Monday, February 28, 2011

Going Vegan...

When Mike got home this time he hit me with a new life change. He had decided to become vegan while he was gone. He said he had been thinking about it for a while and had made up his mind while at work. At first i was really upset. Not sure why, i think it just bothered me that he came home different than he left and hadn't really told me about it until he had made up his mind. Now that I am used to the idea and have been having fun finding new ways to cook and eat it is better. I am trying to be supportive so I don't buy or cook things at home that aren't vegan. When I go out or eat at other people's houses I don't eat meat anymore but no dairy and eggs is harder. Mike and I are reading the book Eating Animals which is the book that made him decide to go vegan. We are about half way through and i definitely see the benefits of being vegetarian but not really sure about being vegan.

Mikes reasoning is the inhumane treatment of animals in the dairy industry. It's really hard for me to think about giving up some of my favorite foods. I guess i will have to update again when we are finished reading the book.

Mike would like our children, when we have them, to be vegan as well. I wonder how that is for kids also what kind of things you have to be careful of with kids? Also when i get pregnant if there is anything i have to do special if i become vegan?

4 comments:

  1. Vegan kids would be very tricky, since they can't really vocalize what their specific diet is, and other people will have a hard time feeding them when you aren't around. For instance, if they went to a sleepover, the parents of the other kid might not be sure what to do with them...no pizza, no ice cream, no pancakes. If they get something they aren't used to eating, it will make them sick. Plus, kids are sneaky little buggers and will eat what they want when you aren't around to tell them how evil the egg collectors are, so they might get sick then, too. Don't know how it would work, but it's probably not impossible either.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It won't be easy, but you will need to find some creative ways to get iron and protein into your diet. When you are pregnant you need 80 to 100 grams of protein per day and it's simply easier when you eat meat, but not impossible.

    With kids it's tough getting enough iron, vitamin D and calcium into them when they are toddlers and picky about their food. A friend of mine who is vegetarian gives her son fish and occasionally chicken, simply because he needs the iron and it is much more easily absorbed from the meat than from vegetables or supplements.
    I can ask her if she recommends a book or two or a website on the subject.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My friend recommends this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0935526633

    She says it talks about veggie and vegan life during pregnancy and feeding a baby the same way. Pretty straight forward. The best part is that it goes through what is actually needed in a nutritious diet and what you can eat to get it (and feed your child.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much. I will have to get that book soon.

    ReplyDelete