Is Veganism Appropriate for Kids?

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Breastmilk is a dairy / animal product and thus would have to be taken from infants who follow(?) a vegan diet.
Clearly that way lies madness.

Listener43 2:01PM July 25, 2012

I personally thing veganism is acceptable for a child, as long as you are responsible and making sure they get the nutrients they need as said in the article. I became a vegetarian when I was younger (4th grade) and when I did I remember wishing my mother had raised me as one, so I decided when I had children I would raise them as vegetarians as well. I think there are pros and cons to having a child not eat meat. I don't think it's a health issue in either case though, because as long as you're responsible about making sure your child gets the right nutrients there is no loss.

Amelia of PA 10:32AM June 02, 2012

Hello there,
I found this article very enticing about children being vegans. I myself am a vegan kid. I believe that this book is a very good thing despite the graphic paintings. I believe that vegan done right is very healthful unlike a diet of chicken nuggets, fries, and pizza. One critic of this article is false information. Marshmallows are never VEGERTARIAN let alone VEGAN unless they are specially made for us and many times jelleybeans are not even vegetarian. This "expert" should at least know that much about vegans and vegetarians before Lecturing on earthing such items are unhealthy!

Haleigh of MN 8:49PM May 30, 2012

A healthy vegan diet with isn't "restrictive." It's amazing and the healthiest lifestyle for kids and adults with emphasis on whole foods and lots of raw fruit, veggies, grains, beans, lentils, etc.. Meat, dairy and eggs are proven to cause many of the diseases that are putting Americans into early graves. It's the reason for the No. 1 Killer: Heart Disease. And what's wrong with showing children the truth? Maybe it's time to quit torturing and killing animals and teach children compassion and kindness.

Shelley Watkins of CA 4:55PM May 06, 2012

No, a vegan couldn't follow a "marshmallow diet." Marshmallows contain gelatin, and therefore are not vegan. Get your facts straight.

Noel of IN 11:53AM May 06, 2012

"Many vegan and vegetarian items sold in grocery stores have high levels of added sodium to make them taste good. This tends to limit the health benefits."
Many premade foods of all categories have high levels of added sodium to make them taste good. This is not at all unique to premade veg foods.
In all cases you should be making your own food from basic ingredients.

Saa 11:02AM May 04, 2012

"But all that glitters isn't gold. A marshmallow or jelly bean diet could count as a vegan diet. It is possible to do it badly."
This is an expert?.Neither of these foods are vegan.

andrew of OH 8:31AM May 04, 2012

Many vegan and vegetarian items sold in grocery stores have high levels of added sodium to make them taste good. This tends to limit the health benefits.

Steve of MA 2:35PM May 03, 2012

The media is so sensitive to the idea of not eating meat or dairy products that these articles always include some variation of "a vegan diet needs to be done very carefully, but then it can be very healthy."
What we should really be talking about is whether the standard kids diet of chicken nuggets, french fries, tater tots, ice cream, sugary cereal can be done carefully in any way to produce something marginally healthy.
I'd venture to say that most children get almost no nutrition from the food they eat on a daily basis, but those parents aren't scrutinized because they are so well understood. Children, after all, are picky and really prefer simple foods like pizza and pasta, right? They can't be made to eat vegetables on a regular basis, let alone fruits, or god forbid beans! In what crazy world is a parent who doesn't feed their child chicken nuggets looked down upon?

Cathleen of TN 11:31AM May 03, 2012