Hope you enjoyed your long weekend! Return to work right with Tuesday’s afternoon links:
I read the article and I’m sure vegan diets are okay for children if the parents are well educated in what they’re doing; however, reading about the deaths of babies b/c of so-called “veganism” is just heart-wrenching to me. Veganism just seems too extreme and I can only wonder what people would have thought of this 100 years or so ago…
Lastly, these people doing ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ are just extremely out of touch with reality…I swear these people are on a different planet… Our job as parents is to protect our children…these morons but their baby girls on a stage for all the sickos in the world to look at… Not to mention what this does for these little girls’ self image–that you have to be dressed to the nines to be seen as beautiful?? I am utterly appaulled by anyone associated with this filth.
- Lis on
I enjoyed reading the Raising a Vegan Baby article especially after I read Bethenny Frankel’s new blog post on raising Bryn as a Vegetarian. Being a vegetarian myself (Vegan curious as this point), I am always very interested in further education which I feel is the most important and not reflected entirely in this article. You have to educate yourself and make the best decisions for you and your child. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; there are healthy/unhealthy vegetarians, vegans and carnivores. I feel what is most important is ensuring your children is receving the nutrition they need and I do feel that can be accomplished with a vegan diet. Do I think it would be the best choice for my child? Probably not but that is solely based on financial ability and social difficulties. However after reading Bethenny’s article, I felt a lot of relief in desiring to raise my future children as vegetarians. Hopefully everyone can read the article and take something from it without starting a huge debate. To each their own.
- Shelby on
@ Lis: I would say that many diets are safe as long as the parents are “well-educated.” But look at the rates of obesity: It’s clear that with even a “standard” diet, parents are under-educated in reference to what and how much to feed their children. Also, I think that the few stories that reference vegan-raised infants dying are #1 overhyped due to the lack of general information on veganism and #2 no more or less sad than any story about a child dying from preventable causes. People from 100 years ago would look in askance at a number of current parenting tools, let alone how, what and when we feed 21st century children. I can say with confidence that my grandfather (who would have been over 100 years old) was working in a coal mine, full time, by the time he was 12 years old. Veganism wasn’t on the radar; he was too busy trying to get any decent nutrition (and trying not to get lynched) to worry about focusing on removing animal products from his diet.
- Jen DC on
Think of it this way: 100 years ago, meat was a luxury. We are at a point in our society – if the Ziploc(r) commercial is to be believed – that we are throwing away 40% of our edible food (due to spoilage or whatever). That was unheardof 100 years ago. When was the last time you heard a mother tell her child to “clean his plate”? I haven’t heard it in YEARS. So the idea that there is this much protein lying around to waste or that is in products other than animal flesh is kind of amazing.
- Jen DC on
Re: Toddlers and Tiara
I watched this particular episode and that Dolly Parton costume was the LEAST disturbing thing about that show…
- Jennifer on
Our 7 yr old is a vegetarian. She is the only one on my children that is. The rest of us are carnivores. She has been this way which seems like an eternity. We get her blood tested every three months to make sure her levels are good and thus far they are perfect. She is passionate about saving animals and I try to respect that. I think because of her my whole family eats better!
It can be done, A little research, the internet has been helpful and a doctor who is patient and respectful helps a lot too!
Although I will be honest there are times I just roll my eyes at her when she goes off on a lecture about what we are eating, I have learned a thing or too myself.
- mary on
Mary, I think it’s awesome you’re being so supportive of your daughter and respecting her opinion even though she’s so young. You seem like a great mom!
- Sarah K. on
1st world problems….I tell you…
- Indira on
Mary
That is awesome what your daughter is doing and amazing how you are supporting her. She is lucky to have such a great mom! I could not give up meat, myself, but support anyone who comes in my home. I know it is a healthy way of eating.
Indira
What? Totally lost
- Jillian on
Jillian, “1st world problems” is what someone says when the topic is somewhat trivial i.e. something that only someone with no real problems would worry about.
People with no money or in countries with food/water shortages aren’t thinking about whether the vegan diet is healthy – they’re just worried about whether they can feed their kids at all. So being concerned about a vegan diet being healthy for kids is not something that people with financial struggles really think about because they have so many more serious issues to worry about.
Indira, I think that’s what you meant but correct me if I’m wrong.
- Sarah K. on
lol Sarah you are on the money.
- Indira on
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