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Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

Last post 07-09-2007 2:11 PM by shesanangel. 6 replies.
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  • 01-04-2007 6:44 PM

    • Gwen
    • Joined on 01-04-2007
    • Chicago

    Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for oh, 15 years now.  It's just personal preference, really, I think meat is kind of gross.  I don't shout PETA slogans outside of McDonald's and I am cooking chicken for dinner (for the omnivores) as we speak.  

    I am curious about one thing, though.  I didn't eat any meat during my first pregnancy and my son really doesn't seem to like meat either.  The only meat he really has ever eaten is chicken.  He was a little more adventurous when he was younger, so I'm wondering if his preferences are due to just being 4 or if my meatless diet influenced his preferences.

    Chances are he's just being a punk.  ^_^
  • 01-05-2007 10:43 AM In reply to

    Re: Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    We are largely vegetarian. I noticed DD cannot stomach (literally, it gives her a stomach ache) too much meat.
  • 01-10-2007 1:59 AM In reply to

    • Rebecca
    • Joined on 12-23-2006
    • Lake Havasu City, Arizona

    Re: Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    I'm not sure about your sn not liking meat because you didn't eat it. Maybe he just doesn't like it. I try not to give my son any met either, mainly because I don't like it in the house. He LOVES hummus. And the little chicken nuggets that are made by Morningstar Farms.  
  • 02-17-2007 8:20 AM In reply to

    Re: Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    My husband and I are both lacto-ovo vegetarians, and plan to raise our child as a vegetarian as well (I'm due in late september), though we are also not the stereotypical activist/judgy vegetarians people always seem to expect.

    Your son's aversion to chicken may be due to difficulty processing it.  When you don't eat meat for a long time, your body stops (or in his case never really starts?) producing the enzymes required to break down animal products.  That's why long-time veggies often get sick if they ingest meat.  Eventually, they will start producing the enzymes again if they go back to eating meat regularly, but if it is a once in a great while thing, it may just make you (or your son) queasy.

    Separately, I was just reading an article on this site that said that the food you eat during your pregnancy actually flavors the anmiotic fluid while you're pregnant, so that those are the flavors your baby is used to tasting.  The article was talking about whether you should alter your diet for breastfeeding to avoid certain flavors, but I bet a preference fo those flavors extends to when your child starts solids and beyond.  It would certainly explain why I am such a fan of spicy foods; my mom said she lived on jalepeno pizza when she was pregnant with me!

  • 06-17-2007 11:57 AM In reply to

    Re: Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    Our second son just chooses not to eat meat- We don't eat a ton in our house but even when we do he doesn't no biggie here- I just make sure he gets protein other ways- And who does not love to brag that they son prefers to eat his vegetables- my friends are just "green" no pun intended :)
    peace and blessings
  • 06-19-2007 3:12 PM In reply to

    Re: Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    I've been a pure vegetarian (not actually vegan, since mine is nutritional only) for the past 13 years. My wife was an ovo-lacto vegetarian for a while, but now she eats meat occasionally. We have never forced our choices on our children, but we do teach them good nutrition habits. Our children are defiantly influenced by our food choices, but I have to walk a fine line when they ask if non-vegetarian foods are "bad" :)

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  • 07-09-2007 2:11 PM In reply to

    Re: Any other vegetarian moms or dads?

    My mother had been a vegetarian (also ovo-lacto) for almost 15 years when she had me, and then my sisters came three and six years behind me. We ate only vegetarian food at home, since my step-dad was also vegetarian and they both were doing it mostly for moral and sustainability reasons. We did, however, get meat at friends' houses or at our grandparents' houses.

    I do remember at a very young age not really liking meat a lot, but that had completely flipped by the time I was about 6 or 7. We still didn't eat a lot, and eating a meal with meat as the main course STILL made my tummy feel funny, but we did eat meat more frequently.

    It's prolly more a familiarity thing, and possibly a bit of him only having been exposed to what you ate while you were pregnant. He will most likely grow into liking meat, although some people really never do.

    You said he only really eats chicken, but not how often, so it's possible that he's eating enough for it for him to be breaking it down by himself, but sometimes if you don't eat red meat much and you try it, even if you have been eating chicken, it can be hard on your stomach. He might be noticing that effect when he does try it, and avoiding that meat because of that. You will probably have an easier time if you ease him into it, giving him smaller amounts with increasing regularity.

    This is all of course only if you really want to encourage him to eat meat. It will not hurt him to not eat it, as long as his dietary requirements are being met elsewhere. In fact, it might be better for him to NOT get used to eating huge hunks of meat early in life - you might save him the heart problems and obesity issues later in life that so many Americans suffer from.

    Congratulations on not having to force-feed his veggies to him! That's a win-win situation if I ever heard one.

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