Recently, more and more often on the forums, you can find the question of whether it is possible for children to be vegetarians or even vegans?
In our new article, we will look into this issue and tell you whether it is possible to remove meat or even all animal products from the child’s diet
What Is Vegetarianism?
Vegetarianism is the avoidance of meat products of animal origin (poultry, fish, seafood, meat of other animals), some variations of which may exclude other products of animal origin.
Types Of Vegetarianism:
- veganism – the rejection of any animal products, including milk and eggs;
- ovolacto-vegetarianism – excludes meat, but includes eggs and milk;
- Ovo-vegetarianism – excludes meat and milk, but includes eggs;
- Lacto-vegetarians – excludes meat and eggs, but includes milk.
There is also a raw food diet: raw foodists eat raw plant foods that have not been processed.
For Various Reasons, The Following Types Of Food Are Not Considered Vegetarian:
- Pescatarianism – the rejection of the meat of land and warm-blooded animals;
- Pollotarianism – the rejection of all meat except poultry;
- Flexitarianism is the moderate or infrequent consumption of meat.
In this article, we will talk about vegetarianism and veganism. Can a child be a vegetarian or vegan after their parents? Let’s figure it out.
Children And Vegetarianism: Opinion From The Forums
“We live together, we are planning a wedding, the fact is that after the wedding we are planning a baby, and my husband wants to raise him in veganism! She talks about Shatalova that who is allegedly a vegan and lived to 96, and a certain vegan Donald Watson also lived to 95. But I’m a little scared and my parents won’t understand! His parents are also vegans and they put pressure on me not to raise a meat addict, that children get aggression, a tendency to drink, and drug addiction from meat. I wanted to compromise that until the age of 15, let him eat at least fish, because a growing organism. But my husband doesn’t care, only a vegan and that’s it, ”
– a user writes on one of the women’s forums, and opinions under it are divided.
There are some frankly negative ones:
“In no case should children be without meat, Send your husband away. You can directly say, “Of course, I love you, but I love future children more, so if you insist, another one will give birth to you.”
And negative in the other direction:
“I don’t understand how everyone here calls vegans names, both sick and sectarian, Are you, people, out of your mind? So eating corpses and drinking other people’s milk is normal. And whoever does not eat it means a dib. God, how people, how people’s brains are so besotted that they don’t see the obvious. They eat corpses, they also feed children with them. ”
Some users made an adjustment for the unprofitability of such nutrition and literally the impossibility:
“Our neighbors are vegans. This must be said to be a very common occurrence. True, we live in the USA. The neighbors have two children, 12 and 10 years old. Very healthy and happy children. And you can envy their diet. But then again, we have shops and restaurants, especially for such people, where you can buy everything from delicious natural and healthy food and even vegan clothes, medicines, and detergents … “
Some cite their relatives as an example, who, despite being a vegetarian, cook meat, fish, and poultry for children:
“By the way, my brother and his wife are vegetarians. For 15 years already. But, their children, cook meat, poultry, and fish separately. Because they understand perfectly well that children need it.”
However, we recommend that you consult a doctor in matters of nutrition and health of the child: a growing organism is different from an already adult one.
Pros And Cons Of Vegetarianism For Kids
Before choosing any style of nutrition, you need to consider its pros and cons, and also consult a doctor, otherwise, you can get not health and longevity, but a huge pile of sores.
Benefits Of Vegetarianism For Children
Vegetarian nutrition is based on the food of plant origin, and there is no doubt about the benefits of vegetables and fruits, as well as berries and nuts. Such delicacies are natural sources of vitamins and trace elements that are necessary for a growing child’s body.
Also, plant foods contain fiber, which normalizes the functioning of the intestines and stomach and helps to better absorb nutrients. A typical child consumes no more than 50 grams of fiber per day and is a vegetarian – twice as much.
A useful habit of vegetarians is to avoid canned foods: this allows you to exclude taste and aroma enhancers from your child’s diet.
In vegetarian families, children rarely eat sweets, bars, and topics “out of the box”: for snacks, they are given dried fruits, fresh fruits, and berries. Such sweets do not cause caries and excess weight.
Very often, vegetarians cook food at home: home cooking allows you to exclude not only unwanted ingredients. Homemade food is much healthier and tastier, and also cheaper.
Disadvantages Of Childhood Vegetarianism
Children’s vegetarianism, in addition to being beneficial, can cause big health problems. That is why you need to carefully study and balance the child’s diet if you want to offer him a vegetarian menu.
Also, meat is the main source of iron, which is involved in the process of hematopoiesis. In a child with iron deficiency, the level of hemoglobin decreases, which strikes the immune system under the breath. If the baby began to get sick often, is constantly lethargic, and looks like a tired old man, it is likely that he has an iron deficiency.
Vitamins A and D, which are sometimes lacking in vegetarians, contribute to the beneficial development of vision, improve the condition of the skin and mucous membranes, and form bones, and teeth.
Whether your child is a vegetarian or not is not up to you alone to decide. First of all, you should ask the doctor for advice, spend a lot of time creating a menu, and also a lot of money to provide the growing body with everything you need.
First of all, it is worth remembering that a child’s body has needs that are different from the needs that an adult’s body has. The lack of nutrients affects its development and growth, so this lack will be much more painful than for an adult. Lack of a large number of substances in childhood can affect the health of the child immediately and very seriously.
Animal protein has a unique composition of amino acids that cannot be found in plant foods.
B vitamins cannot be ignored, and it is precisely their deficiency that is found in children whose parents raise vegetarians. For example, vitamin B2 deficiency causes metabolic disorders, and B12 can cause anemia. It is these vitamins that contribute to the saturation of the brain with oxygen and essential substances.
Also, meat is the main source of iron, which is involved in the process of hematopoiesis. In a child with iron deficiency, the level of hemoglobin decreases, which strikes the immune system under the breath. If the baby began to get sick often, is constantly lethargic, and looks like a tired old man, it is likely that he has an iron deficiency.
Vitamins A and D, which are sometimes lacking in vegetarians, contribute to the beneficial development of vision, improve the condition of the skin and mucous membranes, and form bones, and teeth.
Whether your child is a vegetarian or not is not up to you alone to decide. First of all, you should ask the doctor for advice, spend a lot of time creating a menu, and also a lot of money to provide the growing body with everything you need.
