Beef in Canada is perfectly fine to eat. Canada forbids feeding animal by-products to other animals, plus you’d need to eat brain or spinal cord tissue to contract it, since that’s where the virus is located. Of course the media wouldn’t have so much fun if they told everyone that. I’m not a hardcore beef eater, but I enjoy it and I found that when I stopped eating red meat for two years I got all sorts of allergies, which promptly disappeared when I started again. Maybe every body is different, but mine is better with a little red meat now and then.Besides, soy makes me gassy.
@:^)
I used to think bonox was so delicious when I was a kid – it must have been the huge salt hit. Do you remember that ad they had with someone offering their guest “coffee, tea or bonox?”… a strange choice for afternoon tea really.
I do remember the ad – my Mum and I have had this running in-joke for years, always “Fancy a Bonox?”
My grandparents were absolute freaks for the stuff! It is very hearty, I must admit.
For this I turn to my bible “Baby Love” by Robin Barker. She says that a vegetarian diet that includes dairy and eggs is fine. I would consult my mothercraft nurse or dietitian for tips and guidance if I was going to go down that path. According to another book I have it’s important not to bulk up the baby’s diet with heaps of fibre as it can replace fats and carbs which they need. Fibre can also inhibit the absorption of the essential iron, zinc and calcium. I guess the hassle could be that a lot of the foods that would otherwise suply these nutrients such as eggs, nuts and seeds we are all advised to introduce carefully at a later stage (9 months for some a year for others). However, apparently a vegetarian diet along with breast or formula milk provides all the minerals they need.
Robin Barker does go on to say that vegan diets pose problems as babies as it limits what you can feed them drastically. She explains that a continuing shortage of protein, B12, iron, calcium and fat as well as an overall shortage of calories can put a baby’s growth at risk.
It’s absolutely fine and healthy to raise a child as a vegetarian, and even as a vegan (no dairy, no eggs). However, it is absolutely *essential* that extensive planning and work goes into creating the most appropriate and healthy diet to ensure that they are receiving the nutrients, fat, calories, proteins and carbohydrates that they need. It’s very important that the planning is done with an experienced nutritionist who has experience with infants and with veganism. There are loads of resources out there. vegfamily.com is a good place to get started. The “vegan baby bible” is “Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet” by Michael Klaper — great info even if you’re not planning to go veggie or vegan.
I do want to mention that in the case that Zorbs mentioned, the baby WAS NOT GIVEN BREAST MILK OR FORMULA!! That is *NOT* recommended by anyone, including even the most strict vegans. It’s unfortunate that this sad situation has resulted in vegan diets getting a bad rap. The couple themselves were not following a mainstream vegan diet (they did eat animal products), so it seems that the term “vegan” is being seriously misused in this instance. Plus, the problems with neglect in their household extended far beyond diet and into lack of sanitation and delusional behavior. Also, I do need to correct Zorbs about the murder charge: Fortunately, the baby (Ice), did NOT die, despite being seriously ill and malnourished (I believe she is now fine). The parents are charged with neglect and assault.
Thank you Anna!!! Being a vegan myself and raising my child vegan, I get very frustrated when people compare vegans to these nutty people who are starving themselves. The vegan diet is the best way. Both myself and my daughter are very healthy without animal products.
Thanks Anna for the resources! I am glad to know that it is working well for you Heather. If you come back and visit please leave some more info about how you started your baby on solids etc. Did you consult a dietitian? I am really very uninformed about such matters and just wanted to quote a couple of things out of the baby books I rely so heavily on. I am sorry if I implied that vegans are nutty… I don’t have that opinion at all! 🙂
I was microbiotic/Vegan with my first child (12 now) and slowly we went the way of more fish and chicken then McDonalds entered the picture and I lost her. She turned to the dark side with her father.I find mixing tofu with egg yolk scrambled and placed in homemade tortillas with organic salsa is a good protein snack. Thinner tortillas for babies of course.
Nursing as long as possible – though it can literally bite after awhile – is the best thing you can do for a little ones health, though not always practical for the family and tired mum.
In my family two new additions to our brood the Irish twins, one a carnivor extroidinare (he loves chicken) and the 10 month old who desires pasta and starchy snacks has made being vegetarian a bit harder. I still am a big fan of fish – fish sticks, grilled non lake fish – careful of mercury content and all that…and free range chicken. Not so strict a vegan diet. And after the first year I am a big fan of honey added to foods for aleviation of allergies.
Beans in all their shapes and forms can be mashed into all sorts of dips to entice the wee ones still and making tortilla chips in different colors with herbs and lots of tomatos gives them lots of antioxidants.
My weakness is giving them goldfish.
Do they have those in AU?
Homemade Bananna bread with added wheat germ and protein powder in another way I get them to eat healthy. Cranberry breads, Orange, even chocolate chip bread fresh from the oven filled with good things – very hard for them to resist. And they freeze well and can be heated up in the Micro.
Goldfish? Yes, we have them, but we usually don’t feed them to babies … Not sure the baby would like it wriggling on the way down … Probably good calcium, though.
I’m always glad when I find information on how to have a healthy vegetarian/vegan diet. I’ve had a ton of people tell me that being a vegetarian will be horrifically detrimental to my health, even though I’ve been pretty strict about it for almost a year now and I feel pretty good. Tonight’s argument: the human body is meant to be an omnivore. Hmmmmm.
all that aside, i’m going to have to jot down some notes from these comments as i’m hoping to be able to raise our kids veggie without our parents throwing a huge hissy. 😉
Hi, I am new to Loobyln blog and I’ve found the comments very interesting on this topic. I was wondering if Lili on May 30, 2003 01:57 AM could share the receipe for the Bananna bread with added wheat germ and protein powder and maybe one of the other bread receipes as well; Cranberry, Orange, and chocolate chip bread.Thanks
yipes after watching a documentary on what they are feeding factory farm animals I have to say I am lucky to be able to eat again at *all*!Working on a recipes page for some organic goodies =)
I just looked up my ‘bible’ which I frequently referred to when cooking for Oskar – ‘Healing with Whole Foods’ by Paul Pitchford. It’s brilliant for nutritional information on various food stuffs. I looked up quinoa, which I cooked with quite a lot, and it says, “compared with all grains, it has the highest protein content…more calcium than milk and is higher in fat content than any grain…good source of iron, phosphorous, B vitamins and vitamin E…an appropriate grain for recent vegetarians who crave nutrient-concentrated foods.” Cook it like rice in combination with other grains and vegies, but soak it first and rinse well. It’s got a most unique flavour and a great texture for babies. All of these posts have got me thinking about preparing high nutritional content food again, which is a good thing. It’s easy to get slack and go for the easy option…
Thanks Suzette – I am definitely going to try some of that quinoa for Amelia. I have had a book on my wishlist over at Amazon for the longest time called “Feed the Whole Family” by Cynthia Lair. Does anyone know it? It sounds pretty good and was wondering if it would be worth Amazon’s hefty international shipping to get it out here.
Dear All, know you love Bonox and know that it’s much more than good. But please, go the shift to perspective here and sincerely suggest that the lot of you get a life.
I couldn’t help but come across this discussion of Bonox (and assorted oddities). I love Bonox, always have and always will. Lately I have taken to Bonox with a moderate dash of Tobasco sauce. Very nice. When I was younger I recall drinking hot Bonox with milk, like you would with tea. I tried it recently and puked :S Which leads me to wonder “What the heck was I thinking?!?”
PS Nice Blog
Beef in Canada is perfectly fine to eat. Canada forbids feeding animal by-products to other animals, plus you’d need to eat brain or spinal cord tissue to contract it, since that’s where the virus is located. Of course the media wouldn’t have so much fun if they told everyone that. I’m not a hardcore beef eater, but I enjoy it and I found that when I stopped eating red meat for two years I got all sorts of allergies, which promptly disappeared when I started again. Maybe every body is different, but mine is better with a little red meat now and then.Besides, soy makes me gassy.
@:^)
do you have to chew it up too? that’s nasty.
I LOVE banana bread with oat bran, ground flax seed and raisins.I just had to add that.
As for Ada, not like YOU are never gassy.
@:^P
ha!
today i’m on a liquids-only diet for a belly x-ray tomorrow. and they’re making me drink bonox! as in the liquid beef drink.
i’ve just polished a mug off now. am just another step closer to vegetarianism, too!
I used to think bonox was so delicious when I was a kid – it must have been the huge salt hit. Do you remember that ad they had with someone offering their guest “coffee, tea or bonox?”… a strange choice for afternoon tea really.
I do remember the ad – my Mum and I have had this running in-joke for years, always “Fancy a Bonox?”
My grandparents were absolute freaks for the stuff! It is very hearty, I must admit.
🙂
That’s a point … if one was a vegetarian (like me), and one had a baby (unlike me), is it okay to feed the baby on a vegetarian diet?
For this I turn to my bible “Baby Love” by Robin Barker. She says that a vegetarian diet that includes dairy and eggs is fine. I would consult my mothercraft nurse or dietitian for tips and guidance if I was going to go down that path. According to another book I have it’s important not to bulk up the baby’s diet with heaps of fibre as it can replace fats and carbs which they need. Fibre can also inhibit the absorption of the essential iron, zinc and calcium. I guess the hassle could be that a lot of the foods that would otherwise suply these nutrients such as eggs, nuts and seeds we are all advised to introduce carefully at a later stage (9 months for some a year for others). However, apparently a vegetarian diet along with breast or formula milk provides all the minerals they need.
Robin Barker does go on to say that vegan diets pose problems as babies as it limits what you can feed them drastically. She explains that a continuing shortage of protein, B12, iron, calcium and fat as well as an overall shortage of calories can put a baby’s growth at risk.
There was a fairly well publicized case in New York where a baby fed a vegan diet died of malnutrition and the parents are being charged with murder.
It’s absolutely fine and healthy to raise a child as a vegetarian, and even as a vegan (no dairy, no eggs). However, it is absolutely *essential* that extensive planning and work goes into creating the most appropriate and healthy diet to ensure that they are receiving the nutrients, fat, calories, proteins and carbohydrates that they need. It’s very important that the planning is done with an experienced nutritionist who has experience with infants and with veganism. There are loads of resources out there. vegfamily.com is a good place to get started. The “vegan baby bible” is “Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet” by Michael Klaper — great info even if you’re not planning to go veggie or vegan.
I do want to mention that in the case that Zorbs mentioned, the baby WAS NOT GIVEN BREAST MILK OR FORMULA!! That is *NOT* recommended by anyone, including even the most strict vegans. It’s unfortunate that this sad situation has resulted in vegan diets getting a bad rap. The couple themselves were not following a mainstream vegan diet (they did eat animal products), so it seems that the term “vegan” is being seriously misused in this instance. Plus, the problems with neglect in their household extended far beyond diet and into lack of sanitation and delusional behavior. Also, I do need to correct Zorbs about the murder charge: Fortunately, the baby (Ice), did NOT die, despite being seriously ill and malnourished (I believe she is now fine). The parents are charged with neglect and assault.
yi!!
So far, Franklin hasn’t had any meat. He’s a great tofu eater though.
I’m getting ready to introduce meat but with all this Mad Cow stuff here in Canada – it’s a little scary.
Thank you Anna!!! Being a vegan myself and raising my child vegan, I get very frustrated when people compare vegans to these nutty people who are starving themselves. The vegan diet is the best way. Both myself and my daughter are very healthy without animal products.
I can attest to that – soy does make you gassy – and what gas you do have!
Thanks Anna for the resources! I am glad to know that it is working well for you Heather. If you come back and visit please leave some more info about how you started your baby on solids etc. Did you consult a dietitian? I am really very uninformed about such matters and just wanted to quote a couple of things out of the baby books I rely so heavily on. I am sorry if I implied that vegans are nutty… I don’t have that opinion at all! 🙂
Were they lanky shanks? Like Manx shanks? Flanks and shanks? Franks and shanks? Two shanks and a lamb’s tail?
I was microbiotic/Vegan with my first child (12 now) and slowly we went the way of more fish and chicken then McDonalds entered the picture and I lost her. She turned to the dark side with her father.I find mixing tofu with egg yolk scrambled and placed in homemade tortillas with organic salsa is a good protein snack. Thinner tortillas for babies of course.
Nursing as long as possible – though it can literally bite after awhile – is the best thing you can do for a little ones health, though not always practical for the family and tired mum.
In my family two new additions to our brood the Irish twins, one a carnivor extroidinare (he loves chicken) and the 10 month old who desires pasta and starchy snacks has made being vegetarian a bit harder. I still am a big fan of fish – fish sticks, grilled non lake fish – careful of mercury content and all that…and free range chicken. Not so strict a vegan diet. And after the first year I am a big fan of honey added to foods for aleviation of allergies.
Beans in all their shapes and forms can be mashed into all sorts of dips to entice the wee ones still and making tortilla chips in different colors with herbs and lots of tomatos gives them lots of antioxidants.
My weakness is giving them goldfish.
Do they have those in AU?
Homemade Bananna bread with added wheat germ and protein powder in another way I get them to eat healthy. Cranberry breads, Orange, even chocolate chip bread fresh from the oven filled with good things – very hard for them to resist. And they freeze well and can be heated up in the Micro.
Goldfish? Yes, we have them, but we usually don’t feed them to babies … Not sure the baby would like it wriggling on the way down … Probably good calcium, though.
I’m always glad when I find information on how to have a healthy vegetarian/vegan diet. I’ve had a ton of people tell me that being a vegetarian will be horrifically detrimental to my health, even though I’ve been pretty strict about it for almost a year now and I feel pretty good. Tonight’s argument: the human body is meant to be an omnivore. Hmmmmm.
heh—”lamb shanks” is my and The Mister’s code for a dish that is anti-veggie, as in the meatiest-sounding entreé we could think of.
i’ve been a pescatarian for almost four years now (can’t kick the sushi) and he’s been one for several months now—he’s even making a go of it while deployed with the Navy!
all that aside, i’m going to have to jot down some notes from these comments as i’m hoping to be able to raise our kids veggie without our parents throwing a huge hissy. 😉
Hi, I am new to Loobyln blog and I’ve found the comments very interesting on this topic. I was wondering if Lili on May 30, 2003 01:57 AM could share the receipe for the Bananna bread with added wheat germ and protein powder and maybe one of the other bread receipes as well; Cranberry, Orange, and chocolate chip bread.Thanks
I embrace my gas proudly
(sorry claire, for using your comment board as a discussion area on farts with a close friend)
I’d like to ask: Why become a vegetarian? Are you against eating meat? Do you not like meat? And why bring up your kids that way? Just curious… 🙂
yipes after watching a documentary on what they are feeding factory farm animals I have to say I am lucky to be able to eat again at *all*!Working on a recipes page for some organic goodies =)
test – new design
I just looked up my ‘bible’ which I frequently referred to when cooking for Oskar – ‘Healing with Whole Foods’ by Paul Pitchford. It’s brilliant for nutritional information on various food stuffs. I looked up quinoa, which I cooked with quite a lot, and it says, “compared with all grains, it has the highest protein content…more calcium than milk and is higher in fat content than any grain…good source of iron, phosphorous, B vitamins and vitamin E…an appropriate grain for recent vegetarians who crave nutrient-concentrated foods.” Cook it like rice in combination with other grains and vegies, but soak it first and rinse well. It’s got a most unique flavour and a great texture for babies. All of these posts have got me thinking about preparing high nutritional content food again, which is a good thing. It’s easy to get slack and go for the easy option…
Thanks Suzette – I am definitely going to try some of that quinoa for Amelia. I have had a book on my wishlist over at Amazon for the longest time called “Feed the Whole Family” by Cynthia Lair. Does anyone know it? It sounds pretty good and was wondering if it would be worth Amazon’s hefty international shipping to get it out here.
how gorgeous is this layout! It makes me excited about winter in NSW. Scarfs, gloves, coats and boots. Beautiful!
i think the word shank is creepy enough as it is, probably because it’s so close to ‘skank’ 😉
love the winter look, claire!
Dear All, know you love Bonox and know that it’s much more than good. But please, go the shift to perspective here and sincerely suggest that the lot of you get a life.
I couldn’t help but come across this discussion of Bonox (and assorted oddities). I love Bonox, always have and always will. Lately I have taken to Bonox with a moderate dash of Tobasco sauce. Very nice. When I was younger I recall drinking hot Bonox with milk, like you would with tea. I tried it recently and puked :S Which leads me to wonder “What the heck was I thinking?!?”
PS Nice Blog