Today I'm going to address something that some of you might feel uncomfortable about. You might not even like what I say, you might disagree with it, and you might feel uncomfortable reading it. But I just ask you to read, and to think.
That something is raising a child vegan.
And to those of your who care about me, and would care about my future
child(ren), please think thoroughly and check out the links I attach to
this post.
I know there are family members and friends who read my blog, and I want you to know why I in the future will do things the way I will - and I want you to know that I have given it a lot of thought and that I know what I'm doing.
First of all, I want to clear up what a vegan diet is:
Eating anything that hasn't derived from an animal (in any way).
That means that a vegan diet consists of fruits, berries, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and anything and everything derived from these products in any way (tofu, plant milk, any type of vegan meat substitute, vegan cheese, etc. etc. etc.).
Second, I want to clear up what a HEALTHY vegan diet is:
Eating a balanced portion and a good mix of all of the things mentioned above, in a way that covers all of your nutritional needs.
Third, I want to clear up a myth that I have personally heard people say:
You CAN get complete, full protein with all nine essential amino acids on a vegan diet!
The easiest and cheapest way is from eating soy beans.
Other sources are quinoa, buckwheat and hemp seeds.
You can also "make" a complete protein, by eating a combination of all nine essential amino acids from different food sources. Your body will take care of the rest.
Now that anyone reading hopefully understands exactly what I mean when I say a vegan diet (a healthy one), I'll try to make my point:
When I eventually get kids, I want to raise them vegan (and yes, breastfeeding is of course vegan, and the most natural thing you can do).
I am an educated vegan that has a high interest in nutrition, which I have had since I was a teenager. I know what foods I need and how to make my body happy. I don't always eat perfectly, I can sometimes eat very unhealthy, but I do know exactly what I need to stay healthy as a vegan, and most of the time I consider my nutritional needs while eating (perhaps not so much when I feel like some fast food, chips, ice cream or cake).
Actually, you wanna know something funny? I was diagnosed as anemic before I went vegetarian. After I changed to a vegetarian diet, my iron levels were back to normal.
It might sound weird, but I believe that it's due to the fact that you almost automatically become more aware of what you eat and what you need more of when you're on a specific type of diet.
Something that is very important to me, is that my family and close friends understand that I know what I'm doing, and what I'm talking about. You see, when you turn vegetarian or vegan (especially vegan), and you want to stay healthy and take good care of yourself, you HAVE to read up on nutrition. And as far as I know, it isn't that normal for someone who regularly eats meat and dairy to read up on the vegan diet and vegan nutrition too much. Am I right?
So, isn't it safe to say that I, as a vegan, understand the concept of vegan nutrition and what exactly is in what vegan foods a little bit better than the average person?
I'm not trying to brag or say I'm better than anyone, I'm simply saying I felt the need to be more aware of what is in the food I eat after I turned vegan, and that I think that is a normal thing.
Keeping that in mind, I want to point out that a baby is a human being. Us human beings can be herbivores just fine, as long as we look after our nutritional needs being taken care of.
To those of you who would question my decision to raise my baby vegan (eventually), I ask you:
Are you under the impression that I'm not taking care of myself because I'm vegan?
Do I seem malnourished to you?
Do you not think that my (future) baby would be my number one priority in this world, and that I would do everything and anything to keep it perfectly healthy and happy?
And yes, of course I would let them decide for themselves if they wanted to eat animal products once they would be old enough to decide what to eat, OF COURSE. But I think everyone should do what they feel is the best (and safe!) for them and their baby, as long as it's a conscious, well thought through and informative choice.
Believe me, when the day comes (it'll still be a good while), all I'll probably be doing for 9 months is reading up on how to keep my baby happy and healthy the way I feel is best.
After all, isn't that what all parents want for their child?
Isn't that what most parents actually do for their children?
We now live in a world where being conscious about what you eat and where it comes from is becoming more and more normal. Different sets of diets and lifestyles are much more explored, looked into and researched.
I hope I'm not upsetting anyone, I'm simply trying to get people who might not have thought too thoroughly about this kind of stuff to see things from a different angle.
Loads of love,
Malin
Want to read more on the subject?
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian diets
http://www.eatright.org/about/content.aspx?id=8357
Pediatrics in Review: Vegan Diets in Infants, Children and Adolescents
http://pedsinreview.aappublications.org/content/25/5/174.extract
Huffington Post Parents: Vegan Babies: A New Trend?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/vegan-moms-babies-toddlers_n_947060.html
VegNews: 3 Vegan Parenting Myths, Busted
http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=4678&catId=5
The Vegetarian Research Group: Protein in the Vegan Diet
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.php
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