Should children be forced to be vegetarian or vegan just because their parents are? Depending on how much research I’m actually able to find on the subject I may broaden it more to “should parents force their food choices on their kids” which is kind of the same, but has a lot of other different aspects. Currently I really feel kids shouldn’t have food forced on them. I actually don’t even like the labels vegetarian and vegan, they produce a lot of negative connotations for a lot of people. I have chosen to stop eating meat, and the other kinds of animal protein I take in are extremely limited. This is fairly recent for me. I made this choice earlier this year, and I chose not to enforce it in my house. It was my choice, not a group decision.
That’s how I feel about this issue in general. Kids should be allowed to grow up trying all kinds of foods. Encouraged to try the entire spectrum, and allowed to make the choice to eat animal products, or not, when they’re old enough to make such an important decision. I really think a lot of people are going to have a problem with this because it’s common to just have your children do as you do, and most people don’t want to have to make separate meals for different people in the family. Another side of it is that people probably think they’re teaching their children to make the right choices by just raising them as vegan/vegetarian.
I would really like to find out if there have been any studies done involving these kinds of forced food choices and obesity later in life, or eating disorders down the road. I’d like to find out if this might lead to the propensity for food hoarding or hiding because these kids have felt deprived of something. Nutrition is my educational focus, so I’d really like to learn more about how this might affect children as they grow. I’d like to find out if parents who raise their children as herbivores also give them all the vitamins/supplements that are recommended because unless you grow and test the vegetables yourself you really don’t know how long they’ve been out of the ground and what their nutritional value actually is.
Hi Jennie,
ReplyDeleteLots to think about! We have come a long way since "you better clean your plate because children in Africa are starving." And living in Boulder, I see this a lot, or hear conversations from parents how they control what they're kids eat. Don't they realize that's how eating disorders can occur, because that's one thing a child can do is control what goes into them?
I think that I agree that children should be able to choose whatever kind of food they want to eat. I think it's sort of part of a larger issue in parents indoctrinating their children with all of their beliefs, whether they be political, religious, cultural, or anything. I'm not really sure what can be done, or what sorts of laws can be passed to prevent it, but at least children are free to choose what they want when they come of age. I guess the issue is that their parents form how they make choices, though
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with you on some extent, when children are younger we will say toddler to young teens they might not know what foods are harmful and what foods are healthier for you. So if the parents want to feed their younger children what they eat I think that is fine to do but once they get older they can make their own decision and choices on what they eat being it meat, healthy, not healthy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David. Small children up to maybe middle school age don't have a clue what to eat for nourishment. They know they like sugar and carbs and Lucky Charms, but beyond that they'll likely attempt to turn it down. My kids go through phases. One day they like anything and everything and the next, I can't get them to eat much at all - let alone healthy. My older kids have a lot less restriction on what they choose to eat than the little ones. They make terrible decisions constantly, and as their mom and considering their ages, I think it's my job to just let them know that they're sort of missing the boat on nutrition that day. How else will they figure out how to make their own choices when they leave our home in a few years? The littles are a different story - they have a plate of food set in front of them 3 times per day, and I expect them to eat at least a few bites from every pile.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be really interesting to see if there are any statistics out there on how long parent with certain types of food expectations normally force their beliefs on their children. I am a carnivore - but if my kids became teenagers obsessed with vegetarianism, I'd let them make that call, or vice-versa. Also, do those kids grow up and continue the same eating habits with their own?