need resource to prove kids don't need cow's milk

[keri]

Hi, I'm new here. I have two kids, ages 2 and very nearly 5. They are lifelong vegetarians. I have been vegetarian about half of my life, on and off. Anyway, the reason for my posting is that my mother is questioning me for not pushing cow's milk on the children. I haven't banned it and I let them have it if they ask but I don't think it is necessary to their well-being. My mother has been supportive of our vegetarianism but I would like to transition to veganism. I need a resource to prove to her (and reassure myself) that I am not hurting my kids by slowly ending their dairy intake.

I am also concerned that my older child is complaining about being tired a lot. My mother keeps hinting that it is due to her being a vegetarian. I'm sure some of you are thinking I should just stop worrying about her opinion. :) But she is an expert in early childhood development and I would rather educate than ignore her, especially considering that she could have an impact on other vegan families when she consults with school nutrition programs. So is being tired possibly linked to being vegetarian and, if so, what is lacking so I can supplement her diet. BTW the child simply refuses to take a vitamin anymore and I haven't figured out how to hide one in her food yet.

Thank you for any suggestions.

[Erin Pavlina]

All very good questions.

Vitamins: Try KidBear vitamins. They are like gummi bears. my child thinks they are candy. You can request a free sample on this page: http://www.vegfamily.com/product-reviews/

Being tired: Could be anemic. Lots of vegetarians are missing iron in their diets. But this is just a guess, I'm not a nutritionist. You may want to consult with one of the fabulous vegan nutritionists around such as Vesanto Melina or Brenda Davis. Let me know if you need contact info.

Educating mom: Since your mom is educated I would go ahead and suggest resources for her to read if she is willing. PCRM.org has some good resources and these were written by doctors. Also the book Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina has tremendously good information about how to raise a healthy vegan child. For other info on why milk doesn't do a body good, go to notmilk.com. There are some books and websites about how dangerous cow's milk is for children, but I can't think of any offhand. Someone?

Dealing with naysayers: My book, Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World (http://www.vegfamily.com/raising-vegan-children/index.php?src=forums), has information about how to deal with family, friends, and doctors about raising a vegan child. That may be of interest to you. My book also explains how to easily transition your children to a vegan diet.

If you have any specific questions, fire away. We're here to help.

[duckie1978]

Erin gave a great source! The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine is great!

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/

This link goes to their vegan health info, including children and the dangers of cow's milk. They also usually include their sources (like JAMA, and other medical/science journals) so your M-I-L can go to the actual articles if she wants.



Good luck with things.

[VOW]

Rather than hit-or-miss online diagnosis, take the tired kid to the doc for a checkup. It could be anemia (only detectable through blood tests), mononucleosis, allergies, depression (yes, even little kids get depressed), or any number of things. If it is indeed anemia, it can certainly be corrected without compromising vegetarian beliefs.

Look for a doctor who is a Seventh-Day Adventist. They enspouse vegetarian diets.


~VOW

[Christa]

Dr. Spock in his last edition of Baby & Child Care (I believe that this is the title) recommended a vegan diet for all children age 2 and up.

Also, John Robbins' book, The Food Revolution, has a lot of citations in about the 4th or 5th chapter on studies published in Pediatrics, and medical journals, re studies that found children and adults who drank milk did not have greater bone density &, in some instances, actually were more prone to osteoporosis, bone fractures, etc.

I second, or third :), the referrals to PCRM, as well - great resource. Where in Ventura County are you? (Just curious) I went to high school in Thousand Oaks.

[keri]

Thank you everyone for the great resources. I am so happy to have found a place to get "pro-vegan" support.