Bringing Up Vegan Children
When my son was six years old I decided that we were both going vegetarian.
I started to change our diet by replacing several meat-containing meals a week with vegetarian
recipes and continued to do this until all of our meals were entirely meat and fish-free. My
son adapted quickly and particularly liked eating veggie burgers, pizzas and macaroni cheese.
Eating out wasn't too much of a problem for him, either, as vegetarian meals were available on the school
menu if he wanted to have a school dinner, although most days he preferred to take his own packed
lunch to school, anyway. When he visited friends' houses for a meal after school, he was usually happy to eat
a cheese dish, or else I provided a frozen veggie burger (or nut cutlet) for the parents to cook.
And when we were travelling veggie burgers, baked potatoes or vegetarian pizzas could be obtained
fairly easily from most cafes and restaurants.
However, in these early attempts to devise meat-free meals we often consumed more eggs and too much
cheese and after about four or five years on a vegetarian diet I became increasingly dissatisfied with it
and started to question whether removing meat from my diet was actually preventing animal cruelty
at all. I found it difficult to understand how keeping cows perpetually pregnant, so that I could
eat more cheese and other dairy products instead of meat, was actually being kind to cows or to their
calves and I also wondered if my fat-laden, cheese-and-egg containing diet was really doing me
that much good! It was at this point that I started to research the vegan diet. I obtained a copy
of Dr Gill Langley's book: 'Vegan Nutrition' from the public library and after reading it
I decided that there didn't seem that much to worry about after all: vegans, it seemed, were not
a load of 'cranks' but healthy, normal people who tended to be of higher than average intelligence!
Reassured by this research, I started to move towards the vegan diet, gradually replacing dairy
products and eggs with egg substitutes and soya alternatives. However, by this time, my
son was about eleven years old and had started to develop a few ideas of his own, so changing
his diet wasn't quite so easy this time. In fact, he decided quite firmly that he didn't want to
give up his cheese and wanted to remain a vegetarian! Eventually though, we reached an agreement
that at school (and on school trips) he was a vegetarian and that he would eat vegan meals at home
to make cooking easier, but would be allowed to have some cheese and dairy products whenever possible.
Now, four years later, Richard follows a nearly-vegan diet and is happy to eat soya yogurt, soya
ice cream and vegan cheese. He is not strictly speaking a vegan because he still insists on
putting cow's milk on his cereal and also reverts to a vegetarian diet on school trips!
So how do you raise vegan children? For a start I am sure that it's far easier if you bring
children up as vegans from birth and it also helps if both parents follow a vegan diet and can
offer a consistent example. However, better late than never, so late starters shouldn't
be put off!
This month I have put together a list of Internet and off-line resources which I am
sure will be of interest to anyone who wants to find out more about bringing up vegan
children. This resource list includes many books, leaflets and Internet sites and
I hope that you will all enjoy using these resources to find out more about this topic
for yourselves. However, if you are short of time, then I have included a brief
summary for you below:
1. Let's Start at the Beginning - The Vegan Infant
- Vegan babies should be breast fed if at all possible. Benefits include protection against
infection and a reduced risk of allergies.
- Never give young babies ordinary soya milk - it does not contain the proper ratio
of protein, fat and carbohydrate, or enough vitamins and minerals. If you are not able to
breastfeed, then a soy based formula should be used for at least the first six months.
At the moment, the only suitable soy infant formula, available in the UK, is 'Farley's
Soya Formula' which is made by Heinz and is available from most chemists. Babies, in the USA,
have more choice and Dr Reed Mangels recommends the following brands of US. soy formula for
babies under 6 months:- Isomil, Prosobee, Nursoy and Soyalac.
- Solid foods are usually introduced sometime between four and six months. Introduce them when
it becomes apparent that your baby is no longer satisfied with his/her normal amount of formula or
breast milk. Throughout weaning, continue to feed your baby the usual milk intake
and introduce new solid foods, one food at a time, to see if there is a reaction.
(Common reactions include skin rashes or sore bottoms.) When you are sure that
particular foods will not cause a reaction, then you can make meals more interesting by
combining different pureed fruits or vegetables, together. Iron-fortified baby
rice cereal is often given as a first food, because it is unlikely to cause any
allergic response and at around six months various, cooked and pureed fruits and steamed vegetables
can also be introduced. First of all try pureed stewed apples or pears and mild vegetables such as
potatoes, carrots, swedes, turnips, parsnips, courgettes, cauliflower and broccoli. A little later
you can introduce pureed tomatoes, peas, spinach, peaches and plums and from the age of six months your
baby will probably like some of the tiny egg-free pasta shapes (used in soups) which can be served
with a vegetable puree for a sauce. From about eight months food does not need to be
pureed so smoothly and you can now give your baby some mashed foods or leave some small lumps
for your baby to chew. (Remember when preparing baby food do not add any salt or sugar.)
You will find an example of a feeding schedule for babies of 6-12 months old in the nutrition
section of 'Simply Vegan' by Debra Wasserman and there is also a copy of this schedule on the
Internet at the 'Feeding Vegan Kids' website, listed below.
- If you are unable to obtain a book of special vegan baby recipes, then it is worth
looking in the ordinary baby books in your public library, as these often contain
recipes which are suitable for the young vegan baby, because meat, fish and dairy products are not
normally introduced into any baby's diet until after the age of six months.
'The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner' by Annabel Karmel, is one such non-vegan
book which has many easy, fruit-and-vegetable based recipes and you will
find that most of the recipes, before page 53, are suitable for the vegan baby.
Incidentally, it is also worth looking for recipes in any vegetarian baby books that you can find.
Tofu, soy cheese, soy yogurt, legumes (e.g. lentils, split peas) and nut butters are usually introduced at around
7-10 mths and by the age of one year, vegan babies can also be given nutritional yeast,
blackstrap molasses and ordinary soymilk. However, if there is a history of nut allergy in your family, then
it is better not to introduce nuts until the child is about three years old and of course
children under three can choke on whole nuts, so use nut butters or grind nuts for young children.
- Supplements: Nursing mothers should make sure that they are getting enough vitamin B12
in their diet, as breast milk is the only source of this vitamin for the breastfed vegan infant.
In winter, breastfed vegan babies may need a vitamin D supplement if they are not
getting enough sunshine and breast fed infants are often given an iron supplement from the age
of 6 months, although many infant cereals are now fortified with this important vitamin.
- It is now fairly easy to purchase ready-made vegan baby foods and these can
sometimes be quite useful if you are travelling or if you are in a hurry. You will find a list of
suitable brands of vegan baby foods and other baby products which are suitable for the vegan baby
in 'The Animal-Free Shopper and there is also some information on this topic in the
January 1998 Issue.
2. Moving On - The Growing Child
- It is very important to make sure that growing vegan children have adequate calories. The vegan
diet tends to be high in fibre and can be rather bulky for a child's small stomach. Vegan children
need to be given more low fibre, energy-dense foods than vegan adults so include: nut butters;
tahini; fruit spreads; fruit juice; chickpea hummus; pureed beans and avocados.
3. Nearly There - Adolescence
- Adolescence is a time of rapid growth and change and parents need to make sure that vegan teenagers
consume enough protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12. A sixteen year old, weighing about 120
pounds, needs about 44 g of protein/day. (The RDA for protein is 0.5 g per pound for 11-14 year olds and
0.4 g per pound for 15-18 year olds.) Bone density is also determined in adolescence and young
adulthood, so it is important that young people eat three or more helpings of calcium-rich foods/day.
(See last month's article for good vegan sources of calcium, iron and B12.)
Your vegan teenager(s) may also like to investigate Vegetarian Youth Online (listed in websites below)
as this website has some links for young vegans.
Resource List for Vegan Parents
Leaflets:
- Happy, Caring, Healthy and Sharing
Is an illustrated booklet especially written for vegan children. Written by Graham Burnett, it
is available from MCL for £0.95.
- For Vegan Parents
A leaflet, also available from MCL. Price £0.55.
- Healthy Vegan Infants/Children.
Available from Plamil Foods Ltd. Price £1.00 plus A5 SAE.
- Nutritional Notes and Guidelines on Supplementary Infant Feeding.
Available from Plamil. Send a SAE.
- The Vegan Families List.
This list is available, free of charge, from the Vegan Society (UK) but send a SAE.
All of the vegan families on this list have had, or have, vegan children and are
happy to be contacted for advice and support. If you would like your family to be added to this
list, then please send a SAE and ask for a 'Vegan Families Questionnaire'.
- Rose Elliot's Mother and Baby Guides.
Part One - Healthy Vegetarian/Vegan Pregnancy. Price £0.50. This invaluable guide
covers essential nutrients for vegan/vegetarian mums-to-be and also includes a diet for breast feeding mums.
- Part Two - Feeding Your Vegetarian/Vegan Baby.
This leaflet costs £0.75 and covers breast feeding and vegan formula feeding, weaning
and survival tips for parents! Both of the Rose Elliot Guides can be obtained from VIVA!
Books
- Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet by Dr Michael Klaper. (Gentle World.)
A very useful book for vegan parents and parents-to-be. It contains meal plans for pregnant women
and children and a selection of recipes. It can be obtained from the Vegan Society (UK) for £7.95 and also from
VIVA!
- Simply Vegan by Debra Wasserman and Dr Reed Mangels.
Has a useful section on 'Feeding Vegan Kids' (p.189-198) which includes a feeding schedule for vegan babies aged 6-12 months and a diet plan
for older vegan children. It also has a good section on the vegan diet in pregnancy and lacatation
and is available from the Vegan Society (UK). Price £11.99.
- Vegan Nutrition by Gill Langley
This book surveys the research on vegan diets but also has a section on vegan mothers and
children. It costs £8.95 from the Vegan Society (UK).
- The Mother, Baby & Toddler Book by Rose Elliot.
Price £10.99. This guide covers the vegetarian and vegan diet in pregnancy and
gives many menus and recipes for mums, babies and toddlers. It can be obtained from VIVA!
- The Vegan Diet by David Scott & Claire Golding. (Rider)
Price £6.99 This vegan cookery book contains some recipes for vegan children. (See
'Children's Favourites' section on p.121-128.) Note: some of the recipes in this book contain honey.
- Vegetarian Baby and Child by Petra Jackson
Price £9.99 Has 180 recipes for babies/toddlers. Most are vegetarian and
contain milk or butter, but vegan substitutes could probably be used. Available from VIVA!
- The Animal Free Shopper
This pocket-sized book is available from the Vegan Society (UK) and has a small
section on the vegan baby and infant care products which can be purchased in the UK.
- The Livewire Guide to Going Being Staying Veggie! By Julliet Gellatley.
Price £3.99. A Guide for teenagers who want to become vegetarian or vegan. Covers issues such as
: animal farming, slaughter, feeding the world, health and nutrition and contains tips on how
to deal with parents, teachers etc. Available from VIVA! Books.
- Victor the Vegetarian by Radha Vignola
Price £4.99 A children's story book for 2-7 year olds. Available from VIVA! Books.
- Roar! by Peter Hoggarth
Price £3.99 An animal rights book for 8-12 yr olds. Available from VIVA!.
- Some People Don't Eat Meat by Jane Inglis.
Price £2.50 An Introduction to vegetarianism for 7-9 yr olds. Available from VIVA!
- The Chicken Gave It To Me by Anne Fine.
Price £2.99 A children's story, suitable for children 9 and over. Available from VIVA!
For American Readers:
American readers should check to see if 'Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet' is still
available from the American Vegan Society, from whom they may also be able to purchase
the following two items:
- Freya Dinshah - Feeding Vegan Babies. (Leaflet)
- Vegan Children by Dr. Reed Mangels.
Also available in the USA:
- Vegetarian Baby by Sharon Yntema. (McBooks Press)
This book contains the knowledge needed to bring up babies on a vegetarian diet. It's
available from McBooks Press for $10.95.
- Vegetarian Children by Sharon Yntema. (McBooks Press)
This book provides parents with the assurances and knowledge needed to raise
healthy children on a vegetarian diet. It's available from McBooks Press for $9.95.
- Vegetarian Pregnancy by Sharon Yntema. (McBooks Press)
How to have a healthy vegetarian or vegan pregnancy. Available from McBooks Press for $12.95.
- Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly: Quick Vegetarian Meals Your Kids Will Love! (McBooks Press)
This book contains over 150 low fat, sugar-free, easy-to-prepare, vegetarian and vegan recipes.
Available from McBooks Press for $14.95.
Interesting Child-Related, Vegan/Vegetarian Websites:
- Pregnancy and Childhood
- Babies on a Vegan Diet
- Wholesome Baby Foods
- Avoiding the Baby Food Trap
- Infant Diet
- Feeding the Vegetarian or Vegan Baby
- Feeding Vegan Kids - Dr Reed Mangels
- Vegetarian Pregnancy and Children
- Raising Vegan Children - Vegetarian Journal
- Travelling with Vegan Children
- Thoughts for Vegan Parents
- Veggie Kids
- Teen Vegans
- The International Vegetarian Union - see teenage section
- The Vegetarian Youth Network Home Page
Mail Order Addresses for Books/Leaflets:
- The Vegan Society (UK), Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Rd, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.
Tel: 01424 427393.
- VIVA! Books. 12 Queen Square, Brighton. BN1 3FD. Tel: 01273 777688.
- MCL, 47 Highlands Rd, Leatherhead, Surrey. KT22 8NQ.
- Plamil Foods Ltd, Plamil House, Bowles Well Gardens, Folkestone, Kent.
- The American Vegan Society, 501 Old Harding Highway. (P.O. Box H) Malaga, New Jersey 08328.
Tel: (609) 694-2887.
- McBooks Press, 120 West State St., Ithica, NY 14850. USA. People in the USA can order books by telephone
by calling Toll-Free: 1-888-Books11. Books can also be ordered on the Internet at the
McBooks website.
Main Index
May 1998 Issue
Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 1998