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[lock2k]

Not eating meat if you don't want is ok but forcing it into children is fucking disgusting. Humans are the only fucking moron kind of animals who lile to go against nature. You don't see a Tiger going "let's be plant based and chill". No, they go in for the kill and drink the fucking blood afterwards. I've seen idiots trying to raise dogs are vegans. Fuck these people, seriously. If my dog could talk she would say it out loud she prefers to eat meat. I've even given raw meat to her one time just to see what she would do and she wolfed it like a champ. Meat is awesome. I'm celebrating my birthday today (it was actually yesterday but I had to study the whole night) and we are having brisket and several other kinds of meat, yum yum.

Also, I love seeing fat people eating the shit out of artificial bomb hamburgers that have more chemicals than chernobyl and bragging about it being "plant-based". C'mon. Way worse than a real patty for the health. They don't even know what kind of fat they are eating.

 

[Kev Kev]

Instilling morals on your kid is not the same as destroying their health.

If you're adhering to the strictest of the diets with your kids, you are actively stunting their growth and brain development.

they basically need a normal diet to grow.

oy, this topic turned into a shit show.

yall need to realize that the same nutrients can be found in plant based foods, nutrient fortified vegan foods and breast milk (yes breast milk is vegan because it doesn't exploit animals, thats the idea of being vegan you dodo's)

and if youre going to make claims that a vegan diet destroys your health, stunts growth and brain development or that a normal diet is necessary for growth, then you need to do a little bit more explaining of your reasoning and define what a "normal" diet is

honestly, this topic has been done to death on other boards and in discussions with people in real life, and nothing productive ever comes from it. everyone has taken their sides and its not going to change with the exchange of words. the only thing that will change a persons mind is they investigate and come to their own conclusions.

for the record, if i had a kid id feed them mostly plant based foods but i wouldnt exclude meat, egg or dairy products. id let them make that decision on their own, in their own time

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

It's abuse.

 

[Ornlu]

oy, this topic turned into a shit show.

yall need to realize that the same nutrients can be found in plant based foods, nutrient fortified vegan foods and breast milk (yes breast milk is vegan because it doesn't exploit animals, thats the idea of being vegan you dodo's)

and if youre going to make claims that a vegan diet destroys your health, stunts growth and brain development or that a normal diet is necessary for growth, then you need to do a little bit more explaining of your reasoning and define what a "normal" diet is

honestly, this topic has been done to death on other boards and in discussions with people in real life, and nothing productive ever comes from it. everyone has taken their sides and its not going to change with the exchange of words. the only thing that will change a persons mind is they investigate and come to their own conclusions.

for the record, if i had a kid id feed them mostly plant based foods but i wouldnt exclude meat, egg or dairy products. id let them make that decision on their own, in their own time

So your argument is that vegan for kids is fine if you're a 1%'er, but not good for everyone else? Because a 1%'er is the only group that is reasonably going to be able to provide all of the specific, required nutrition in the amounts needed for a child to still develop properly under an all-plant based diet. Supplements, meal plans, dieticians, extra medical visits, vastly increased food costs, etc. If that's your argument, then sure. Throwing money at a problem solves most things in life.

Or you could just make sure your kid eats a healthy amount of animal fats and proteins every week, skip all the bullshit, and save yourself $20K a year. You can even cut your household consumption of meat drastically and still be fine. What is even remotely crazy about that?

Malnutrition Case Stirs Debate About Vegan Diets for Babies (Published 2019)

A judge in Australia said a couple had left their baby “severely malnourished” on a strict vegan diet. Experts said that, with proper guidance, children can be on a totally plant-based diet.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Kev Kev]

So your argument is that vegan for kids is fine if you're a 1%'er, but not good for everyone else? Because a 1%'er is the only group that is reasonably going to be able to provide all of the specific, required nutrition in the amounts needed for a child to still develop properly under an all-plant based diet. Supplements, meal plans, dieticians, extra medical visits, vastly increased food costs, etc. If that's your argument, then sure. Throwing money at a problem solves most things in life.

Or you could just make sure your kid eats a healthy amount of animal fats and proteins every week, skip all the bullshit, and save yourself $20K a year. You can even cut your household consumption of meat drastically and still be fine. What is even remotely crazy about that?

Malnutrition Case Stirs Debate About Vegan Diets for Babies (Published 2019)

A judge in Australia said a couple had left their baby “severely malnourished” on a strict vegan diet. Experts said that, with proper guidance, children can be on a totally plant-based diet.

www.nytimes.com

1%er? 20k a year? what the fuck are you talking about

not even going to respond to this nonsense

 

[Codes 208]

My sister is vegan and when she had her kid she was raised vegan. She’s already four and very healthy for her age. The mantra of malnutrition is a myth, theres plenty of protein in various vegetables and for kids theres plenty of vegan alternative to snacks (some oreos are even vegan because they dont use milk or eggs) plus vegan cookies, gummies, chocolates, etc means vegan kids have similar fun snacks as a child on a regular diet.

Its not a lifestyle I’d choose now as I love meat and most vegan alternatives just taste wrong to me, but it’s not a terrible alternative. (Except when it comes to pets. dont feed your carnivorous animals a vegetarian only diet. dogs and cats, especially cats, do need meat in their diet as a particular type of enzyme is only found in animal protein.)

 

[Caffeine]

oy, this topic turned into a shit show.

yall need to realize that the same nutrients can be found in plant based foods, nutrient fortified vegan foods and breast milk (yes breast milk is vegan because it doesn't exploit animals, thats the idea of being vegan you dodo's)

and if youre going to make claims that a vegan diet destroys your health, stunts growth and brain development or that a normal diet is necessary for growth, then you need to do a little bit more explaining of your reasoning and define what a "normal" diet is

honestly, this topic has been done to death on other boards and in discussions with people in real life, and nothing productive ever comes from it. everyone has taken their sides and its not going to change with the exchange of words. the only thing that will change a persons mind is they investigate and come to their own conclusions.

for the record, if i had a kid id feed them mostly plant based foods but i wouldnt exclude meat, egg or dairy products. id let them make that decision on their own, in their own time

I'm not claiming a vegan diet destroys health and all that, you can do it properly, Most parents however dont and it leads to malnutrition. A normal diet is the correct amount of nutrition for the kid that's it. This is more of the case that malnutrition due to the parents not controlling the levels of intake leads to health/growth/and brain development issues for an infant.

 

[Kev Kev]

I'm not claiming a vegan diet destroys health and all that, you can do it properly, Most parents however dont and it leads to malnutrition. A normal diet is the correct amount of nutrition for the kid that's it. This is more of the case that malnutrition due to the parents not controlling the levels of intake leads to health/growth/and brain development issues for an infant.

i can agree with this. and thats all im saying too: yes it can be done. but youre right, most people will fuck it up because it takes knowledge and attention, and for the most part, people go vegan these days because its trendy. and to push that on your infant when you dont know what tf youre doing is absolutely child abuse

 

[Ememee]

I’m not a doctor (or a parent thank god) but I’d imagine it would be incredibly difficult. Not just for the baby but ironically for the parent as well.

 

[lock2k]

The main gripe I have with the current vegan people I know is the fact that they are fat slobs who hate salad whereas I eat meat but I eat a shitload of fruits and vegetables and they eat chemical imitations of meat and claim they are healthier than people like me. Old school vegans at least loved salad but these new ones want to eat simulated meat with no guilt and it has nothing to do with beaing healthy. The fattest girl of my office is a vegan because she doesn't want to eat animals but she is really overweight and eats like a motherfucker to compensate. Modern vegans who keep imitating meat are like lesbians who say they don't need dick but love to play with dildos. Hypocrites.

 

[MaestroMike]

you let ur kid taste different foods/meals and ask them what they want for breakfast/lunch/dinner or leave the fridge stocked so they can choose for themselves when you're not around. have them choose a protein source (nonfat/lowfat yogurt, cheese, beans/lentils, lean meat/poultry/fish), something starchy (rice, sweet potatoes, bread/crackers), a veggie source (kale/broccoli/spinach) with a source of different fats (almonds, hazelnuts, chia/flax seeds, walnuts, avocados, egg yolks, dark chocolate) and a fruit source (strawberries, black/blue/raspberries, oranges, lemons, bananas). Still might need to supplement with zinc, vitamin b12, vitamin D and collagen powder.

Trying to survive on a vegan diet especially if you're a man and have to work all the time is very difficult. As you grow older, have saved enough money and don't need to work as much, you can start transitioning to a vegan diet if you wish. A vegetarian diet is way more do-able since you can still eat dairy/eggs, but going full vegan is like living life on super hard mode. Maybe you can take a few periods out of the year and go into vegan mode, but I sure as hel! won't hate on anyone that wants to a break from being vegan especially if they lost a lot of muscle mass or need to start doing a lot of physical work to make some money.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Gross negligence and child abuse, but it's still probably better than growing up dirt poor.

 

[Ornlu]

Gross negligence and child abuse, but it's still probably better than growing up dirt poor.

Nah dude, govt will hook you up with some killer cheese, milk, and peanut butter, along with free breakfast and lunch at school, and free meals sent home on the weekends. Let me stress from experience that poor kids don't starve unless their parents are selling off their food aid for drugs/smokes/booze, or bartering their shit away to pay for something else.

1%er? 20k a year? what the fuck are you talking about

not even going to respond to this nonsense

Ok. Sucks for most of the kids stuck with crazy vegan parents, I guess. Since most of them aren't going to be able to do it "correctly" according to you.

 

[TheGreatYosh]

oy, this topic turned into a shit show.

yall need to realize that the same nutrients can be found in plant based foods, nutrient fortified vegan foods and breast milk (yes breast milk is vegan because it doesn't exploit animals, thats the idea of being vegan you dodo's)

and if youre going to make claims that a vegan diet destroys your health, stunts growth and brain development or that a normal diet is necessary for growth, then you need to do a little bit more explaining of your reasoning and define what a "normal" diet is

honestly, this topic has been done to death on other boards and in discussions with people in real life, and nothing productive ever comes from it. everyone has taken their sides and its not going to change with the exchange of words. the only thing that will change a persons mind is they investigate and come to their own conclusions.

for the record, if i had a kid id feed them mostly plant based foods but i wouldnt exclude meat, egg or dairy products. id let them make that decision on their own, in their own time

Kindly, shut the fuck up. The amount of right plants you would need to compensate somewhat is ridiculous, and prohibitively expensive. You can't substitute a nice grass fed steak no matter how hard you try. And especially for boys. I hope you don't have kids.

 

[Kev Kev]

Kindly, shut the fuck up. The amount of right plants you would need to compensate somewhat is ridiculous, and prohibitively expensive. You can't substitute a nice grass fed steak no matter how hard you try. And especially for boys. I hope you don't have kids.

you have no idea what youre talking about.

 

[TheGreatYosh]

you have no idea what youre talking about.

Ok, Vegan.

 

[Kev Kev]

Ok, Vegan.

good comeback

 

[DESTROYA]

As long as they are doing it right i dont see a problem. People of all ages can eat a vegan diet and live healthy lives.

Shut up you only weigh 118lbs.

 

[TaySan]

Shut up you only weigh 118lbs.

But that's normal for a 5'6 male.

 

[Kev Kev]

 

[mr.dilya]

Not eating meat if you don't want is ok but forcing it into children is fucking disgusting. Humans are the only fucking moron kind of animals who lile to go against nature. You don't see a Tiger going "let's be plant based and chill". No, they go in for the kill and drink the fucking blood afterwards. I've seen idiots trying to raise dogs are vegans. Fuck these people, seriously. If my dog could talk she would say it out loud she prefers to eat meat. I've even given raw meat to her one time just to see what she would do and she wolfed it like a champ. Meat is awesome. I'm celebrating my birthday today (it was actually yesterday but I had to study the whole night) and we are having brisket and several other kinds of meat, yum yum.

Also, I love seeing fat people eating the shit out of artificial bomb hamburgers that have more chemicals than chernobyl and bragging about it being "plant-based". C'mon. Way worse than a real patty for the health. They don't even know what kind of fat they are eating.

I was raised a vegetarian, ate a little meat in my teens, and reverted back to vegetarianism in my 20's. I am thankful I was raised in a vegetarian household.

Instead of worrying about what vegetarians and vegans are feeding their kids, you should direct your anger at parents who take their kids to Mcdonalds everyday and keep the fridge full of Soda. Believe me, those of us who were not raised with the idea that meat is an essential part of a healthy diet (bullshit) are doing just fine.

 

[TaySan]

This site said my BMI was 19 and that was normal. So i'm not really sure what's accurate. Though i will admit i'm a little on the skinny side.

 

[mr.dilya]

If you're sitting your baby down with a bigmac, yes you're a pretty bad parent too. They probably don't even have teeth yet. Can you imagine enjoying sucking on a bigmac until it slowly dissolved by your gumming action? I can't.

I see that all the time. I used to work next a Mcdonalds, I would always see these fat ass families in there, with their fat ass kids mad happy to be inside a Mcdonalds. Any meal that's full of grease and sugar is a happy meal to these degenerates.

 

[lock2k]

I was raised a vegetarian, ate a little meat in my teens, and reverted back to vegetarianism in my 20's. I am thankful I was raised in a vegetarian household.

Instead of worrying about what vegetarians and vegans are feeding their kids, you should direct your anger at parents who take their kids to Mcdonalds everyday and keep the fridge full of Soda. Believe me, those of us who were not raised with the idea that meat is an essential part of a healthy diet (bullshit) are doing just fine.

No, both examples are retarded. One isn't better than the other.

I raise my kid as an omnivore who has access to all the good and healthy things life has to offer - she eats plenty of fruits and vegetables and whatnot and she also eats meat including fish, chicken, beef, pork and all that. The opposite of being vegan is not being a McDonald's addict - those are just as retarded as the vegan parents. A friend of mine is exactly like that - he only eats shitty things and his daughter is ruined because of it - she is 6 years old and still skinny but her body has all kinds of junk in it already, gross shit.

Also, we have no soda at home, we drink water and homemade tea (I would be a fucking pork if I drank soda) - I drink soda like once in two months when I'm at a birthday party or something like that - I'm also not an alcoholic.

Also, vegetarians and vegans are not the same at all. The vegetarians I know are pretty chill and they do not preach against meat eating. Most vegans I know, on the other hand, have fallen in love with a dog or a cat and they think they should not eat animals because of that. If a dog could talk he tell tell vegans to fuck off and would say it prefers to eat meat.

 

[Kev Kev]

This site said my BMI was 19 and that was normal. So i'm not really sure what's accurate. Though i will admit i'm a little on the skinny side.

saul goodman, im just givin you a hard time

 

[Kev Kev]

No, both examples are retarded. One isn't better than the other.

I raise my kid as an omnivore who has access to all the good and healthy things life has to offer - she eats plenty of fruits and vegetables and whatnot and she also eats meat including fish, chicken, beef, pork and all that. The opposite of being vegan is not being a McDonald's addict - those are just as retarded as the vegan parents. A friend of mine is exactly like that - he only eats shitty things and his daughter is ruined because of it - she is 6 years old and still skinny but her body has all kinds of junk in it already, gross shit.

Also, we have no soda at home, we drink water and homemade tea (I would be a fucking pork if I drank soda) - I drink soda like once in two months when I'm at a birthday party or something like that - I'm also not an alcoholic.

Also, vegetarians and vegans are not the same at all. The vegetarians I know are pretty chill and they do not preach against meat eating. Most vegans I know, on the other hand, have fallen in love with a dog or a cat and they think they should not eat animals because of that. If a dog could talk he tell tell vegans to fuck off and would say it prefers to eat meat.

you gonna be ok?

 

[Northeastmonk]

I think you can raise a vegan family and be just fine. Who gets milk? Baby cows get milk. Nothing said we needed milk. Nothing said we had to kill a beast for their meat. There are plenty of sources for protein other than meat, way more.
Dark greens are the healthiest foods on earth.

I don’t get it. Kids don’t just crave meat. Their parents have to provide it. I became vegan and I don’t crave meat. It just doesn’t sound appealing or good for me. I get all my nutrients and our pediatrician supports the kids being vegan. The kids have a choice and sometime the youngest eats chicken fingers. Which is fried chicken. We get her a substitute that she enjoys.

Walking around saying it’s wrong like a second dimension. There are some good cards to be played and some people just don’t see the good deck. Dr Gregor is a good source of information if anyone wants to learn more.

How Not to Diet | NutritionFacts.org

Dr. Greger hones in on the optimal criteria to enable weight loss while considering how these foods actually affect our health and longevity. He lays out the key ingredients of the ideal weight-loss diet—factors such as calorie density, the insulin index, and the impact of foods on our gut...

nutritionfacts.org

Nutrition For Children | NutritionFacts.org

The latest research on optimal nutrition for children. Learn more in our easy to understand videos.

nutritionfacts.org

 

[TheGreatYosh]

I think you can raise a vegan family and be just fine. Who gets milk? Baby cows get milk. Nothing said we needed milk. Nothing said we had to kill a beast for their meat. There are plenty of sources for protein other than meat, way more.
Dark greens are the healthiest foods on earth.

I don’t get it. Kids don’t just crave meat. Their parents have to provide it. I became vegan and I don’t crave meat. It just doesn’t sound appealing or good for me. I get all my nutrients and our pediatrician supports the kids being vegan. The kids have a choice and sometime the youngest eats chicken fingers. Which is fried chicken. We get her a substitute that she enjoys.

Walking around saying it’s wrong like a second dimension. There are some good cards to be played and some people just don’t see the good deck. Dr Gregor is a good source of information if anyone wants to learn more.

How Not to Diet | NutritionFacts.org

Dr. Greger hones in on the optimal criteria to enable weight loss while considering how these foods actually affect our health and longevity. He lays out the key ingredients of the ideal weight-loss diet—factors such as calorie density, the insulin index, and the impact of foods on our gut...

nutritionfacts.org

Nutrition For Children | NutritionFacts.org

The latest research on optimal nutrition for children. Learn more in our easy to understand videos.

nutritionfacts.org

Baby humans get milk too.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I know organizations like the ADA say that a well planned vegan diet is fine for all stages of life.

I don't believe it. You can twist science into supporting any thesis you like.

There has never existed a vegan society. It's a big ass experiment.

 

[lock2k]

you gonna be ok?

I am ok. lol

 

[Northeastmonk]

Baby humans get milk too.

They get the milk from their mother, not another animal. Baby cows are taken away from their mothers around birth. Their mothers basically collapse from being some milk producing machine. Plus they lose their bond with their babies. We don’t take human mothers and force them to produce milk for mass consumption. Then when they collapse we haul them off like some rejected specimen.

I also have some views about the treatment of animals. I feel like animals suffer more abuse than anything else on earth.

 

[TheGreatYosh]

My sister is vegan and when she had her kid she was raised vegan. She’s already four and very healthy for her age. The mantra of malnutrition is a myth, theres plenty of protein in various vegetables and for kids theres plenty of vegan alternative to snacks (some oreos are even vegan because they dont use milk or eggs) plus vegan cookies, gummies, chocolates, etc means vegan kids have similar fun snacks as a child on a regular diet.

Its not a lifestyle I’d choose now as I love meat and most vegan alternatives just taste wrong to me, but it’s not a terrible alternative. (Except when it comes to pets. dont feed your carnivorous animals a vegetarian only diet. dogs and cats, especially cats, do need meat in their diet as a particular type of enzyme is only found in animal protein.)

You can say that, but it's bullshit. Would you say a kid is healthy if they were raised on a fast food diet? Cause there are many kids that look healthy raised on that.

 

[TheGreatYosh]

They get the milk from their mother, not another animal. Baby cows are taken away from their mothers around birth. Their mothers basically collapse from being some milk producing machine. Plus they lose their bond with their babies. We don’t take human mothers and force them to produce milk for mass consumption. Then when they collapse we haul them off like some rejected specimen.

I also have some views about the treatment of animals. I feel like animals suffer more abuse than anything else on earth.

I haven't said anything about factory farming. Hell, I didn't even say anything about drinking cow milk.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I haven't said anything about factory farming. Hell, I didn't even say anything about drinking cow milk.

Babys get milk from their mother. It’s also for survival. We all get passed that point in life. We don’t need our mothers milk anymore. I didn’t know to which point your statement was about or was it just about a baby getting their mothers milk.

 

[TheGreatYosh]

I know organizations like the ADA say that a well planned vegan diet is fine for all stages of life.

I don't believe it. You can twist science into supporting any thesis you like.

There has never existed a vegan society. It's a big ass experiment.

I want to see it. Vegans should make their own state.

Babys get milk from their mother. It’s also for survival. We all get passed that point in life. We don’t need our mothers milk anymore. I didn’t know to which point your statement was about or was it just about a baby getting their mothers milk.

Yes.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

When raising a child from newborn to 1 years old, parents should be testing for food allergies. This serves the dual purpose of seeing what allergies they already have but also preventing new allergies from developing in the future:

Egg, dairy, peanut, tree nuts, fish and shellfish can be gradually introduced after less allergenic foods have been tolerated. In fact, delaying the introduction of these foods may increase your baby’s risk of developing allergies.​

If the baby is robbed of the opportunity to try a variety of foods in infancy, when this kid or adult randomly decides to eat those ingredients outside of the Safe Space Bubble, they may expose an inconvenient or even a life-threatening allergy to those foods later on in life.

Let's flip the script and imagine a staunchly "anti-vegan" family who cuts out all soy from a baby's diet. Formula and some baby foods are out, but soy is also a common allergen. Imagine if this child didn't get the chance to try soy as a baby, wants to become a vegan, but then finds out they have an allergy partly due to their parents refusing to give them soy when developing their immune system.

Would vegans be cheering for the same kind of "alternative diet"?

 

[Codes 208]

You can say that, but it's bullshit. Would you say a kid is healthy if they were raised on a fast food diet? Cause there are many kids that look healthy raised on that.

Its not even about looks, every doctor’s appointment she comes out with flying colors. A kid raised on mostly sugar/fast food will show signs sooner or later whether its childhood obesity or higher than average blood pressure/sodium levels due to the increase in sat fats, cholesterol and salt.

the important thing is shes still getting the neccessary proteins, vitamins, calcium and fiber, without the byproduct of sat fats/cholestrol.

 

[-Minsc-]

I'm personally not gong to say one way or another. If vegan is healthy then it is what it is. If vegan happens to be healthier than a diet which includes meat then that also is what it is. At the end of the day it is logical to say each of our bodies has a different tolerance to different food and there is no one best diet.

 

[Tesseract]

 

[Super Mario]

Who would have thought a woman covered in tattoos is a free-thinker, ready to tell you how her ideas are the best?

The truth is, a balanced-diet is the most healthy. The amount of people who eat that, is far and few. Too much of anything is generally not good for you. If you eat red meat and cheese for every meal, yea, that is not good. However, there is a ton of nutrients that vegans have a hard time getting. If you need a supplement to get them all, chances are, we weren't designed to eat that diet.

 

[GeorgioCostanzaX]

Do vegans consider mother’s milk to be Vegan? I mean I never got the rational behind not allowing eggs and dairy as long as you’re buying free range organic, buying your own hens, and going out of your way to not buy brands that use factory farms. Veganism is more about protesting cruelty to animals which I respect and sure I can agree killing animals for food the way we do at gigantic plants is horrific but the egg and cheese thing is just nuts. I eat meat but I go out of my way to buy stuff from organic or local sources not the shit Tyson and Hormel put out.

 

[nikolino840]

Nature made milk for a good reason - it has all the nutrition a baby needs. So its wrong for parents to feed baby a vegan diet.

From the mom's tits yeah

 

[ipukespiders]

Imagine growing up with vegan parents. Can a soy boy even get a woman pregnant?

 

[BigBooper]

Imagine growing up with vegan parents. Can a soy boy even get a woman pregnant?

Does it count if you use someone else's semen?

 

[H4ze]

These fucks should go to jail, oh and they should not be allowed to have any more children.

 

[The Lunch Legend]

Can a soy boy even get a woman pregnant?

I highly doubt it

 

[Knch]

I’d be way more concerned with parents stuffing their little obese diabetic babies processed and fast food all the time.

A blended up big mac is a perfectly appropriate substitute for breast milk! You should edumacate yourself on them Googles!

 

[StormCell]

Why can't we hate both, indoctrinating your child with that religious bullshit and feeding it only veggies instead of delicious steaks?

You can hate it, but why would you hate freedom? If you're not free to indoctrinate your child with your personal beliefs, then your child has to be indoctrinated with someone else's anti-religious bullshit. That's how it works.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

You can hate it, but why would you hate freedom? If you're not free to indoctrinate your child with your personal beliefs, then your child has to be indoctrinated with someone else's anti-religious bullshit. That's how it works.

How about letting your child chose him/herself when he/she is old enough.

 

[StormCell]

Veganism strikes me as the fanatical fundamentalist sect that had roots in vegetarianism at one time. I like vegetarian meals and occasionally don't eat meat for several days. Vegans make the matter very personal, intimate, and borderline-religious. Vegans avoid all food products that come from animals, and additionally they're also very vocal about their disdain for animal-based foods, including milk, cheese, and eggs.

I'm tempted to call vegans bad names because of this.

But I know from anecdotal evidence that children can grow up very healthy on mostly vegetarian diets, even ones without dairy in them. My friends are raising three kids on a shoestring budget, and vegetarian is more affordable. Meat gets expensive. Dairy is too. We've never had a bad meal at their house. Thankfully, these aren't vegan folks, though, so they're not thumbing their noses at us across the dinner table throughout the meal.