Should parents feed infants and young children a vegan or other extreme alternat

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   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   Should parents feed infants and young children a vegan or other extreme alternative diet?
   
   The arguments are becoming heated as to whether vegan, carbohydrate free and other extreme alternative diets that work for adults should be fed to infants and growing children. In some cases, serious health problems like iron deficiencies, small size, death and fatigue were found to be related to children's diet. Where do people stand on this issue?

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   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   As long as a child's doctor feels that a child is heathy then the parent should be able to feed them whatever they want. Personally I think we are meant to have meat in our diets. Forcing a no meat diet is equal to forcing religion, non religion, or racism on a child and should not be done in my opinion. When the child is old enough they can choose what they want to eat. But parents get the right to teach their children whatever they want no matter what I or others think of it so as long as they aren't killing their child I really don't care what they feed them.

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   joanwzposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely not. Children need the protein and fat provided by a diet that includes meat, dairy and other foods. Protein is needed for muscle growth and fat is needed for the absorption of some of the vitamins  and minerals (like A, D and Calcium). Some children may have digestive problems with foods with gluten (breads, pastas) and this should be addressed with a doctor. But no child should be put on such strict diets without consulting a pediatrician first.

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I researched and wrote a news article the other day and was shocked to hear that vegan diets are leading to so many health problems. Kids are not adults and they need fuller diets.

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      WishhingGirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      you can get vitamins and minerals such as the ones you named from other things then just meat and diary. In act, did you know that diary is not good for anyone?

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      peeplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Quite true wishhing, I have never understood why common practice is to force cow breastmilk on our children. The same things that come from that come from many other things, including human breastmilk which is safe no matter age.

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   JessicaSmetzposted 12 years ago

   Not only do I think they need the nutrition, but I think it is wrong to force a child to be a vegetarian or a vegan because it should be there choice.

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   WishhingGirlposted 12 years ago

   Peeples has a good point with talking to the child's doctors. being vegan is hard with planning on how much of everything you need, don't forget to add that a child is different. I did some research eariler and as long as you get the necassary vitamins from other foods, being vegan and a kid is okay. That is also saying, don't feed your baby soy milk as a alternitve to breast or formula milk, that is not good for their body. I am all for breast feeding

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's the problem.  Trying to replace meat and dairy with plant extracts is just too risky.

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      WishhingGirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I feel like you are more afraid of the unknown of this, but if you do your studies meat and dairy are a poor sources other then protein. Do you know what they do to the cows? Do you REALLY know what is in cow milk?

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That is the worst excuse for science I have ever heard. This kind of false and problematic information is why people's health is at risk.

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