Vegan From Birth: Memoirs From a Mother

Thank you for the request to write about raising a vegan family.  I will continue to share anecdotes about my experience and would love to hear yours.It all started with a positive pregnancy test. Emotions flooded through me. The joy. The disbelief. And then, the overwhelming and looming amount of decisions that were ahead of us. What crib? What swaddle? What carrier? What pacifier?  It felt daunting and insane.The one decision that was NOT difficult for us at all - was the decision to remain vegan.  We knew that we wanted to raise our family with compassion.  We wanted our son to know where his food comes from and we wanted him to know the cow he feeds at the park is not going to end up on his plate someday.A plant-based diet is the healthiest and has the lowest impact on the planet.  For us, this was a no-brainer - we were going to feed our child food rich in nutrients, the least demanding on our planet, and the most impactful for our health.  What could we give to Jayden that is better than that?

The Bradley Birth

We decided to have a Bradley Birth because we wanted to have a partner-supported natural childbirth.  The dietary "requirements" that were set forth for us made us a little nervous. No matter your beliefs in protein, when you are pregnant you become anxious and vulnerable.  I was also hungry alllllll the time. In Bradley, they have you keep a food journal for two weeks marking everything including your protein.  They want to make sure you eat 100 grams of protein- their suggestions were eggs, chicken, and cheese.I did not eat any of those items and the crazy thing is, I had no trouble hitting my protein mark. But at the same time I was also able to eat a rainbow of colors, gain the perfect amount of weight without trying, and obtain a nutrient rich diet. It was awesome; not to mention that it surprised the shit out of everyone.I had nine months of a fairly easy pregnancy, working until the end. I felt strong and had a beautiful natural birth in the hospital.Now we have this baby: A beautiful, chubby, amazing, precious baby and the only easy decision was to raise him vegan. The beginnings are the same for many newborns starting out in the world. I exclusively breast fed while eating a vegan diet and could eat and eat and eat! Nursing requires an extra 300 or more calories, over the already increased calories of being pregnant.  It is nothing drastic, but I could eat everything I wanted and not worry about staying within recommended guidelines because I eat a whole foods plant-based diet which gives me the nutrients, the calories, the fat and the protein.When Jayden began to eat solids, he ate what most babies eat: avocado, sweet potato, peas, and brown rice. Then he began to eat what we eat.

About B-12

The only supplement that I give to Jayden is a liquid sublingual B-12 because that is a vitamin that is difficult for a vegan to get.  Why you ask?  It is not because we don't eat meat but because we wash our vegetables. Cows eat the grass that comes from the soil, where there is B-12, giving the cow B-12.  A human eats the cow and gets the B-12 from the cow that he or she got from the grass.  Catch my drift? A carrot also comes from the soil but I wash off the soil and the germs from the 7000 people at the supermarket that also touched my carrot.The funniest part about raising my family vegan is the comments.  My favorite yet: "I could never eat vegan food."  I laugh. Two-thirds of the food on your plate is most likely vegan.  If you eat any fruits and vegetables - probably vegan.  If you grow a garden, vegan food. If you eat nuts, vegan.So what do our meals look like?Here is a sample day of meals for my kids and the grown-ups they live with:

Breakfast: oatmeal with fruit and almond milk, more fruit.

Snack: hummus and crackers and fruit.

Second snack: Seaweed packet. I am beginning to feel as though I sound like a hobbit.

Lunch: avocado sushi, edamame, and a cashew and mushroom chowder.

Afternoon Snack: almonds or cashews or our freshly made pumpkin seeds.

Dinner: First course is always salad, followed by a main course; spaghetti squash with marinara and peas.

Then it is off to bed.

Being vegan is not a miracle drug but it provides good and healthy food that will power your immune system. But when Jayden went to preschool he got a cold or flu just like the other kids. It's not magic but it is compassion.What has been your experience raising your kids vegan?