Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
This blog post addresses issues for vegan and especially for non-vegan parents. Raising vegan children may pose a threat to parents who are not vegan and who are not yet educated about the health benefits of adopting a vegan diet, or of the atrocities inflicted on animals.
I am a psychotherapist, an ethical vegan for over 20 years, and a mom of
a 13 year old girl. I have often reflected on how to raise my daughter vegan
with compassion for animals while not imposing my beliefs or chosen
lifestyle on her. I have also reflected on the struggles vegan children face
in a non-vegan world. I have worked with vegan and non vegan parents of
vegan children in my practice.
This blog post addresses issues for vegan and especially for non-vegan
parents. Raising vegan children may pose a threat to parents who are not
vegan and who are not yet educated about the health benefits of adopting a
vegan diet, or of the atrocities inflicted on animals. They may also not be
as connected as their children or teens to compassion for all living beings.
There is a growing body of research in support of well-planned vegan diets
for kids of all ages. One of these is the 2016 position paper from the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics which states that vegan diets “are
appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy,
lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for
athletes.” Children raised vegan tend to grow up leaner, healthier, and with
longer life expectancies, and they are more connected to their food than
their omnivorous peers.
Nutrition
Raising healthy vegan children requires attention to a diet rich in a
variety of whole foods with essential nutrients for growth and development.
Getting children to eat and enjoy a variety of foods can be challenging.
When it comes to a vegan diet it requires a familiarity with the key
nutrient recommendations for each age group, planning well-balanced, and
tasty meals, and snacks with assortment of plant-based foods. An adventurous
spirit especially for non-vegan parents to find or prepare delicious and
nutritious plant based foods is a key ingredient to raising vegan children.
There is currently a plethora (and growing amount) of vegan foods in the
markets which are delicious and nutritious. My hope is that even non vegan
parents will enjoy vegan foods with their children. Creating a shared
experience so their children can feel nurtured and supported in their
veganism.
Social/emotional: Raising vegan kids can be challenging on the social level
as well
Vegan parents may fear that their child will reject veganism not simply
because they want to eat non-vegan food. Navigating a social landscape with
peers is difficult at any age. A child may not want to feel “different” than
their peers, nor to live outside of the mainstream since eating together is
a significant and enjoyable aspect of our social interactions throughout the
life cycle.
Non vegan parents may additionally worry that their child is not getting the
proper nutrition, and uneducated extended family and medical professionals
exacerbate these fears. There may be teasing about his or her food or
unsupportive and even cruel comments by parents or friends. Some families
may exclude a child simply because they are unfamiliar with what to feed a
vegan child.
Parents of vegan children will need to plan ahead, pack their own food, and
explain their child’s veganism to others. For non vegan events such as
birthday parties, school or family events there is planning that needs to
occur for a vegan child to have an integrated experience of feeling part of
the community while enjoying delicious vegan food such as vegan cupcakes,
pizza or soy dogs. Bring a dish or two to these functions so that your child
doesn’t feel deprived. Share vegan food with his or her friends so they can
also get excited about using nutritional yeast on popcorn instead of butter.
Make vegan pizza together or have an ice cream party with coconut ice cream
sundaes and vegan toppings.
How a child’s veganism (whether a vegan or non-vegan parent) is ultimately
accepted in the community and among his or her peers has much to do with how
it is supported at home and then presented in the community. Certain parts
of the country may be more of less supportive of veganism in general. So, it
is important to try to find some connections to other vegan parents and
children or even start a “meet up” or vegan family group. These are some of
aspects of raising vegan children that parents need to prepare for in order
for their child to be as comfortable in his or her community as possible.
Values: for vegan and non vegan parents: Raising vegan children is a
much larger landscape than simply not consuming animals for food
Several years ago I was reading a very popular children’s book to my then
nine year old daughter where the main character is a pig. Her mother was
serving her bacon for breakfast which would make her a cannibal. Pigs do not
eat other pigs. A child’s world is constructed of constant
anthropomorphizing of animals. For example, almost every child’s book has
“happy” animals including farm animal characters. This conditioning leads
children to a collective numbness to all non-human animals, and to their
plight. Vegan children witness most of their friends and family members
consuming animals for food, wearing animals for clothes and shoes without
any knowledge of their suffering.
Many children from non-vegan homes decide on their own to become vegan
because they do not want to eat animals or fish. They have made the
connection and understand there is cruelty involved in the use of animals
for human consumption. It is important for non-vegan parents to understand
that your child has developed a radical way of perceiving our world where
animals are no longer objectified for food, clothing, and overall human use.
Your child does not want to cause them harm by eating or using them. This
compassion can have such far reaching effects not just for your child but
for the health and well being of the planet.
My daughter’s friend is an example of this. She became vegan in a non-vegan
home. Her mother is very supportive, and is in the process herself of
becoming vegan. At a recent school function “Emma” attempted to spread
compassion to our school community. She set up a fund raising table to sell
home made vegan brownies and vegan bath scrub to raise money for one of our
local animal shelters. Her mother and one of her middle school teachers
participated to show their support and encouragement.
For vegan parents it’s about ethical choices that we want to impart to our
children without pressuring them, scaring them with stories of atrocity or
strongly attempting to influence them with our own beliefs. We want to
instill the values that we so cherish to our children. We strive to support
them in understanding that the lives of animals mean no less than that of a
human life and that animals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity
and not to be exploited in so many ways by humans.
Possibilities for vegan and non vegan parents
Model compassion toward all including your child if this is the choice that
they’ve come to.
Be sensitive when you explain your reasons for not eating, wearing or even
visiting animals in cages or attending the circus. Even if you are not vegan
there are ways to align with your child to model compassion for all living
beings. Such as treating your beloved cats and dogs with dignity and respect
and letting him or her know that all animals deserve the same respect.
Answer your children’s questions as honestly and openly as you can. For non
vegan parents educating yourself about veganism including animal abuse and
suffering will help your child feel supported. You will be far more
supportive if you understand the horrors that animals endure.
Try to visit and experience animals in their natural habitat (such as farm
animals) as much as possible so your child experiences a more alive
connection to them.
Allow your child to make their own choices, and respect their choices
because we all want to be respected for our choices. Remember whether a
vegan or non vegan parent of a vegan child that your child is maturing to be
compassionate, caring and kind toward all beings.
Heidi Leabman, LSCW-R, SE a is a somatic and integrative psychotherapist in private practice outside of New York City. She is a trauma specialist and EFT couples therapist. Heidi is an ethical vegan for over 20 years, an animal rights advocate including rescue work.
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