January 8, 2012

  • Raising eco-babies

    Environment

    Pediatrician and author of Raising Baby Green, Dr. Alan Greene (way to market his name!), gives tips to Parents TV on how parents could raise their kids in an environment-friendly manner, from conception down to actually raising the tots.  

    In 2008, while I was still the editor of the kid's page of a local paper, I featured two kids who are vegetarians their whole life. It was really amazing considering how we Filipinos are so cannibalous and where eating meat is a status symbol. But these kids, well, they prefer vegetables over meat, thanks to their parents, who themselves are vegetarians.

    Here's the piece I wrote for that May 4, 2008 issue of The FREEMAN. The photos are by Methuselah Ramos, our intern then. During this interview, Kaitlin was 8 and Kassandra, 6. Now they have a younger sister too and she's vegetarian as well. Take note that this piece was written for kids.

    ***

    Care for Veggies, kids?

    Admit it, kids hate vegetables. Those mulch green substances that looked like it came from Pluto or some far away planet. Who would want to eat those stuffs? Why not indulge in juicy oh so delicious hotdogs, hamburgers, and yes junk foods. Lots and lots of chips, candies and everything sweet.

    Well not for Kaitlyn, 8, and Kassandra, 6. Two fearless kids who do not want anything to do with food that would necessitate the killing of animals. That means no meat.

    According to Art Banawa, a vegetarian (people who only eat vegetables and no meat!) for almost 20 years and a teacher and student of the Brahma Kumaris, vegetarian  kids can get all the nutrition their body needs just with vegetables. “Protein can be found in legumes like mongo and soya, calcium from milk, and iron from dark leafy vegetables,” he said.

    He added that the belief that kids must have meat in their diet for them to grow tall is a misconception. “Meat is not necessary in anyone’s diet not even for kids but now we see people who only have meat on their plates,” he noted.

    Daddy Steve Lee said that his wife (Mommy Maricar) is a vegetarian since she was 9 years old. His kids were already vegetarian even when they were in the tummy of Mommy Maricar. “This is how you can make kids eat vegetables,” he said. “You should start feeding your children vegetables when they are still very young.”

    Asked how Kaitlyn and Kassandra are performing in school: “Their grades are okey. Kaitlyn gets 80 and above and she does not even have a tutor. They could easily understand instructions given to them and they can catch up with their teachers so well,” said Daddy Steve.

    Regarding their health, Daddy Steve conveyed that aside for minor sicknesses the kids rarely go to the doctor except for their regular check ups.

    “I love to eat broccoli and kangkong,” Kaitlyn said. She also loves fruits such as mangoes, watermelons, grapes, oranges, and strawberries. “Kassandra eats anything. Whatever you put in the table they would eat it, except for meat or fish,” said Daddy Steve.

    Daddy Steve added that the reason why they decided to introduce the diet to the kids is because they (Daddy Steve and Mommy Maricar) believe in nonviolence wherein they do not kill animals so that they could eat. “More than for health reasons we want the kids to understand that we do not eat meat because we don’t need to kill for us to live,” Daddy Steve said.


    First published in The FREEMAN on May 4, 2008.

    (Source: The FREEMAN | Photo credit: Methuselah Ramos/The FREEMAN | Video credit: Parents TV)

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Comments (27)

  • Good to republish your article and give credit again to the photographer. I do links but not always give credit to the photographer. So this is the milk enabled vegan, I wonder if they eat eggs? The whole egg eating thing will eventually say that birth begins after fertilization so I guess belut (sp?) eggs are not eaten.

    Yes start kids really young like when they are in the womb. Then again you will soon learn that pregnant women suddenly have cravings that they can't explain.

  • Despite they are vegetarian , the kids on  the photos look very healthy .
    perhaps Should I write :
    Because they are vegetarian , the kids on  the photos look very healthy

    In friendship
    Michel

  • Vegetarianism doesn't equal eco friendly.

  • Let me offer a possible reason: Strained veggies (EEWW!) which some people feed their babies, after/instead of breastfeeding. If my mother hadn't fed me finely chopped fresh greens, I may have had the veggie=aversion, too.
    The couple in your post are absolutely right, in terms of pursuing their goal for the girls.

  • I saw the movie 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead' about the guy who lost 100+ pounds and restored his health in 60 days of drinking vegetable juice. This is so cool. I am too lazy to stop eating solid meals, but I did start eating lots of homemade vegetable soup every day. It's tasty, and I feel better.

    fat-sick web site

  • Good article, Ritche! I'm not vegetarian but usually the first thing on my plate that I dig into are the veggies because I like them so much. If I go to a buffet, I get a little bit of meat and 5 - 6 servings of different veggies and salads. It's all how you're brought up, I guess. Now if I could just get my sweet tooth under control...

  • That's so interesting, I try to keep my kids in contact with nature as much as possible, gladdly the boy scouts organization does a great job too. My boy doesn't eat much meat even his nutrician insists on it (because of how much does he trains) still he strongly dislikes meat and I have to give him a lot of suplementary food to fill his energy needs. My daughter on the other hand I have to be restrictive with meat, she would eat nothing but meat if she could, I wonder how would have been if they were to be raised meat free from the start.

  • I didn't acquire a taste for vegetables until I was 13 years old. It was meat, potatoes and sweets until then.

  • I think that it's partly how you're raised and partly your own personal taste whether or not you eat vegetables. I've read many things that say you should introduce veggies and fruit at a young age. I love broccoli and always have, even though it's the veggie that everyone loves to hate. My sister dislikes the vegetables she grew up with (except green beans) and loves vegetables that my mother never served. So maybe that's just contrariness? lol My mother works with autistic children and one of them will not eat meat because he doesn't like the texture of it. Unfortunately, the rest of his family is not meat-free, and so he eats a lot of carbs instead and is a bit overweight because of that unbalance.

  • I add more and more veggies and fruits to my diet all the time. I absolutely love onion, and carrots for like baking chicken, BUT! I love stir fry with brocolli, onion, water chest nuts, green onion, and carrots. I love mushrooms, and I adore green beans of all kinds. I have some tomato and cucumber with cheese and walnuts for lunch sometimes, and asparagas is a MUST have when we have fish or something. :D I'm liking fresh herbs more and more and I also adore bell peppers. :D

  • I love veggies, fruits and salads.

  • I always loved vegetables. Also, I remember when my dad told me that he didn't eat meat because the animals suffered. (My mom and dad lived seperated, and I lived with my mom who is a meat eater) I was pretty shoked, and told my mom that he said that meat is made of dead animals. She said that minced meat wasn't (beause we had it one a week and I loved it), and for two years or so I lived with the lie. From 8 to 14 I was vegetarian on and off. I would have been stricter if my mom had bought and cooked other things.
    I know a little boy who is now 10 and is vegetarian since he's seven, just beause he realized what meat actually is. Unfortunately many parents don't respect thesse deisions, probabaly because they think it is unhealthy, but I think some are also aganst it because they hate vegetarians.

  • This is something that I know nothing about. I am 78 ans was raised by Southern parents in the USA. They were meat eaters and so I became a meat eater. I had my first heart attack at age 40 and was asked to really cut back on 'red meat.' My diet changed, but not to a vegetarian. I don't know. The kids look great, but I know nothing about this.

    blessings

    frank

  • @PPhilip - Must be a habit I've developed... the crediting thing :D Oh you mean the balut, duck eggs... hehehe yes, those cravings are really crazy if you ask me... :D

  • @fauquet - :) yes maybe its because they eat vegetables :D

  • @swallowedthewhale - Yes it doesn't, but its the most eco-friendly diet...

  • @RighteousBruin - strained veggies??? seriously??? why not just make it a juice instead... hehehehe :D chopped veggie would be best :)

  • @we_deny_everything - oh, vegetable juicing... I juice fruits all the time but not vegetables :) I love to eat them raw and crunchy, better for the fiber.. thanks for the link :D enjoyed it :)

  • @DaKingfish - i guess what's important is to get all the needed nutrients in... yes, you should control that sweet tooth :D

  • @xXxlovelylollipop - oh there are alternatives to meat like soya and beans... great protein source... :D also nuts :)

  • @sometimestheycomebackanyway - Me didn't start loving vegetables until I was 21 :D Us Filipinos just can't do without our greasy meat...

  • @leaflesstree - i'd agree... taste after all is a matter of culture-ation...

  • @LKJSlain - im salivating... i eat raw bell pepper :D and herbs... my fave, basil :)

  • @RestlessButterfly - and flowers too :D

  • @under_the_carpet - must be because its more convenient to cook food that one eats for the rest of the family rather than cook another dish for one with a special diet... :D it happens in my family, that's why as much as i can I cook my own food :D

  • @ANVRSADDAY - happy to share :D

  • I would agree!
    strained veggies??
    Tea Tree Vegetable Base Soap is a gentle soap for every day use on face and body with the natural benefits of tea tree oil including antibacterial.

    http://www.herbs-wholesale.com/brand/tea-tree-therapy.html

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