Raising Healthy Vegan Children
Yet another story has entered the news about a “vegan” child who was taken to the hospital and found to be malnourished. The mother in Pennsylvania, who claimed to be “vegan”, was apparently feeding her 11-month-old child a diet of nuts and berries. This woman also apparently claimed that she was going to live on water and sunlight. This woman obviously has mental issues that need to be addressed that have nothing to do with being vegan, and yet, the story is being marketed as vegan related. It is most unfortunate that it took this 11-month-old baby to get to the point of severely malnourished before Child & Youth Services were notified and he was brought to the hospital to get proper intervention and care.
(Full article at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/real-time/Pa-woman-fed-baby-nuts-berries-charged-with-child-endangerment.html)
All that being said, it is not only possible, but also pretty damn easy to raise healthy vegan children. The Internet is full of resources and there are plenty of books available for anyone interested in researching vegan nutrition more indepthly. But the fact is, a child being fed meat and dairy needs just as much attention paid to their nutritional intake as a vegan child does. Eating animal products doesn’t ensure good health anymore than a vegan diet does. What ensures good health is a proper balance of nutrients in the food children are eating. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.” About 18% of children in the age group of 6-11 years old are overweight in America. There is obviously a problem in our society with food and children, but it is by no means vegan specific.
My husband and I are vegan, so our children will be raised vegan. My 14 month old is thriving on a vegan diet, and I intend on making sure it stays that way. Some people question whether or not it is “fair” to “force” a vegan diet on a child. I am not sure what people actually think vegan children are being deprived of. My little lamb has had ice cream, ours is just made of almonds or cashews instead of dairy. She has had cupcakes, muffins, and cookies (in extremely small, low-sugar doses). She has had smartdogs and veggie burgers, which are the equivalent to standard hotdogs and hamburgers. She has had pizza that is either cheeseless and covered in veggies, or has vegan cheese on it. Notice I am mentioning all the junkier type or processed type vegan food here that my little one has had? Wondering why? It’s because these are usually the foods that critics mention in their argument when they talk about a vegan child being “deprived”. Would you like to know what my daughter’s favorite foods are? Here we go: avocado (she could eat this at every meal), peas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, raw carrots with hummus, really anything with hummus, whole grain pita, spaghetti, quinoa, guacamole, avocado sushi, brown rice, and the list goes on and on. This vegan child eats better than most adults I know, and the adorable rolls on her thighs, along with her wellness checks with our doctor, show me she is by no means being deprived of the most important thing, nutrition.
Fortunately, we are also still going strong with breastfeeding, so I know she is getting a boat load (or boob load in this case) of nutrition from the food I am eating. Breastfeeding makes me hyper aware of my nutritional intake, and has definitely made me a more conscious vegan eater. But we all have to be conscious eaters, regardless of our dietary choices. It is so easy to fall into the habit of eating overly processed, sugar laden, high calorie, and low effort food. Our society thrives on it, and it is poisoning us. Every microwave meal, bag of greasy chips, and supersized value meal is forcing our body to work harder in the wrong way. Overindulging in these foods is what is raising the obesity level in our children and in adults. I have my moments of indulgence that involve Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cookie Non-Dairy Ice Cream, a glass of wine, and a good Nora Roberts novel, but I also balance it out with a veggie and quinoa stuffed acorn squash for dinner. It’s all about balance!
Raising a vegan family involves meal planning, indulgences in moderation, nutritious options right the counter, in the cabinets, and the refrigerator, taking the right supplements (when necessary) , and eating as fresh and organic as possible. But hey, shouldn’t all families strive for this?
Love, Laughter, & Light,
