Raising Vegetarian Children in a Meaty World.....

Recently, our daughter came to us and asked what meat was.  We told her plainly and simply that it is an animal.  It all started because she was very upset by seeing the fish at the seafood counter.  She said, "Why are they sad?" as all the fish had frowns - it's true! While explaining this to her, we didn't want to freak her out about but at the same time, tried to explain to her why WE don't eat meat.   It's a tricky subject to tackle at this age.  We just want to teach our kids that animals are living, breathing, sentient beings. Teach compassion and respect.  They don't need to know about mistreatment, etc at this age nor do we want them to judge others for eating meat.  Just this afternoon, my almost 4 year old daughter was playing in her kitchen and she began to serve up cows and chickens from her puzzles on her tiny play plates as a joke, handing them to me and then giggling, “we don’t eat ANIMALS mommy!” As if the concept was so foreign it was laughable.

Trying to reiterate that it's a personal decision and steering from saying things like, "eating meat is mean," or "we don't eat animals because it's not nice or because it hurts them"  isn't a message we want to send as many loved ones in our lives DO eat meat.   We just believe that if we teach them to love animals and not to think of them as "things" to be used, being vegetarian should be a natural choice for them...or so we hope.  I've never been one to force my beliefs on anyone, so if our children grow up to have a taste for meat, I will not protest.  On the other hand, some kids grow up with meat-eating parents and choose to be a vegetarian (like me!) Now, I was lucky- my mom was extremely supportive and provided plenty of alternative proteins and salads. Not all parents share that view, unfortunately, and even forced their children to eat meat (sometimes, by adding meat juice to otherwise vegetarian meals to trick their children.)

Another concern we run into is making sure our kids are getting a balanced diet.....which is tricky enough as little kids an be such picky eaters.   One needs to make sure that your child is getting the vitamins and nutrients they need.  If one does their homework, raising a child as a vegetarian can be easy as there are other ways to get protein without spending tons of money (beans, nuts, etc..) Here are some tips to make sure your child's veggie diet is on track......

• Understand what foods need to be substituted in the diet as energy, protein and vitamin sources may need to be ‘topped up’.
• Encourage your child to eat a wide variety of foods.
• Alternate wholegrain and refined cereal products.
• Combine lower energy vegetarian foods, such as vegetables, with higher fat foods: for example, vegetable fritters.
• Increase the energy value of food by the use of nut butters, avocado, full fat dairy products, fat spreads and oils.
• Give your child regular meals and snacks.
• Combine foods containing vitamin C with foods that are high in iron. For example, offer an orange with baked beans on toast. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron.

Now we are united on the dietary front as a family, and I am beyond thrilled.  My partner has been doing an amazing job sticking to the veggie lane (going on 4 months!) and really think that watching Food, Inc and reading "Eating Animals" was key.  If you haven't seen or read these items, do!!

Raising healthy vegetarian children is possible and is not difficult once a parent has done some simple research. Each person who chooses to become a vegetarian should do his or her own research. Take your standard food chart and simply substitute vegetarian or vegan alternatives making sure your child gets the recommended number of servings. When looked at in this way, it becomes clear that the task at hand is really no more difficult than feeding your average picky toddler. Resources exist in many forms available to anyone willing to peruse the magazine or nutrition/cookbook section of the local bookstore, spend an evening surfing the Internet, or contact a local national vegetarian organization. A vegetarian diet for children can not only be adequate but also abundantly healthful.