Strollerderby : veganism

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

More Vegan Controversy: Can Kids be Vegan?

Karen Murphy — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:48:00 GMT

The quick answer, before I get to the controversy, is: Yes. They can. Sure, it takes some doing, but any diet that doesn't consist of simply opening up bags and boxes and heating things in microwaves takes some doing. Most people I know who are vegans are also fairly well educated on nutrition and things, unlike the sad couple whose baby died recently from being fed only a diet of apple juice and soy milk. But I don't really consider them at all in the same league as Gayle Nelson-Folkersen, the subject of this most recent controversy.

What's going on with Gayle and her children is this: she's the mother of ten-year-old quintuplets who have been raised on a vegan diet. Gayle and husband Jeff are going their separate ways, and his court bid for custody of the kids attacks their marital lifestyle and the way the kids have been raised. Frankly, this one hits kind of close to home for me, since I went through something similar a year ago, and my stuff isn't even over yet. But that's me.

What concerns me most here is that the public's fear of veganism, fueled by lack of information and media uproar (like with the clueless and dangerous couple mentioned above) is being used as a weapon in the court system. I'm not qualified to speak about the Nelson-Folkerson's situation, which I'm sure contains far more facets than any of us are interested in knowing about, but all of a sudden you just have to utter one word, "VEGAN" and everyone becomes quiet, like it's something awful and bad for children.

And that I'm not good with.

OpEd: Veganism is Bad for Babies

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:02:00 GMT

Author Nina Planck, a self-proclaimed reformed vegan, wrote an OpEd piece in yesterday's New York Times declaring that a vegan way of eating is "irresponsible" for devloping babies, infants, and growing toddlers.

By now we've all read the story of the vegan couple who was recently tried and convicted of starving their six-week-old baby to death by feeding it nothing but soy milk and apple juice. This is the third or fourth time a "calamity" like this has happened in as many years. In my mind, these tragedies have less to do with veganism and more to do with the parents being stupid, selfish, a-holes.

Says Planck:

I was once a vegan. But well before I became pregnant, I concluded that a vegan pregnancy was irresponsible. You cannot create and nourish a robust baby merely on foods from plants. Indigenous cuisines offer clues about what humans, naturally omnivorous, need to survive, reproduce and grow: traditional vegetarian diets, as in India, invariably include dairy and eggs for complete protein, essential fats and vitamins. There are no vegan societies for a simple reason: a vegan diet is not adequate in the long run.

And for those that argue that vegans can breastfeed their children (although do vegans consider breastmilk an animal product?) Planck responds, "Studies show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish. It is difficult to overstate the importance of DHA, vital as it is for eye and brain development."

Though not a medical professional, she makes a strong case that babies need a range of nutrients to develop properly. And I'm sure many medical professionals would agree with her. Seasoned vegans will probably poke holes in her arguments and chime in with all kinds of reasons why a vegan diet for babies is perfectly fine, but I wouldn't be willing to risk it.