Talking about children and veganism

[Lou]

Are there any athletes, celebrities or influencers that were raised vegan from birth?

Yes, of course.
There is at least one guy on this forum. @Jon . his father, Leslie Cross, was one of the founders of the vegan society.
he talks about it in a few of his posts.

Sarina Farb is too. She has written about it. She is an activist. Has an organization called Born Vegan, and has a YouTube channel.

I don't do FaceBook but I am pretty sure they have a club for people raised vegan. I've also seen it a Sub in Reddit for those who were raised vegan. Kind of a Q and A.

Anyway, it's unusual but not all that rare.

Although I can't find any celebrities or athletes who make that claim.

Getting back to nutrition....
As infants, they could just go with breast milk. However the mom has to make sure she has no vitamin or mineral deficiencies. But that is true for omni moms too.
I think the tricky part is the "Toddler Stage" Toddlers can't tolerate much fiber but still need a a lot of other nutrients .

the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have created vegan diets for people of all ages.

The other issue is more cultural. like what happens when your kid goes to a birthday party?

 

[silva]

vegetarian from birth - Great Vegan Athletes

These athletes were raised on a vegetarian diet and have all since become vegan.

www.greatveganathletes.com

I can't see separating ethics from nutrition. I would not be vegan now if I thought I would lack from a diet comparable to what I would eat as an omnivore.
I truly do see people overthinking the whole "well planned" as omnis diets aren't that well balanced, but when vegan enters into the convo they're suddenly the gold standard
Yes, take B12 and whatever you may lack--but that is no different than what omnis lack. Supplements are primarily geared towards omni diets

 

[Lou]

vegetarian from birth - Great Vegan Athletes

These athletes were raised on a vegetarian diet and have all since become vegan.

www.greatveganathletes.com

good find.

I can't see separating ethics from nutrition. I would not be vegan now if I thought I would lack from a diet comparable to what I would eat as an omnivore.

I am too. But Don't know if we are representative. There are so many vegans (some right here on this forum) who don't know or care that much about nutrition. I

 

[silva]

good find.

I am too. But Don't know if we are representative. There are so many vegans (some right here on this forum) who don't know or care that much about nutrition. I

In my real life discussions with people about why they won't give up meat & dairy these are the main reasons--
taste and availablity
ease
price
nutrition
Most that I know have watched the documentaries like Earthlings but the above reasons weigh more than their opposition to abuse
I don't know anyone who is ok with factory cafo conditions, but they're also not ok with paying for what they deem as more humane.

I have known more people just in the past year either greatly reduce their meat, or give it up altogether, maybe even more so with dairy. Their reason has been all the nutritional information, as well as better subs like Beyond and non dairy products. One woman just went plant based and when she said she added plant based cheese shreds I immediately said Violife? She said "yep"!

People aren't naturally cruel, but they are bound to convienences, taste and nutrition.

even Dr Greger admits Beyond burgers are better than ground meat

What people need to understand is just how strong our gut biome is when it comes to how we use nutrients. When kids are brought up plant based they don't need to deal with the transition

I really can't recommend How Not to Diet highly enough


@Second Summer ?

 

[Lou]

I saw a good quote today.
originally pointed at political activists but I've reworded it so it would work for climate activists, environmental activists, etc.

Go Vegan!
How can you consider changing the world if you can't even change what you have for breakfast?

 

[Qettesh]

It's tricky and I don't have a solid opinion, not being a nutritionist. However, unlike many people who take up veganism, I do not believe that all humans can survive and thrive on a plant-based diet. It may be possible for some people with enough care, planning and knowledge, but I remain unconvinced about the case for others and for young children. Human beings have always eaten animals, we have adaptations to suit and it is the natural state of affairs within the biosphere. That just is how the world is.

So for me, animal rights is not about never eating other animals (and nor does the definition of veganism suggest this either). Rather, the notion is about being fair to other animals whenever we can be. That does not mean that other animals cannot be used by us when necessary but rather that when we do, we ensure that their rights are protected to the extent possible.

So, feeding very young children a vegan diet? I don't know. I wouldn't do it.

Well, the problem with this is, as the planet spirals out of control due to climate change, it will come a point in our lifetimes when animal agriculture will come to a complete and abrupt halt. The question arises then, what shall we as a species do? How will we survive? It would be logical to setup hydroponic green houses on small scales around the globe where it would be possible, just to sustain a small population, but that requires the foresight and long term planing, and I am talking decades into the future, not 3 to 5 years.

Did you know the average American is exposed to over 35 carcinogens daily? What protection does one have from these? Also, the WHO did state cancer cases may rise dramatically back in 2014 before publishing their findings about carcinogens in red and processed meats in 2016. So a plate full of carcinogens is not a healthy solution either. You can look up everything I have mentioned here on google just use the prefix PubMed: that way you don't get steered toward total trash in the literature. But do be careful what you read, and look at the conflicts of interest in the article, and the source of funding before giving it credence.

Good luck and I wish you all the best in life!

 

[Qettesh]

I usually feel pretty confident talking about and defending veganism but I've found this to be a weak point. Advocating for veganism and animal rights hinges on animal products being unnecessary, and fears about child development can be really potent, so I need a good response when it comes up.

For adult health concerns I dodge nutrition discussion as much as possible - I simply point out vegans have won Olympic medals in weight lifting, set world records in endurance events, compete at the highest levels of virtually every sport and tend to be healthier than average. I don't try to argue that veganism is the best of all possible diets, just that it's compatible with long, happy, healthy lives and pretty much any fitness goal. And then pivot away from nutrition to the unjustified violence against animals.

Here's a pretty good article on raising kids vegan. It is mostly positive but the few negatives mentioned feel pretty powerful. It mentions a study showing vegan children to be shorter and have lower bone density, which gives ammo to people that want to claim malnutrition:

Is a vegan diet healthy for children?

Kamala Thiagarajan investigates what vegan families can learn from India's ancient tradition of plant-based cooking, coupled with new scientific insights.

www.bbc.com

I'd like to be able to briefly address these and similar concerns and then pivot back to animal ethics. How do you all handle this?

I would say and have said (I am a mom), anything that would be sustainable post climate change is the only option. That itself takes animal products off the dinner plate.

 

[Sax]

One of parents job is to instill good values. A vegan's. lifestyle reflects their values.
Very little cognitive dissonance.
A lot of third graders won't eat bacon after reading Charlotte's Web.
Little kids are naturally pretty empathic and compassionate. I think raising them vegan would benefit them in a number of other ways besides nutritionally.

I like that angle. Kids love animals. They don't naturally discriminate against the ones we eat and don't like the thought of them being hurt. That's a really good thing and parents should be proud of their children's empathy; it should be valued and encouraged alongside their other character traits. Feeding them meat while hiding the violence behind it, or passing on the comforting lies of happy farms and humane slaughter, and denying the validity of their feelings about it begins to corrupt that innate empathy. I'll need to work on an "elevator pitch" there. It avoids the complex nutrition discussion and gets at core values.

 

[Lou]

Somewhere there is a YouTube video where Melanie Joy explains kids and compassion. But hell if I can find it. ( I sort of remember her talking in front of a wooden fence at a farm.)

I believe that she talks about children being naturally compassionate and kind. But for some reason by the time they hit kindergarten they start tending towards selfishness.

Her take was that compassion and kindness doesn't have to be taught, kids are naturally compassionate. but it must be fostered and practiced.

 

[Enlightened1]

I’ve been vegan 30 years and my 4 kids all born vegan at home no problems whatsoever. If you want to know anything just ask!