Quote:
Originally Posted by Burning Down
Oh, you're not mean! You are a good mom by not totally restricting him from consuming meat when he's with friends, and that you're also practicing what you preach at home. I think as he gets older and understands more about diet, nutrition, and health he will make an informed choice about the right kind of diet for him. I am betting that he will eventually gravitate towards vegetarianism at the very least, solely based on the diet you provide at home right now.
I'm not vegetarian by any means, but I don't eat a whole lot of meat products overall. But I do like it. I was always glad my parents were accommodating of any choices I made about my own diet - I was always given the choice of "meat or no meat" at mealtimes so I knew that if I had chosen to be vegetarian they would not have an issue with it. I assume most vegetarian/vegan parents are accommodating in that way while also explaining the benefits of no meat or animal products.
|
Thanks for the support, Burning Down. I'm used to being called a 'mean mom' now for very minor things (such as I tell him to go to bed at 10:30 PM! And I don't let him play computer games until 2 AM!), so I take it in stride.
I know he loves me, even when he's upset.
The issue of what foods to offer kids *is* an interesting one. Your parents had an open-minded attitude of "meat or no meat" at mealtimes.
Given the negative health consequences of red meat, do you feel it is mean to offer meat to kids regularly? Generally, giving people something that increases their risk of mortality significantly isn't a very good thing to do, and especially not if they are kids.
In that recent Harvard study, it was found that "one daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of mortality, and one daily serving of processed red meat (one hot dog or two slices of bacon) was associated with a 20 percent increased risk."
If I were offering my child something that increased his risk of mortality by 20%, I'd feel awful.
My guess is most vegetarian or vegan parents do
not offer meat at home, but I don't really know! I know so few vegetarians and vegans.