I’m a bad parent. I don’t give my baby meat. My baby can’t possibly have all the nutrients she needs to grow.
Yes, I feel those unsaid comments when people hear that my two-year old is vegetarian. I, too, had the same concerns when my partner suggested that we raise our children as vegetarians. But after doing some research, it reassured me that well-respected groups like the British Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association say that a well-balanced vegetarian diet satisfies the nutritional needs of growing children and promotes normal growth.
As someone concerned about the environment, a plant-based diet is also the responsible thing to do. Eating foods that are low on the food chain, and where possible, locally grown and organic, is a powerful way to reverse wilderness destruction, soil erosion, and pollution. Also, the various health problems that can be caused by a meat-focused diet (e.g. heart disease, obesity, diabetes) won’t likely be something that your child will have to deal with in the future.
But most importantly, your child will know that their beloved farm animals from “Old Macdonald” will not end up on their dinner plate.
Make a difference − share this environmental tip with your friends.
Martha, mother of TWO (Adam & Helena) says:
6 June 2008 at 22 h 57 minhmmm….this is a hard one for me, being raised on a farm. We ate locally raised meats and grown veggies from our garden but was not at all scarred by the fact that we ate our animals….although I will NEVER eat lamb due to the fact that I watched my father slaughter one once….so perhaps it bothered me a bit more than I thought….
Apply food stamp says:
25 September 2008 at 0 h 57 minI wanted to research this subject and write a paper. Your post what a thousand words would not. Nice job.
bmarchand@tp1.ca says:
3 June 2010 at 13 h 22 minI had never asked myself the question until i read your post.. will have to give this further thought, thanks very interesting!