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Hannah Watkins

Professor Ryan Myers

English Composition Two

21 March 2019

Vegetarian Baby

Fingers running through the soft fur of the family dog. The dog is more than a mere

object. It is the best friend of the six year old within the house. Throughout the endless nights of

cuddles and petting, the last thing on the child’s mind is harm. Children cannot bare to watch as

animals be hurt or die. There is a reason parents take their children to pick apples in an orchard

rather than showing their kids around animal agriculture factories. Parents understand the torture

and suffering happening behind the closed doors of these factories. Parents also understand how

devastated their children would be if they found out the food they trusted their parents to give

them was actually the murdered body of a beloved pig, cow, or chicken. Nevertheless, parents

choose the option of feeding their animal-loving children the outcome of a murdered animal.

Parents do this for one main reason: health of their baby. Parents are scared that vegetarian diets

are unhealthy; however, by determining what nutrients are needed within a child’s diet and
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discovering which food sources posses these nutrients will allow for a child to be raised healthy

on a vegetarian diet.

Although it is normal for society to ignore the suffering of animals within the animal

agriculture business, an increasing number of people are becoming aware of the positives

associated with a vegetarian diet and are acting upon it. Not only are adults converting to this

healthy diet, parents are raising their children on meatless diets as well.

Vegetarian diets have been around since before recorded history. However, the term

Vegetarian did not come into use until the mid-1800s. A vegetarian diet was previously referred

to as a Pythagorean diet. Pythagorean diets were proven to work efficiently when assessing

health levels of those on the diet. History provides examples and evidence that meatless diets are

healthy for children. Although the practice of meatless diets for children have been around for

centuries, modern studies and research are being conducted in order to determine whether or not

parents should choose a vegetarian diet for their child.

The health of a baby is the main concern for parents. Parents try their best with the

knowledge they have to raise their children to be the healthiest possible. Parents do their best to
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give their children adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. Also, parents ensure that their

children are fed meats daily. However, parents are uninformed about the dangers associated with

meat. The believed to be harmless hot dog cut up on the highchair is pumped with antibiotics,

have second hand proteins, and contain extensive amounts of cholesterol.

Antibiotics is a medicine that helps to fight off and kill harmful microorganisms.

However, humans only receive twenty percent of the world’s antibiotics. The other eighty

percent is pumped inside of unwilling animals. Antibiotics are needed in the animal agriculture

business in order to keep the animals from easily dying in the poor conditions they are forced to

live in. Although antibiotics may sound like a positive thing, PETA explains that the overuse of

antibiotics “coincides with the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria”. In other words, the excessive

use of antibiotics in animals has given bacteria resistant to the antibiotics the ability to survive

and multiple. Therefore, the meat consumed is no longer safe from dangerous bacterias that can

leave babies sick or even dead.

Parents are aware that protein is necessary in a healthy diet. However, meat does not

contain a natural protein source. The protein humans consume from meat is actually second hand

protein. By eating second hand protein, Joe Martino explains that humans are “eating a plant that

has been eaten by the animal and synthesized” instead of obtaining the protein from the source.
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Humans risk their health by obtaining their protein this way without realizing it. The harm to

adult health is negative by doing this; however, the risk is much more severe for babies that are

still growing. One of the major health risk associated with meat is cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a necessary substance in the human body that make hormones, vitamin D,

and digestive substances. However, MedlinePlus explains that a person’s “body makes all the

cholesterol it needs”. Meat is overwhelmed with high amounts of cholesterol. Feeding meat to

young children cause cholesterol levels in their body to rise and can lead to very harmful effects.

High levels of cholesterol in one’s blood can “combine with other substances in the blood to

form plaque” that can stick to artery walls and eventually cause babies to suffer from blood clots,

chest pain, heart attacks, carotid artery disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Parents

would never want their children to suffer from any of the harmful side effects associated with the

consumption of meat; however, parents are uninformed about the dangers to meat as well as the

alternatives of a meatless diet.

Vegetarian diets are full of possibilities and positive outcomes. Vegetarian diets are

portrayed on media as positive to some and negative to others. However, with the right tools and

research, vegetarian diets in babies can result in healthy and happy children. Knowing how to

implement a healthy vegetarian diet is the most difficult step. Not to mention, many parents are
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frightened by the outcomes of a vegetarian diet because it is unfamiliar to them. Not knowing

what vitamins and other sources of food your baby needs in order to be healthy can be scary.

However, a healthy vegetarian diet is much easier to start than what people expect.

When adopting a vegetarian diet, it is important to be aware of pastafarian diets.

Pastafarian diets can occur when parents and children rely heavily on pastas when trying to

eliminate meat from children’s diet. Although children may love pasta and need carbs within

their diet, Terri Coles reminds parents that “a ​balance of nutrients​ is important” in children’s

diets in order for the child to be healthy.

Amino acids is one of the first concerns when considering a vegetarian diet. In order to

create protein within the human body, there are nine amino acids that must be consumed. These

nine amino acids can be found in meat; therefore, meat is considered a complete protein.

Although vegetarian sources do not always contain the nine amino acids in one serving as meat

typically does, these nine amino acids can be found just as easily in plants as they can be within

animal products. HealthyFamilies BC explains that “combin[ing] foods at meals to create

complete proteins” is unnecessary. Instead, a variety of amino acid rich foods should be fed to a

child daily in order to ensure the baby is receiving the necessary food sources in order to be
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healthy. Food sources rich in amino acids include beans, peas, lentils, ground nuts/seeds, soy,

etc.

Another concern when feeding a baby a vegetarian diet is the amount of iron the baby is

receiving. Iron is essential for growth and brain development for young children. Many people

are misinformed about where iron can be obtained. Although iron can be found in fish and

poultry, vegetarian options are often a larger producer of iron. For example, spinach has 2.71 mg

of iron per 100 grams that is able to fuel your baby with the essential nutrients needed while

chicken only has 1.3 mg of iron per 100 grams according to the United States Department of

Agriculture. When considering the health of a child, it is better to feed children foods enriched

with iron in order for the children to have healthy growth and brain development. Therefore,

vegetarian options are the best choice for a source of iron. Furthermore, one should combine iron

with a vitamin C source because HealthyFamilies BC explains that “vitamin C helps to increase

absorption of iron” in order for healthy results.

Afte iron, Omega-3 is an essential fat in childrens’ diets that is important for brain

development and eye health. Omega-3 can be consumed in meat diets due to the consumption of

fish. However, feeding children omega-3 through the use of vegetarian options is very easy.

According to Rachael Link ,Omega-3 can be found in healthy foods including “Chia Seeds,
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Brussels Sprouts, Walnuts, Flaxseeds, etc” in high amounts that will result in healthy brain

development and eye health in children.

One of the last main essential items in a child’s diet is the mineral known as zinc. Zinc is

a multipurpose vitamin that, according to HealthyFamilies BC, “helps the body use energy from

foods, is needed for a healthy immune system, and supports growth and repair of body tissues”.

Due to its multiple health purposes, it is essential for parents raising their children on a

vegetarian diet to include foods like “nuts and seeds, beans, peas, lentils, tofu, and wheat germ”

in order for their child to receive sufficient amounts of zinc in order to be healthy.

After the concern of determining the nutrients needed in a child’s diet is discovered, the

next scary part for many parents is the worry that their children will be too picky with foods.

Parents are scared by this, because they are worried that their child will not receive all of the

nutrients needed and will become unhealthy. However, a has little need to worry due to the vast

variety of foods that contain the same needed amino acids, iron, zinc, etc as each other. Also,

although fresh vegetables and fruits are the first thing that come to mind when considering

vegetarian foods, alternative meats are also a great option in vegetarian diets for children. For

children who love chicken nuggets, veggie nuggets make for a great substitute. Veggie Nuggets

by MorningStar has 3 grams of protein per nugget while chicken nuggets have 2.5 grams of
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protein per nugget. Not only do veggie nuggets by MorningStar have more protein than a typical

chicken nugget, veggie nuggets also taste very similar, if not the same, to chicken nuggets.

Chicken is not the only alternative meat available, there are endless vegetarian alternative meats

available. These include veggie/bean burgers, veggie ribs, veggie pulled pork, veggie fish, and

anything else imaginable. All of these meat alternatives contain high amounts of protein and

other needed essential nutrients. In other words, meat alternatives are a healthy option for

vegetarian children that prevents familiarity and taste to be shrunk while still providing the

necessary protein and nutrients needed to ensure the child is healthy.

Within many meat alternatives is soy, a species of legume that is also referred to as

soybean. Those against vegetarian diets use soy as a reason to argue why vegetarian diets are

unhealthy. According to PaleoLeap, soy “contains plant estrogens in the form of isoflavones”

that raise one’s estrogen levels and lowers their testosterone levels. By doing so, “hormones in

the proper ratio to develop normally” are thrown off. This can lead to problems with puberty

development including “gynecomastia, lack of facial hair and emasculation”. Although those

against vegetarian diets use soy as a reason to avoid going vegetarian, these meat eaters chose to

ignore the fact that animal feed also contains soy. Therefore, meat eaters are also consuming soy.

Although the soy in meat is second hand, with large enough portions of meat, meat eaters will

also be exposed to the claimed negative effects of soy. Overall, soy can be consumed easily in
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both a vegetarian and meat diet. Therefore, using soy as an argument against vegetarian diets is

not as significant as it is made out to be by those against vegetarian diets.

The picture of the child pictured above comes from a PETA campaign proving that

raising children as vegetarians is truly healthy. As one can see, the child in the picture appears to

be happy and healthy while playing outdoors. The natural sunlight and growing, green plants in

this picture cause readers to associate the picture with happiness. The growing plants can also

cause readers to associate the picture of the vegetarian child with growth. Both of these

associations help to further prompt the idea that vegetarian children can grow and be happy

while on this diet.

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As more and more parents investigate the idea of implementing vegetarian diets, as the

parents did with the child in the picture above, it is important for parents to be aware of the

essential nutrients needed in a child’s diet. Raising a child on a vegetarian diet can be very

healthy as long as parents are feeding children a variety of foods high in amino acids, iron,

omega-3, zinc, etc. Vegetarian diets come with low risks and positive outcomes that allow

parents to raise healthy babies.

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Works Cited

Coles, Terri. “Vegetarian Kids: How To Ensure Your Child Is Getting Enough Nutrients.”

HuffPost Canada,​ HuffPost Canada, 8 June 2017,

www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/08/vegetarian-kids_n_16967194.html.

HealthyFamilies BC. “Raising a Vegan Baby and Toddler.” ​Raising a Vegan Baby and

Toddler,​ 10 Oct. 2017,

www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/home/blog/raising-vegan-baby-and-toddler.

Link, Rachael. “The 7 Best Plant Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.” ​HealthLine​, HealthLine,

17 July 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-plant-sources-of-omega-3s.

Martino, Joe. “Protein From Animal Products Is More Harmful Than From Plants.” ​Collective

Evolution​, Collective Evolution, 26 Aug. 2013,

www.collective-evolution.com/2011/12/16/the-protein-myth-eat-your-meat/.

MedlinePlus. “Cholesterol.” ​MedlinePlus,​ U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 Feb. 2019,

medlineplus.gov/cholesterol.html.

PETA. ​Adorable Vegan Babies.​

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). ​YouTube,​ YouTube, 24 Apr. 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahtbq7kQJjo.
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“The Dangers of Soy | Paleo Leap.” ​Paleo Leap | Paleo Diet Recipes & Tips​, Paleo Leap, 4

Nov. 2016, paleoleap.com/dangers-soy/.

United States Department of Agriculture . “USDA Food Composition Databases.” ​USDA

Food Composition,​ ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list?qlookup=05009.