HOW TO EXPLAIN THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE TO YOUR CHILDREN
Written by Emma Wilson, creator of Vegan Calm.
It’s easy to make choices for yourself. You just have to set an intention, create a plan, and stick with it. When I made the decision to go vegan, I was single, living on my own, and had no responsibilities. This made going vegan relatively simple for me.
But once you become a parent, things change. As a vegan parent, your children are likely going to have a lot of questions. I’ll do my best to give you some solid advice for explaining the vegan lifestyle to your kids.
With any luck, they’ll have a better understanding of why you’re vegan. You may even convince them to try a plant-based diet too!
In the US, currently just one out of every ten people consider themselves vegan or vegetarian (data suggests 10% of the UK population are vegetarian). Statistically speaking, we’re a minority when compared to the majority of meat-eaters out there. That being said, the trend of following a meat-free diet is growing.
Some kids naturally love plant-based foods, especially if you introduced lots of fresh greens into their diet as a toddler. Other kids aren’t quite as gung-ho about it. They might think that the vegan lifestyle is strange, hate vegetables, or have some other opinion about it.
Either way, you’re going to get some questions about why you chose the lifestyle and why you eat what you eat. With that in mind, here are some helpful points to cover as your attempt to explain the vegan lifestyle to your children.
Animal well-being
If there’s one thing that most children have in common, it’s this - kids love animals.
Thanks to modern marketing, there’s a huge disconnect when it comes to what we see on our plate and how it arrived there. Most kids who are begging for a burger aren’t thinking about how the burger came to be.
When asked about why you don’t eat meat, explain that you love animals too much to eat them. Your could tell them that every piece of meat came from a living animal.
You can also point out that veggie burgers can taste just as good as hamburgers, especially with their favourite ketchup!
Explain that even non-meat foods, such as milk and dairy products, can sometimes lead to discomfort for animals. Depending on the age of your child, it may be suitable to show them how different how different farm animals are treated.
All of this helps the child empathize with the animals and better understand your viewpoint.
Sustainability & the environment
If your child is a bit older and is learning about science, then you can also explain to them how the vegan diet is better for the planet. Raising animals for food uses a lot of water. Animals need land to graze on and may be fed with crops that have been grown on deforested land. Cows also create a lot of greenhouse gases.
What Are The Best Vegan Foods For Children?
The vegan lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring and tasteless. There are lots of delicious vegan-friendly food options for kids. One of my go-to recommendations is vegan cereal paired with their favorite almond or oat milk. It’s also a fun idea to throw in popular dinner items, such as vegan nuggets or plant-based burgers. This shows them that many of their favorite foods can be vegan, and may help them to enjoy the lifestyle more.
Conclusion
I would never recommend forcing your children to be vegan, but it’s important to be able to explain your lifestyle to your kids. If you do a good job of answering their questions, they may even be willing to give it a try!
The vegan diet is very child-friendly, as long as both you and your child are eating a healthy, balanced diet, and sticking to whole foods.
It would be advisable to consult a nutritionist before embarking on a vegan diet to ensure that your child is getting all of their nutrients. The vegan diet can lead to certain vitamin and nutrient deficiencies if you’re not taking the right supplements.
Emma Wilson is the creator of the Vegan Calm website.