Raising a Vegan Family In A “Non-Vegan” World
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a Vegetarian diet.” Albert Einstein
My son Alex is 12 and my daughter Ava is 6, and they have been living free from animal products for about 3 years. Thankfully they both enjoy many veggies, as well as brown rice, whole wheat breads & pasta, beans, fruit and lots of other healthy stuff! I am also thrilled that they are totally on board with the “not eating animals” thing!!! I know that many kids would pass out if they had to give up pork chops, bbq chicken and steak!!! But not my little Vegans! They are proof that children can physically thrive on a plant based diet and be completely content doing so!
My family could honestly be the “poster family” for Vegan living! All four of us are 100% Vegan, including my husband. We love that our bodies are healthier, our foot prints on this Earth are lighter and no more animals will suffer for our meals, fashion or beauty products. My family is proud to live cruelty free!
Although becoming Vegan is truly one of the best decisions that we have ever made, I can’t tell people how great it is raising a Vegan or Vegetarian family, without being honest about some of the obstacles we encounter. These obstacles should not sway anyone from choosing this lifestyle, but instead prepare them for a few bumps in the road.
One issue is school lunches!!! I mean, would it kill our schools to have a Vegan option…. other than an ice-burg lettuce salad & PB&J?!?! The food they feed these children is horrible!! Lots of ham, cheese, sausage, fried chicken….. the list goes on!! I’m not even sure if there is actually any chicken in the “pop corn” chicken served in most cafeterias! Is it a surprise that so many kids are overweight and on their way to a lifetime of health issues? I truly hope that our nation’s schools will begin to make some “real” changes in our children’s cafeterias. The school systems need to realize that “food is health & good health begins with what we eat”!! I pack my son’s lunch on most days, but I won’t lie, it is tough to be creative every day. Some mornings I feel a bit overwhelmed, but fortunately there are a lot of great books that offer me inspiration.
The toughest obstacle for Vegan families is eating out. We have a few restaurants in our area that truly cater to our dietary needs, so we frequent those places. Once we venture out a little farther, we have to be careful of where we stop to eat. I find that most ethnic restaurants like, Asian, Indian, Mexican and Italian are good bets. They use a lot of veggies, beans and pasta. Just beware of egg noodles and creamy sauces & dressings. Ask questions about how the food is prepared!! Believe it or not, there are a few good phone apps that can let you know of Vegetarian and Vegan friendly restaurants in the area. Gotta love technology! Also, be sure to pack lots of healthy snacks for your outings, this way you won’t be pressured to constantly stop for food.
Of course there is also the issue of other children questioning, or making fun of Vegans & Vegetarians. The problem is, they don’t understand this type of diet, so they mock it. They might say, “Where do you get your protein” or “Meat is the most important part of the food pyramid” or “Vegans are weak & meat makes you strong”!!! Fortunately, my son is strong and he stands his ground, and recently a few of his friends have said that they would like to be a Vegetarian or Vegan just like him! I love this! The trick is to make your children feel proud of their Veg lifestyle and other people will be drawn to their positive “vibe” and influence! Alex is a 1st degree Black Belt in karate (soon to be 2nd degree-Spring 2012), and he passed all of the the vigorous physical & mental testing with flying colors! He is so proud of his Vegan lifestyle, that he has created his own blog “MeatlessMartialArtist.com“. He hopes to offer support to other Vegan kids. Alex is also featured in the Winter 2011 edition of “The Vegan Society Magazine”.
Knowledge is power, so children should be taught about the many benefits, a Vegan diet offers. My son loves the fact that his immune system is so strong and his cardio endurance has greatly increased!! He also realizes that his risk of obesity, diabetes, and certain types of cancers are greatly DECREASED!!! Most factory farmed animals are pumped with steroids, antibiotics and other toxins, which have been proven to negatively effect human health.
My children also realize that a plant based diet is much kinder to the Earth, and that the “United Nations” has recently stated that a Vegan diet is vital for the future of well being of our planet, “A global diet free of meat and dairy is necessary for the world to mitigate the worst effects of climate change”.
I also believe that parents should not hide the truth about factory farming and animal cruelty from their children. Of course you don’t want to be graphic and emotionally scar them. But both of my kids realize that farmed animals are not happy, and they are often in pain and neglected. The media paints such a pretty picture of farmed animals, and many people don’t have a clue about what actually goes on, before they have that glass of milk, chicken nugget or scrambled egg. I recommend taking your kids to visit a local farm sanctuary. Spending time with these beautiful, gentle creatures, will really help your family “make the connection” between human being & animal.
A trick for Vegan parents, is to always have tasty, healthy snacks in the house and not be afraid of baking!! I bake a few times a week, so my kids always have something sweet after dinner. We buy very little processed snack food at the store.
Another trick is READ, READ, READ!! Blogs, magazines, books, etc…… There are so many great ideas for Vegan families! I never leave home without my newest cookbook or copy of VEG NEWS. It is important for me to have the extra support that they offer!
Raising a Veggie loving family can be tough at times, but just remember that you are offering your children a future that is full of compassion and optimum health. You are teaching them respect for living creatures and the Earth we live on. Being Vegan is “bigger” than just not eating meat, dairy & eggs. Veganism is a “Movement” and Vegans are truly “Enlightened” human beings. Our children will carry this enlightenment with them throughout their entire lives and because of this, they will help in changing our world….
Great post. I will share this on facebook.
Thanks so much!!
Great post and adore your blog. Hoping to raise my future family vegan. Any tips on B12 for young babies and kids is my biggest concern but with more digging I’m sure I will kind the answer.
Great question. Breastfed babies will get adequate b-12 through mother’s milk, as long as you are taking a supplement. Older babies & toddlers should take a children’s multi vitamin. Easy!!
Hello! I just found you on Twitter and am ecstatic! I am raising my 2 little boys vegan (My fiance is also Vegan) and I eat vegan about 95% of the time. I l have been slowly letting go of almost all dairy, I just have ice cream and a couple other things every once in a while. Any advice for me? Being 100% vegan is a goal for 2011 for sure. It can be hard going out to eat, here in Utah we have quite a few options, and most are ethnic
(We had Indian food last night!) Love it. This is such a great post! My little boys are almost 3 and 1 years old. They have been raised Vegan since they were babies. It can be hard sometimes for meal ideas, do you have any? They love Boca Chikn’s! And smart dogs, but I really want to give them more natural-PF foods. Feel free to email me anytime, I would love to talk with you!
Hi Marcy,
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! I love to connect with like minded moms! Your children are so lucky to have become Vegan at such a young age. I wish I knew about benefits of Veganism when my children were born!
But teach them well now, and they will be proud to stick with their Vegan lifestyle!!!
I hope you are able to make the full switch to Vegan this year. Dairy is delicious and addictive… and actually quite bad for us! Although I know you know that!:) My advice for you, is to quit dairy immediately! Sounds tough, but that is how I did it, and I had no real problems. The more you allow yourself ice-cream here and there & a piece of cheese once and a while, your body holds on to it’s addiction. Once you are physically and mentally free from dairy, you will desire it less & less. Have you tried “Coconut Bliss” ice-cream or “Purely Decadent”? Love those!!!!
As for your children, processed Vegan “meats” are yummy and totally fine for them, occasionally. I would limit their intake to a couple times per week.
A whole foods, plant based diet is what your family will thrive on! Check out the book “The Vegan Lunchbox” for some kid friendly recipe ideas!
Try to feed your kids as many organic, raw veggies as possible, along with legumes, traditional soy, nuts & whole grains! This is the easy time, wait until they are in school, that’s when it will get tough!
Keep in touch,
Lisa
Stopping in to say hello! I’m so glad I’ve found your page. I quit eating meat last year immediately after watching the Food Inc. Oprah episode and then the actual movie that night. I then decided to go vegan that same weekend after reading everything I could get my hands on. At the time my 4 year old son was on 3 different allergies medicines for “seasonal” allergies. The night of the superbowl he broke out into hives from head to toe, huge welts all over his body. The next day I found out he was allergic to amoxicillian because he had been given so much from the ped. I made them test for a dairy allergy which they said he wasn’t. I decided to pull him off of dairy myself and within a week I was able to pull him off of all his meds! Neither one of my kids (they’re now 8 and 5) have been to the dr for a sick visit in a year since following this diet. I love that my daughter has educated her 3rd grade class on being a vegan and sprouts are one of her favorite snacks to bring and my son who’s in kindergarten chooses veggie sushi to bring in his lunch!
off to snoop your page!!
terra
Hi Terra,
I love hearing from Vegan parents with great experiences to share! So glad that your son is doing better, it’s amazing how powerful food can be!
I am a strong believer that dairy is toxic to our bodies. I have seen such a transformation in my family’s health since we eliminated it. Asthma, allergies, eczema…. all gone.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Hope you find it useful!
Lisa
Hi there!
Thank you for your wonderful website!!
I’m currently preganant. I have been vegetarian forever, and I have been vegan too. i would say I am currently 80% vegan these days, but now that I have a little somebody to look after, I want to make sure I am at optimum health so am wanting to make lifelong dietry changes…
My husband is currently a meat eater
but we have decided to bring our child up vegetarian, would you have any tips or advice about how I can make sure my child stays on track with being vegetairan and not want to be ‘like daddy’? I’ve tried to convert the hubby, but he is having none of it!
Thanks for your time
Tess
Hi Tess,
I have a feeling that as long as your husband is supportive of your veggie lifestyle & never pushes meat onto your child, he or she will be completely content being a vegetarian. My daughter was very young when she became Vegan & she does not ever remember eating meat, so she is grossed out by “dead animal parts”!! LOL
Best of luck & congratulations!!
I’m not sure if you are primarily concerned with health, or if ethics play a part in your Vegetarianism, but if you child learns about some factory farming facts, that may deter he or she from wanting to play a part in animal suffering.
Check out my list of favorite children’s books & read them to your child.
Children are born compassionate creatures, so Vegetarianism will help your little sweetie grow into a healthy & compassionate grown-up!
Thank you so much for your reply!! I’m certain my husband would never push meat onto our child and that he would be fully supportive as he knows how important it is to me!
I am hoping that as a stay at home mum (and my husbands job means he will be away a lot) I will also have more influence over our childs food choices as he gets older and develops a mind of his own. I’m keen to teach our child compassion for all animals, and you are right, educating him will be key!
Thank you again for your response, I’ll check out the books too
I am so excited to find your blog. I am a mom to a 7 month old baby girl. I have been a vegetarian for a while, but have recently gone vegan. While my husband is fine eating vegan while at home, if we eat out or are at friends or family he definitely eats meat. I would really like to raise our daughter vegan, but I am not sure how well that will go as I know many members of our family think that is crazy. I am also not sure how to handle the whole, baby’s need to drink cows milk, idea. I know that cows milk is not important as long as your child is eating a healthy diet, but I am not sure how to convince other people of that.
Hi Britney,
It sounds to me that you know your child will thrive on a Vegan diet, so I don’t need to remind you of that!
I am a bit concerned about how worried you are with what other people will think. Veganism may not be extremely common, but it is becoming more and more accepted by health professionals every day. And people are finally starting to realize the benefits of a plant based diet.
Many people however will shake their head at you, or try to persuade you with some outdated research about the need for cows milk. But don’t let this get you down. This is YOUR child, and you know that you are doing her a huge favor by starting her out right. Her body will be cleaner & less toxic. She will have a lower chance of countless diseases AND she will be leaving a lighter carbon footprint on the earth without promoting cruelty.
You need to stay strong, do your research, feed her plenty of organic whole foods and be proud of raising your daughter Vegan.
If family & friends keep hounding you, FORCE them to read “The China Study”, it’s what I do!
To Britney. I’m a human physiologist, and have a PHD. 35 years in the making.
You can tell your skeptical family members, that a newborn, infant, or toddler, can easily thrive with a plant based diet. Further more, the AAP(American Academy of Pediatricians), the ADA(American Dietetic Association), The WHO(World Health Organization) all agree that, “Well-planned vegetarian and vegan eating patterns are healthy for infants and toddlers.” End of story.
Hi there Vegan Mom! I’m new to your blog, in fact…I just found out about you literally right now. This is the first posting I’ve read on your site and I read all the comments to go with. I just had a few questions. First off, a little information about myself. I’m 19 years old and just a few weeks ago found out I was pregnant. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to be apart of such a beautiful thing but I have a few reservations about it as well. Which are what led me to finding this post and ultimately your wonderful site. The reservations I have have been really worrying me to the point where its all I can think about while I’m at school. My boyfriend (and father of my baby) is also 19 years old. He’s slightly over weight, unhealthy beyond belief (in my opinion), and has the worst mucus buildup from his “weather changing” allergies that I have ever seen in all my short years. He has a good heart, which makes up for why I’m with him, but other than that….he’s positively disgusting. I need not say more. Lol. Next month I will have been living a lacto-ovo vegetarian lifestyle for 4 years. I have cheated a few times, and since finding out I was pregnant, I’ve eaten meat here and there. I knew eating meat was probably the worst thing for my baby but I was desperate with the morning sickness. But now that the morning sickness has “kind of” leveled out, I’m starting to get back into my lacto-ovo veg diet. But lately, I’ve been really thinking of how I want to raise my baby and the principles and life lessons I want to teach my child. For instance: no yelling or use of a stern voice around my child, no cursing around my child, no spanking, no traditional “time outs,” no baby talk (I want to talk to my child with normal words so that he/she picks up on our language faster. I believe baby talk only prolongs speech. Just a personal belief that I’ve done research on.), NO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, no celebrating holidays in a materialistic way, and the list GREATLY goes on from there. But the biggest one and probably the hardest one that I’ve been thinking about lately is switching to a completely organic/vegan lifestyle for myself and my child. And HOPEFULLY my boyfriend so he can set a good example for our child. And all this is what ultimately brought me to this post. I think the information and advice you give is wonderful. Now, my questions are about raising a vegan/organic family. Are there any great, informative books that can help me raise my child as a baby and up to have a vegan/organic lifestyle? Any recipe books?? I would even go so far as to bake our own loafs of bread to make sure it was completely organic and nutritious. And also, do you have any tips or even any books that can help me convince/educate my carnivore boyfriend that this lifestyle would be so beneficial to our family (and him) and also very yummy. I’ve been wanting to go vegan/organic for a few years now…but never really had the urge/resources/money for it. But now, more than ever, I want to make this switch. For my little family. I just have no idea where to begin. The only thing I know is that I definitely what to do it. Just don’t know how to go about doing it. Any advice or magazine/book references would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful day! Hope to hear back from you soon!!
Shay
Check out “The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book” by Reed Mangels. It’s a wealth of information! Please have your boyfriend read “The China Study”, it will change his mind about meat & dairy. Also watch “Forks Over Knives”.
Subscribe to “Veg News” Magazine, I could not live without it!
Sounds like you are going to be an amazing mom, you are already putting so much love & positive energy into your baby’s future.
Great blog! I have been vegetarian for 2 years and “quasi-vegan” for that time. i.e. I would cook vegan for myself, but just be vegetarian while out, or I’d eat pizza if I really wanted it! I am a breastfeeding mother to a beautiful 6 month old baby girl. It suddenly donned on me, as I was nursing her, how incredibly disturbing it is that we drink/eat the milk of another species!! That was my tipping point. I decided to go 100% vegan (about two days ago, haha!), mostly for ethical reasons, but more and more for health reasons, too. I was fairly undecided about whether to raise my baby as a low-meat eater (hubby still eats meat), vegetarian, or vegan. Now I’m decided. I’ve known in my heart for a while, I think, to stick to my guns about what I KNOW is best for her (and the planet!), but resources like your blog are incredibly motivating to raise vegan children. Thank you so much to those of us who are new and uneasy, and can use the encouraging information!!
Thanks so much for the kind words!
I have really enjoyed reading your blog! I have a 10 month old and another on the way, and totally planning on raising them vegan. It’s nice to get ideas from veteran moms like yourself. Thanks for all the great pointers.
Heidi
Thanks for the nice comment Heidi! Congrats on your new addition!
I’ve just found your blog tonight and am really pleased, thanks for writing it. We have a near 10 month old son and have as a family just converted to veganism this week. I am so happy about it but am still learning lots so it’s great to have a place like this to come.
I guess the signs were there when my baby would always choose a pulse over meat and just loves his leafy greens!
Abby
Best of luck on your new Vegan lifestyle. It is such an amazing way to live! It’s healthy & compassionate at the same time! Your child is so blessed to have such a great start in life! Subscribe to Veg News, it is a wealth of important information!
Hi. I was hunting the internet for a little support and encourgement, and was thrilled to find your blog. I went from eating the standard diet to meat and dairy free, and avoiding eggs (I know they hide in some of the baked goods, pastas, and veggie burgers I eat when out). The switch came after reading The Kind Diet 2 years ago when I had been sick literally the entire winter. I am happy to say that I have barely had a sniffle since then. However, I do find this journey difficult. My husband is pretty supportive, and will eat my vegan meals several times a week without complaint. My daughter (8) eats many vegan meals too which thrills me. We start every day sharing a green smoothie, and just yesterday she ordered the veggie stir fry in a restaurant instead of the chicken fingers (so proud!!). But, my son (5) is crazy-picky. While he eats lots of fruit and veg, he won’t eat pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous, barley, bulgar, salad greens, smoothies, beans, chickpeas, veggie burgers or dogs, anything saucy or casserol-ey…the list goes on. I haven’t forced my kids to go full vegan, or even vegetarian, because I’m wanting them to be willing to try new foods, and I feel like restricting their choices, particularly when none of our friends, families, or local eateries offer vegan options would be too difficult for them. That said, I feel guilty every time I purchase meat or milk for them. I guess I’m just hoping that eventually, my example will lead them into a kinder lifestyle. It seems to be working with my daughter. Anyway, thanks for your blog. I look forward to reading many more of your posts.
Kind regards,
Kim.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for the comment. I am happy to hear that you are doing so well on your Vegan diet! It’s amazing how our bodies thrive without animal products. I wish you lots of luck with your kids, I know that dropping meat, dairy & eggs is tough for young people. Especially because the world we live in is so obsessed with animal derived foods! Remember one thing though, you are their mother, the strongest advocate for your children’s health! No one has more power, to set their growing bodies up for a life of optimum health and vitality than you do. I can’t tell you what to do, but don’t stop trying to Veganize your household. I was lucky, it took 24 hours to clean out my kitchen. But I realize that is rare. My son was 9 at the time, and he is a healthy, happy, athletic 12 year old Vegan now. He is educated about animal welfare, environmental issues & nutrition. He reads every label to double check that it is vegan.
Follow Dr. Colin Campbell & Dr. Joel Fuhrman. They will explain that plants are all we need to live healthy, and usually disease free lives. Keep in touch!
Thank you soo very much for this post? My husband and I just decided to start a Vegan diet for our family Today!!! We are the last people you would ever guess would do it. We are known for my cooking and his grilling skills, but after extensive research I have been doing for my dad with Parkinson’s, I came to the conclusions this is the healthiest lifestyle out there. we are soo excited and very motivated, but I am overwhelmed. I too am scared about the idea of school lunches, and the nights when i just want to order pizza, or what to serve next week at my daughters birthday party. What kind of cake, etc. I plan to start reading anything and everything I can and this is a great start.What about seafood? Breakfast ideas? I would love any other advice you can share. May God Bless you as you bless others with this website!! love, Amy
Hi Amy,
So happy to hear that you & your family are going vegan! You are going to feel great! Don’t get overwhelmed about birthday parties & school lunches. You will just have to do some extra planning. There are many wonderful Vegan cake recipes out there, and no one at the party will no the difference! I have been told by many omnivores, that my “Vegan” cupcakes are the best they have ever had!! You can serve the kids cheese-less pizzas or jam tea sandwiches (I did for my daughter’s last b-day party) the kids gobbled them up!! As for school lunches, pb&j, hummus wraps, pasta, dinner leftovers, raw veggies & guacamole, soy yogurt, bean salad etc… you don’t need meat to make a tasty lunch! As for breakfast, we make vegan pancakes, waffles, cereal with almond milk, oatmeal & fruit.
And don’t be worried about ordering pizza! We have pizza every week! I get artichokes, pineapple, garlic & olive oil. (no cheese) Best pizza ever!
Seafood is not vegan. Fish can be just as dangerous to our health as meat. Fish is often loaded with toxins & Dr. Colin Campbell, (author of The China Study, please read) believes that it leads to disease, just like other meats do.
Have fun with your new vegan lifestyle~feel empowered to encourage others to make the switch too! I can’t imagine our life any other way!