How to be a Cool Vegan Parent

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:57:00 GMT

I’m not the most likely candidate to be plugging a video on raising children vegan. I don’t meat, but I’m the kind of vegetarian who bakes my vegetables inside a buttery, cheddary pastry—and then has a chocolate cream pie for dessert. So when I say that this video got me to thinking about using fewer animal products in my cooking, that’s a real endorsement. I share the video with you all in hopes of shifting the thinking of some hardcore carnivores (and dairy-loving vegetarians) who have dismissed the vegan lifestyle as a self-righteous form of anorexia. Face it, we’ve all known vegans like that—but they’re in the minority and they’re giving the rest of you ethical eaters a bad name.

From interviews with parents, children, and physicians, the video debunks myths about the health risks associated with veganism (for instance, veggies provide just as much calcium as milk) and the lack of fun or “coolness” associated with being vegan. One mother said that she makes sure to ask her daughter what foods she wants that are not typically considered vegan, even going so far as to procure vegan doughnuts. Most persuasive of all, the parents and children interviewed are happy, loving people who naturally connect their food consumption with its effect on the planet. As one father says of his child, “Even if she doesn’t choose to be a vegan [when she grows up], she’ll still be a compassionate person.”

And even if all you omnivorous parents don’t decide to make vegan cupcakes for your child’s next birthday, you just may consider making a tofu scramble instead of a cheese omelet next Sunday morning. No, seriously—tofu scrambles are delicious.

Photo: www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr

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How to be a Cool Vegan Parent