Feeding children a vegan diet is growing in popularity

[alp227]

Eleven-year-old Tyler Parker-Rollins says being vegan isn't always easy. But he says it's also "fun" and that he plans to be one "forever."

His 9-year-old brother, Will, loved it when his friends tried vegan pizza at his birthday party and "they actually really liked it."

Their little sister, Maya, who's 5, says she's vegan "because I love animals, and I don't want pigs to be killed." She then runs off to find her copy of "Charlotte's Web," which, she says, "is where I got that from."

The Parker-Rollins kids, growing up in Lutherville, are among a growing number of children whose parents are raising them vegan, without any of the milk or meat conventionally considered part of a growing child's diet.

When she was pregnant, their mother, Lesley Parker-Rollins got a lot of "Are you sure you should do that?" and one friend accused her of "taking it too far."

"If I knew you couldn't be healthy and vegan, then no, I wouldn't be doing it," says the stay-at-home mom, who's passionate about animal rights and became a vegan 15 years ago. "For Tyler and Will and Maya, it's never been this torturous thing or even close. It's just that eating animals doesn't make sense to them."

In 2010, about 3 percent of children and adults in the United States were vegan, according to the Baltimore-based Vegetarian Resource Group. Two years later, vegan adults comprised 5 percent of the population, and though the group didn't count vegan kids then, John Cunningham, the organization's consumer research manager, suspects the children's count also jumped 2 percent because the youth poll typically tracks the adult one.

full: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-03-19/entertainment/bs-fo-vegan-family-20130320_1_vegan-diet-vegan-pizza-love-animals

This feature article has been republished elsewhere including today in Kentucky.com (the Lexington Herald-Leader). Good to see a generation of kids who won't support the evil, superbug-spreading, disease-perpetuating meat industry.

[RebelOne]

1. As vegetarian, my hat is off to those kids.

I hope they continue their healthy eating habits into adulthood.

[Nye Bevan]

2. Sounds like nuts to me.

No pun intended.

[duffyduff]

3. And it is extremely unhealthy. n/t

[alp227]

7. Because...? n/t

[chervilant]

4. I've been a Vegan for a little over a year.

I feel great, plus I've lost four sizes!

I think Ellen should do a show about Veganism!

[JaneyVee]

5. I'm actually indecisive on this issue because I know people who raise their kids vegetarian but

feed their kids like shit. I know this one woman who is raising her 2 daughters vegetarian, a 4yr old & 2yr old, and the kids eat nothing but pizza, kraft mac & cheese, 5-6 glasses of soy milk (which is bad enough) mixed with 4 heaping scoops of ovaltine a day, etc. They never eat vegetables & they appear pasty & waif-like. OTOH, I know another woman raising her kids vegetarian who is doing it right, doing the cooking, making every meal count, etc. All I'm saying is if anyone chooses to raise your children vegan/vegetarian it is hard work and can do more harm than good if done improperly.

[undeterred]

6. Good for them.