The Joys of Vegan Mothering

There exists a misguided notion out there that while a whole foods vegan diet may be good for heart disease patients or diabetics, it's not good for children. On the contrary, a vegetarian/vegan diet, when based on whole foods, is an excellent foundation for children. There are many advantages to a vegan diet (read here, for more). (For ideas on healthy snacks, see here).

I thought it might be helpful to show you what some vegan children look like, which hopefully will dispell any myths out there that vegan children are wasting away, stricken with all sorts of maladies and defeciencies, ect.

Let me introduce the joys of my life:
Hyrum, my oldest was 9 months when I started transitioning to a whole foods vegan diet and was still breastfeeding. Asher has been vegan since birth and Amalia has been vegan since conception. I have been through two pregnancies and breastfeeding on a plant-based diet.
I can't tell you how happy it makes me to feed my children this way. The joys of vegan mothering are many.

My kids love vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes! No need to "disguise" them in brownies or chicken nuggets or bribe them with goodies if they eat their veggies. They like them straight up.

Mothering is made so much easier in many ways. I still deal with tantrums and time-outs and all of the other ups and downs of motherhood of course, but the ear infections, constant tummy upsets, diarrhea, constipation, and other unpleasantries are virtually non-existent. My kids are healthy, energetic (an understatement!), and do not require frequent visits to the pediatrician. This makes my job so much easier.

No worrying about hormones, antibiotics, steroids, pesticides, and other potential and known carcinogens that are found abundantly in animal foods. No worrying if my kids are going to struggle with a weight problem, or develop diabetes (at least on my watch!). No worrying if my kids are getting the nutrients they need--their diet is rich in all the many important vitamins, minerals and other nutrients necessary for proper growth. No worrying that someday I'm going to have to explain that the hotdog they are eating is made from the dismembered and mutiliated body parts of pigs and other animals.

And lastly, I don't know if this one will fully realize itself for awhile, but my kids are/will be more aware, more conscious of their surroundings, how their choices (not just food choices) affect not only themselves, but everyone around them (including animals). It is my hope that they will grow up with a strong sense of compassion and love for all beings, human and non-human.

Amalia, our bright-eyed girl, loves her daddy, eating bananas, and playing with kittie cats.

Asher, has more energy than three kids his age combined. He loves running (he ran 1 mile without stopping once!), jumping, climbing, eating rice, coconut ice cream, and frozen berries.

Hyrum is very responsible, an excellent oldest brother. He has such a playful and loving spirit. His favorite foods are corn, beans, guacamole, and oranges.

He gets his lovely olive complexion from his daddy (and yes, all my children share the same father, although they don't look like they do!).

It's true, it is much easier to raise your children vegan then do a switcheroo when they're older. However, if you're wanting to make some positive dietary changes and your children are older, don't despair. While they might be more resistant to change, they can and will change. With a little love and encouragement, and good food (if it tastes good, they will eat it!), positive changes can occur.

While feeding children doesn't vary greatly from adults, they do have some specific nutritional needs that are important to be made aware of. For the most part though, what the parents eat, is what the kids will eat.

For more info on feeding children on a vegan diet check out Becoming Vegan (written by two vegan R.D.'s that includes a great section on children), Dr. Atwood's Low-fat Prescription for Kids, and Vive le Vegan (a cookbook that includes a section especially for babies and toddlers).