The Vegan View

I was wondering if you could help me. My boyfriend and I are talking about getting married and having children. I am a vegetarian and he is a meat eater. He wants our children to eat organic meat and milk. I want them to be vegan/vegetarian. He's open to new information and statistics for which is a better diet. Unfortunately, I can't find any information. That says a vegetarian/vegan diet is healthier or not healthier than a low fat meat diet. Do you have any resources or can you point me in a direction of maybe where I could look. If I can prove that it's better for our child he will do it. I can't have a baby if it's going to be given meat.

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VegFamily readers reply: Jessica S:
There are plenty of studies that show that abstaining from meat and dairy leads to lower incidents of cancer, heart disease, etc. But for me, the real proof is how happy and healthy the vegan children I know are. If you don't know any other vegans with children, try signing up for a meet up group (I belong to one that does potlucks every so often) so that your husband can see first hand the benefits of raising kids vegan.

JoAnn Farb:
Rarely in science does anything ever get resolved to the point of proof. More often what you find is an abundance of data that suggests a particular perspective. Regarding optimum diet, we do have an abundance of data, and you will find it carefully explained in a book called, The China Study, by T Colin Campbell. The China Study provides an excellent summary of the best science that we have on diet and health. After you read it, get a copy of the book, Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin and flip to the birth statistics in the back of the book. There you will find data on 1000 vegan births managed by the farm midwives. Their C-section rate, and outcomes are equal to or better then any you will find for any other population. This fact is all the more compelling when you consider that the Farm midwives were known for taking in teens with unplanned pregnancies and also helped women considered "high risk" because of their advanced maternal ages.

However your fiance's focus upon "proof" and "diet" masks an issue that is really even more important to resolve before you consider having children together. The issue to raise one's children as vegan is really a moral/philosophical one. What to feed one's family is a fundamental issue that reflects a person's core values, while laying a foundation that will shape and create the paradigm that forms the basis of a family's culture. Most poeple who chose to be vegan do so because it reflects profoundly on their world view. I've known many couples who began their relationship as omnivores, started a family and then one became vegan and the other did not. This presents monumental challenges for the family.

You should also be aware that a large body of data that is part of the Bowen Family Systems Theory, suggests that when a couple has unresolved differences concerning issues of great significance, it is very likely that one or more of their children will "step into" that issue and become part of a triangle with the parents. This tends to not be in the child's best interest.

I strongly encourage you to fully explore this difference between the two of you and how it will be managed, so that neither of you feels like you are compromising one of your core values before you consider starting a family.

Jessica:
Read "The pH Miracle" by Dr. Young. It explains everything.

Carol:
There is ample proof of what you want to hear.All you need to do is read the books by John Robbins -Diet for a New America, May All Be Fed, Reclaiming our Health, and The Food Revolution. It will make the whole issue clear for you and him.And make sure that you stand your ground about this. Your baby will thank you in years to come.

Katrina:
As a pregnant vegan mama I look forward to raising vegan children. One book I found very informative is Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet by Michael Klaper, MD. As long as you breastfeed for 1-2 years and make sure your child is getting a lot of good fats and B vitamins in their balanced diet they should be great. They definitely don't need meat. Some people believe in a vegetarian diet with eggs and/or dairy to ensure their child is getting everything they need but I believe with the proper research every child can have a balanced diet, be vegan, and healthy.

Tora:
I have raised my children as vegetarian, even though my husband was not a vegetarian. They were both breastfed by their lacto-ovo vegetarian Mother (me) for 2 years and 4 years, respectively. My daughter started eating meat at the age of 5 and my son has never eaten meat in his 9 years of life and is proud of being a vegetarian. Good luck. Tora

Stephanie:
For the latest information on the health benefits of eating a whole foods, plant-based diet versus meat and dairy, read T. Colin Campbell's book "The China Study" which is probably the most comprehensive longtitudinal study on the effects of diet and health. It's a fascinating book! Dr. Campbell, although raised himself on a dairy farm as a child, believes a whole foods, plant-based diet (e.g. vegan) is the best for your health and for the prevention of "diseases of affluence" (e.g. heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, some forms of cancer and autoimmune disorders). Best of luck to you!

Ivy:
There are tons of reasons to raise vegan children. If your mate isn't swayed by the inhumanity of the meat/poultry/dairy/fish industry, or by how much kinder to the earth a veg diet is, and if he's only interested in the health aspects, then please, all the proof you need to show him is in T. Colin Campbell's The China Study. If he wants his children to live long, healthy, disease-fee lives, all the proof you need is in that extremely well-referenced tome. Good luck to you.

Susan:
Have him read "Disease-Proof Your Child" and "Feeding Kids Right" (from http://drfuhrman.com/shop/books.aspx )

Dr. Fuhrman presents the fascinating science that demonstrates how the current epidemic of adult cancers and other diseases is most closely linked to what we eat in the first quarter of life. He explains how a nutrient-rich diet increases a child's resistance to common childhood illnesses like asthma, ear infections, and allergies. Additionally, Dr. Fuhrman illustrates how eating his nutrient-rich diet during childhood is the most powerful weapon against developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disorders in the future.

Then there are some resources on YouTube as well:

Chicken Fried Bacon (Texas)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfbTO0GlONU

How To Get Fat Without Really Trying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISONN1LHj7g

The Price-Pottenger Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPCOGSnjP5w

Got Milk?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYpafipJyDE

Meet Your Meat!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4

FDA approves spraying meat with viruses
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1YrbVQJRumg

Meat Safety - How the FDA failed to protect the consumer
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ztVyTzfNs

FDA can't even recall Human Food
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PSIrxIRDF8Q

U.S. Government's Dirty Little Secrets about Meat
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YVTUIld-pRw

Cooked/burnt Food linked to cancer
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7124501.stm

Cured Meat Danger
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ_-2MFCHFs

Micky Dees
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pEM0T1Ar5Qo

Sugar Addiction
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=m-I_uhnwRa0

Truth about Fruit

The Secret Life Of Plants

Health/Dis-ease http://www.youtube.com/v/ebOTxkpRGWg Hope that Helps,

Delia:
There are many books about lifelong vegetarianism including raising children as vegetarians such as: Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, 8th edition by Benjamin Spock, MD and revised by Robert Needlman, MD (2004); Your Vegetarian Pregnancy: A Month-by-Month Guide to Health and Nutrition by Dr. Holly Roberts, D.O., FACOG (2003); New Vegetarian Baby by Sharon K. Yntema and Christine H. Beard (2000).

Also, by doing some searches on Amazon.com you can come up with many more books on raising and feeding vegetarian babies. Also, you can see if there are any veg groups near you with members that have children - you can talk to people who have been there. You can also check to see if there are any veg-friendly nutritionists and/or naturopaths and family doctors near you that can answer your questions as well as help you to have a safe and happy pregnancy. Good luck!

Laura:
There is a great podcast called "Vegetarian Food for Thought" available for free on itunes or go to www.compassionatecooks.com. The podcasts have great information.

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