The Omnivore's Dilemma: Vegetarian Kids

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 12

Those crazy kids!

BusinessWeek’s home page is touting an Associated Press story that 1 in 200 kids is a vegetarian. Some credit for this culinary abstinence may be attributed to the Internet, thanks to a bountiful harvest of YouTube animal slaughter videos “that shock the developing sensibilities of many U.S. children,” according to the AP article.

To be sure, a diet heavy on grains, fruits and veggies has plenty of benefits. But nutritionists also caution parents to make sure children consume sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium and other important nutrients that most people get from meat, eggs and dairy.

Let me be clear: I personally like veggies a lot. (As I write this, I’m craving broccoli.) But I’m also a butcher’s daughter who sees no harm in feeding my son poultry, fish, and even a lamb chop every now and then.

Just today, I spoke to a friend I’ll call “Martha” (for her Martha Stewart ways in the kitchen) who recently moved to London from New York. When I asked what she was making for dinner, she admitted that she is moving her family to a plant-based diet. Martha’s American-born kids seem to be really into the menu shift. “They just don’t want to eat animals anymore,” Martha says.

I also did a quick poll of my Working Parents colleagues to see what they think about vegetarian kids and here is what they said:

I just put our Indian exchange student on a plane last week to return home to Punjab. She’s a Sikh, no-eggs veggie. She claimed she had no trouble with our barbarian habits, but when I found out after the fact that many Hindus consider eating eggs taking embryonic life, I felt a little worse about popping all those boiled eggs on our 14-hour minivan trip home from Asheville after the holidays.

I gotta say, I think this is a very bad development. I have a vegetarian staying with me right now and, man, is she a pain to feed. If my kid turns vegan I’m sending her to boarding school.

What do you think are the merits of letting your children become vegetarians? Can picky eaters get a balanced diet? I’m especially curious to hear how carnivore parents cope when feeding non-carnivore kids.

Also, be sure to check out BusinessWeek’s story on a proposed soda and sugary drink tax written by fellow blogger Cathy Arnst.

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