Vegan kids: pros and cons

One of the main difficulties of vegetarianism and veganism in Russia is the acute negative from those who do not understand this way of life. Often, mothers who admit to the doctor that they have replaced meat with plant foods endure a barrage of accusations. And next time they read recipes on the Internet, trying to avoid medical attacks.

But even at home it is not easier for such families: grandmothers strive to slip a piece of fish or meat into the baby while the parents do not see. And to all the reproaches they say that they want the best. We collected the main fears of our moms and dads and asked Doctor Skalny to tell the truth: where you can continue to stand your ground, and where it is better to give in to the elders.

The family argument: man is a predator, he needs animal proteins for proper development. Only meat contains all the necessary set of amino acids at once, which is irreplaceable.

Vegan Arguments: meat is too heavy food that is poorly digested and clogs the body. With the right diet, the child will receive the necessary amino acids from plant foods, while the body will not be slagged, the child will not get sick, will be active and developed.

– As a rule, none of the parents raise a vegan child, unless he himself is part of this culture. That is, they have an idea of ​​a balanced diet. And as long as the mother is breastfeeding the baby, there is no reason at all for panic – he receives absolutely all the macro- and microelements necessary for development. Questions begin when breastfeeding is over, vegetables, cereals on the water are used. As for the necessary elements: if we choose a product of plant origin and animal origin, both there and there contain iron, zinc, calcium, most of the trace elements and vitamins. The question is where are they more digestible. Plant foods do not contain saturated fats, and vegetable oil is a source of unsaturated fats as well. That is, fats that are easily absorbed affect the level of cholesterol, the so-called good, not bad. But for some reason, nature has created other fats as well. It is believed that a child can actually get more nutrients from animal protein more easily and more. Because we are not born birds, we are more predators than herbivores, in terms of the structure of the intestines and other organs. Although there are studies that in people who have been eating plant foods for a long time, the internal organs have changed under new conditions – the same intestine, for example, lengthens, because more energy and strength is needed to digest some plant foods. From my experience, I can say that usually people who are serious about their health know the weak points of veganism and, for example, pay special attention to foods that are rich in the same vitamin B12. It is not true that it is irreplaceable and only found in meat. To correct the lack of B12, eat algae such as spirulina or kelp. And they get the desired element from there. They eat sprouts and buckwheat, parsley to get iron. Etc. Summing up, I will say: you can fully eat plant foods. But do not forget to regularly take tests with your child in order to identify the shortage of certain substances in time.

Family arguments: in the garden they will give a cutlet for lunch, and no one will watch if he is vegan or not. At the same time, it is not known how an organism that is not accustomed to processing meat will behave. Allergy? Shock? It can be deadly!

Mom’s arguments: By this age, the child himself is already getting used to a certain food culture, we explain to him what he eats and why. With children, they already consciously choose plant foods. And in general, it is not a fact that he will go to our garden.

– In fact, there are different groups of children. You don’t have to be vegan to give up meat. There are allergy sufferers who are intolerant to dairy products, for example, there are those who have a reaction to gluten. There are those who do not eat meat for reasons of family belief. In Russian kindergartens, of course, they will not take into account the preferences of the child in food, no one will cook for him alone. How ready is the mother every day to give the child with her containers with the first, second and third? After all, this must be done every day. But even here there is no guarantee that he will not crawl into a neighbor’s plate and taste his cutlet. Or a compassionate teacher will not secretly feed a sausage from mom. Will the child die from this due to some kind of creepy reaction? No. In pediatrics, it is believed that in order to prevent allergic reactions, in order to form enzymes for digesting food, the child should be allowed to try the maximum range of different types of food for up to 3 years. He may not eat: sniff, lick, bite. But at the same time, the brain structures will be affected, which will send an impulse to the digestive system, and it will begin to produce enzymes for the digestion of these types of foods. Therefore, if a child pulls something from the common adult table, there is no need to stop him. Give it a try.

Family arguments: what are these vegetables – I ate and an hour later I am hungry again! A growing body needs a lot of strength, you cannot take them from grass alone.

Mom’s arguments: porridge is the main source of energy for an adult meat-eater, because it can be taken from complex carbohydrates. At the same time, it is easy for the body to digest this food, it does not waste energy on processing animal proteins, therefore, on the contrary, it is lighter and more energetic.

– I repeat, I recommend that parents take tests with their children at least once or twice a year in order to control the level of protein and the content of other microelements. But there are also indirect signs by which it is possible to determine whether everything is in order with the child. So, for grandmothers, an increase in the frequency of colds and a decrease in immunity can become a guideline. If suddenly the baby lags behind in growth (this may be due to a lack of zinc, which is found in large quantities in animal proteins), in speech development, he went late, he has scattered attention, he quickly gets tired. These signs are a reason to be wary and get tested. If all indicators are normal, if the child is active and cheerful, at the moment there is no cause for concern.

The family argument: you yourself decided that he does not want all these delicious dishes, this is child abuse. Let him decide for himself!

Mom’s arguments: when you slip candy or junk food on your child, you are also committing violence because you choose for him.

– Yes, there is such a moment. But the child still has a choice: after all, he is with his mother in the supermarket and sees the variety on the shelves, receives some information. And he can say what he wants. But it is clear that up to a certain age, his mother influences his behavior to a greater extent, she determines what is best for him. And a story can happen when at a friend’s birthday he eats a cake, such as on a margarine, with sugar and other things, which he has never seen. And he is taken away with some development of reactive pancreatitis. But nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine such sterile conditions under which a child up to a certain age would not have any opportunity to see a variety of products. In my opinion, in order to take responsibility for deciding for a child, you need to have just an incredible intuitive flair, to be one with him. Or it turns out to be violence against the person. And in the case when you shove a cutlet into him against his will, and when you feed him one zucchini. When the parents decide everything for the child, they take away the right to choose from him. Without filling its cones, it will not develop further.

Family arguments: it was not for nothing that they invented all the medicines that exist in the XNUMXst century. They make it easy to cope with diseases from which you used to die. Why watch a child suffer from coughs and fever when safe syrup can be given?

Mom’s arguments: we are accustomed to stuffing the child with drugs at the slightest sneeze, killing his immune system. In the end, she doesn’t want to fight. Up to a certain limit, the body itself is able to cope with the temperature, and you can help it with healthy food: honey, fruits, herbs. The next time the child will not get sick where his peer falls down with the flu.

– There are two points. On the one hand, mothers are right about something: pharmacies now have a huge amount of different multi-pultivitamins and supplements, and the use of all of this can often do more harm than help. Because it’s hard to make a pill that’s right for all kids. But at the same time, parents must be aware that there is nothing absolutely good or bad. It is important at the right time to support the child’s body where it is needed. And this should be done together with a doctor. Vegetarianism and doctors are a separate big problem, not all doctors, unfortunately, react calmly to this style of eating. But parents must understand that with clear signs that the child is very ill, one cannot just sit and wait, whether the body will overcome the infection or not. I do not deny that there is herbal medicine, herbal medicine and so on, and maybe it helps someone. And some don’t. On the third hand, in Europe, doctors are generally not supporters of medication for colds. There is a very fine line here: if a child gets sick 5-6 times a year, it means that something is wrong with the immune link, which means that you need to help him somehow. And here all prejudices are to be put aside. In general, there is a moment that vegans are generally stronger. For those who eat meat, the immune system is strained more. It is really easier for our body to process plant food, and the immune system spends less energy, it is stronger. That is, children, in principle, get sick less. It is not for nothing that when we are sick, we do not want to eat, because the body does not want to waste energy on processing food. But someone else’s experience is not always applicable, what is good for one child may not pass without leaving a trace for another. This is bad advice from the Internet.