breastfeeding. Everyone in my husband's family says she looks more like a 12 month old. She is so sturdy and big. It is good you are seeking out support here. We always keep working out the fine details. Such as sending a treat with our kids when they go to friend's birthday parties, etc.
She also would spit up quite a bit and pull her legs up to her chest and groan at night......her doctor said the blood was a classic symptom of a milk protein allergy....so i cut outall milk protein products but the blood kept coming so he said if I wasn't willing to give up breast-feeding.....which I wasn't........I would then have to do an elimination diet...after a month of quinoa, rice, and beans I found out she was allergic to milk protein, soy, and eggs. I had always wanted to be vegan and this was the motivation I needed!!!! I've been vegan for almost 5 months now and I feel wonderful. My diet is so much more centered around whole foods. The doctors say she will probably grow out of her allergies but I am now committed to raising her vegan....and when people question me on this.......(just like they did when I wanted to continue breast-feeding when she was reacting...) I will remember that her diet will be filled with fruits, veggies, and grains not the typical happy meals and chickeen nuggets that make up manny children's diets and that this will lay down the foundation of a very healthy life for her!!!! I don't think I'll be strict either if she eeats a treat at a friends or something..........keeping it all positive is a good idea!
Welcome, babysgotsauce! I'm giving you a virtual hi-five for sticking with the breastfeeding! It is the best and I'm sure your baby will be super healthy with your new diet.
I agree, way to stay strong to many people are bullied out of breatfeeding.
my family has recently become vegan, within the past 6 months. i've been vegitarian from around 16yrs or so but my husband has always been a meat eater. we raised our kids mostly vegetarian but one day my husband decided he wanted to go vegan. this was a total shock and after talking awhile i was completly on board. the only problem we've faced now raising vegan children is the obvious proper nutrition questions and people wondering why before we let them choose but now we don't. but i tell them all the info i've found out and although they still don't get it they leave us alone. my 4 yr old daughter took to veganism easily. if we go to a party or something i just bring "special" vegan goodies for her. and people always think its the darndest thing when she asks"does this have dairy?" my 2 yr old couldn't care less what she is eating as long as she is eating something. i always try to have vegan snacks with us so it will be an easy choice for them. i can't say that i've ever had a tantrum over it.
Hahah, perfect. I went to the doctor last week for a bum knee, and we got onto the subject of my vegetarian diet.
He said it's the best thing I could have done: I've lowered the risk of cancer and so many diseases by going veggi. He even said he eats veggi at least once a month and would completely if it wasn't for his wife!
I may not be a mom, but I think with that news, people should be more more open for giving your children the option of a vegetarian/vegan diet. It helps so much!
My 5 year-old son went to my niece's b-day party without me and her step dad gave my vegan son a hot dog and hamburger. My son told him that he doesn't eat meat and the jerk told him it was vegan food. I was so angry. Why do people like to get a rise out of "the crazy vegans"? My poor kid didn't poop for like 3 days >:(
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