My kid wants to eat meat for the first time, but ive trained him to be vegan. help?

Question

yeahh.

Answer 1

I think it might be illegal to forbid a child meat if they want it. Not sure, though.

Let him try it. Otherwise he'll never know.

Also, I thought it was considered extremely risky to put a child on a vegan diet before a certain age due to brain development and such?

Answer 2

i promote vegans 100%...just explain to him why you choose for him (and yourself) not to eat meat...

and of course, take him for check-ups often and make sure he's getting the nutrients (that he would otherwise get from meat) from another source...things like vitamin supplements and stuff. you're doctor should be all over that kind of stuff.

and of course, later down the road, it'll be his choice, of course. maybe by being positive, you can counter a rebellious attitude. best of luck.

Answer 3

It is your childs personal choice, he may not wish to be vegan like u.  Wait until he can make choices for himself then you can ask him what he prefers.

Keeping a child away from something that interests them will only make matters worse.

You may find they are eating meat behind your back if you don't give them a choice.

Answer 4

I was a vegetarian for a long time, even when I was pregnant but I never brought my kids up on the diet.  It's not enough for growing kids, they lose out on a lot of important vitamins and minerals etc.  It should be like religion anyway, in that it should be a choice people make for themselves when they are adult.  If your kid is wanting to eat meat then maybe his own body is telling him something.

Answer 5

Well does he understand the meaning of being vegan and not eating animal products? Does he understand how animals are treated? If he does there's really nothing else you can do I guess or you could feed him vegan meat substitutes to show him that he can still get the taste without the harm to animals.

Answer 6

the general ignorance annoys me, some of the prev posters should check out PCRM - a vegan diet is the healthiest there is and one can get enough B12 by increasing certain foods http://www.nutritionmd.org/resources/cel...

and watch Earthlings http://www.isawearthlings.com . Even if it weren't healthy i would never partake in the horrendous suffering which the world chooses to be oblivious to. however vegan is the healthiest diet there is, so there is absol no excuse.

Speak to ur kid openly, show him Earthlings or if u grew up with the bible try the free movie on http://www.asacredduty.com make him understand why you are vegan and how blessed he is to not 'wake up' at 40 and realise that his body has been a graveyard. he can't see that when he lives in a world where stupidity and cruelty is glamorised (where the stench of dead flesh is 'seasoned to perfection'). my parents never did that, i once tasted meat when i was a kid... and i almost puked. i wish i'd known better.

Answer 7

Its your kids choice if they want to eat meat or not because you "training" them not to eat meat doesn't teach them anything. Whats the point of you making a choice for them they dnt have any idea why they are doping it or really care.

Answer 8

if you dont eat meat for whatever reason you dont, then i can understand why you wouldnt want your child to either...it kind of depends on how old he is but if hes younger than 10...just keep things the way they are.

when he gets older thought (teenager) youre really not going to be able to stop him anyway, so just keep him from it for the time being. good luck!

Answer 9

Let him eat meat.  

But remember - just like when people with chronic heart burn and other problems go on specific diets in order to reduce the acid production in their stomachs,  non-meat diets leads to decreased production of certain digestive chemicals.

Your sons body is no prepared to break down meats (or at least, not a lot).  Make sure he doesn't jump into it or he'll get sick.  He should only eat small amounts at a time at first so that his body will start producing the chemicals it needs to properly break down the meat again.

Answer 10

why force your beliefs on him? Depending on how old he is, he'll probably get sick because his body isn't used to it. If he doesn't want to be a vegan don't force him to be.

Answer 11

Although you have raised your child to be a vegan, let him/her explore their options on their own.  It may turn out that your child doesn't like meat at all.  Don't persuade them to be a vegan if they don't want to.  It will put stain on your relationship, and they will take more to the idea of meat.  I am not trying to tell you how to raise your children,  I'm just trying to help.  Hope I have!

Answer 12

As a child eating meat is very important (proteins) especially since kids don't yet have the self control or knowledge about what other foods will give them proteins.

Also, just because you "Train" him doesn't mean that's what he needs. Each body is different and each body know by itself what nutriets it needs.

I suggest you just let nature run it's course for now, then when he/she is older they can decide for themselves.

:)

Answer 13

see above

Vegan is your choice. You can tell him why you do it, you can't force him to do the same (well you CAN, but then in my opinion, that's bad parenting)

Answer 14

Your child should be expected to eat what is put before them, but just like anything else in life I think it is good to allow your child to try other choices and decide for themselves.  Your child is probably just curious and wants to try it...they may even end up likeing it and want to eat it regularly.  However, you should not be expected to make different meals, but if they decide they would like some meat sometimes then maybe  you can come to an agreement that you will let them have it once a week or every two weeks for example.  Alternatively you can forbid your child to try meat and tell them they ahve to wait until they are an adult but like anything else you forbid they will eventually find a way to do what they want and may go overboard....this is the same for drugs, alcholhol etc...so the same with meat.

Answer 15

why not?

in the end it's his choice

let him if u've already mentioned how messed up u think it is to eat a creature who's meant no harm

if he believes it's part of the circle of life let him

but don't let him eat fast food meat... (kfc is scary)

Answer 16

first off, no offense but i dont think vegan is the healthiest choice for a child i think thats a choice for them to make when they get older. i think if they want to eat meat let them if its healthy , they might do it sooner or later, one way or another!  

good luck!  GIRL 23*

Answer 17

My friend told me about this girl who turned herself into a veagan, then wen she finally wanted to eat meat, she got sick (threw up). But im not exactly sure how true tht was. It probly depends on how long ur son has been a veagan.

Answer 18

well thats good

its everybody own personal choice what they want to eat and/or be

tell them to try something small at first (like mince lamb or chicken) so they can digest it... there bodies r not use to it and it myt be too 'heavy' for them

lamb and chicken are easier to digest

Answer 19

His natural instincts are trying to take over.  I don't know how you can trick his instincts, but you might wanna consider spanking her.  Or if he chooses not to eat meat, take her to disneyland.  If she chooses to eat meat, make him go to summer bootcamp.

Answer 20

you can not train a child to be a vegan, it is a learned trait, but it is also his choice, if he wants to eat meat, it is not right to refuse him the choice to eat it. Good luck to you

Answer 21

I think it's your kid's choice.   I know a couple who are vegans themselves but still let their son eat dairy products (eggs, milk) and such.   You can always discuss with him why you don't eat meat but let him make the choice.

Answer 22

You sound like a very controlling parent. Let the kid eat meat if thats what he wants. It's his choice, not yours and if you don't let him do it now he'll do it sooner or later anyway.

Answer 23

no offense of anything, but let the kid try what he wants as far as food goes, if he doesnt like it, then so be it, but u cant get all the nutrients u need from just being vegan, sometimes u have to have meat and other things

Answer 24

its their personal choice, isnt it?

what if as a child you were raised in a family that ate meat and they forbid you to try eating vegan dishes?

Answer 25

You are the parent, he does not have the right to decide, that is your job. that said, you should be responsible enough to realize that meat is very impotant to a childs health and growth.

Answer 26

I think that it was wrong to raise your kid as a vegan. For god's sake it is a child, they are groowing why are you hindering their growth like thta.

Ok I'm probably over-reacting to this but raising your kid as a vegan is just wrong

Answer 27

A lot of people are saying it his personal choice, but that's a load of BS.  You are his parent and it's up to you to pass down your ethics and morals.  Just as parents raise their children a certain religion, your vegan ethics shouldn't be broken just because they want to do what other kids are doing.  Stick to your guns.  When they are outta the house, they can decide for themselves.

Answer 28

Let him try it, instead of making it a forbidden fruit and that much more appealing. Ten to one, he won't like it, and may possibly get sick if he's never eaten it.

I have a good vegan friend who keeps her household vegetarian, but leaves it up to her kids' choice when they're away (at school/ grandma's). It allows her to maintain her beliefs, yet leaves her kids with some freedom.

You should be raising your children, not training them. It's better to teach them the reasons behind your decisions and let them decide themselves rather than laying down the law.

Answer 29

It's unhealthy for kids to be vegan.  Try just plan vegetarian with milk products and eggs.  If you don't want your children to eat meat just explain your reasons to them.  They may eat meat on their own one day.  But seriously there are many problems with people trying to raise their kids to be vegan please research this.

Answer 30

you should let your child choose, if he wants to eat meat, you can't hold him back and make his choices for him, Im not going to say its good or bad or anything because I choose to respect your beliefs, but you should let your son make his own decisions and learn to not judge him for the decisions he makes.

Answer 31

Let your child choose!

Are you going to choose the wife/husband too?

Are you going to choose when they can have s*x?

Are you going to choose when they can move out of the house?

ETC........