They seldom fall prey to peer pressure

Singapore based mom, Ambaree Majumdar, shares how she is raising her two kids – 12-year-old Ahana and 6-year-old Aarish, who don't consume meat or dairy.

I stopped consuming meat because I knew that it was only after an animal was killed that it would land on my plate as food. I could not come to terms with this reality anymore, especially when I knew that it was not needed for my body. I decided to not give meat to my kids as I wanted them to emulate my diet and lifestyle like every parent does.

The only way I am managing raising two vegan kids is that I have told them why I am vegan. I believe that because my kids know WHY we do not consume meat, dairy, eggs and fish, they don't feel like anything is lacking in their lives. They feel more empowered than their friends, rather they are very comfortable belonging to a micro-minority community because they know that their decision is based on compassion and kindness which might be rare but it’s the right thing to do. In fact, because they are vegan (and hence different) they seldom fall prey to peer pressure. Walking alone on a path that they know is right is perfectly alright and usually they do not succumb to doing anything just because “everyone else is doing it”, which I feel is powerful for their growth as individuals.

Sometimes they do get tempted, especially my son when he sees chocolates that are not vegan. When he was younger I had told him that if he was at a party or a situation when he felt hungry and didn’t find anything vegan, he was free to eat whatever was available. He did exercise this freedom about 2 times after which he stopped. He would just tell me to give him a vegan treat later to “compensate” for what he missed. I also highlighted to them in their earlier years that birthdays or other gatherings are a place where we meet friends because we like spending time and playing with them and they are not only about food. If there is vegan food that’s made available to them, then they should enjoy it but if there isn’t any, then there are many other reasons to be happy about at a party. I also give my kids a box of vegan treats to take along to these parties as a back up. Gradually I have seen that parents of my children’s friends have started to either choose vegan friendly restaurants or venues or they have arranged vegan meals for my kids.

I think vegan food is like any other food and if cooked well, it tastes fantastic! I would inspire others to not eat meat themselves or offer it to their kids by suggesting to them to witness how meat lands on our plates. If they are not able to do that because that reality is grotesque then they should probably not consume it.

Spaghetti Marinara With Vegan Meat Balls 

Your kids will certainly want you to keep making this delicious and healthy recipe again and again! Please don't tell us we didn't warn you:)

Ingredients:

• 1 packet (450 g) whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and drained

For the Marinara Sauce:

• 1 kg tomatoes, chopped, with juice reserved
   
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
   
• 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
   
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
   
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
   
• Unrefined salt to taste
   
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
   
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped oregano (or 2 tsp dried oregano flakes)
   
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
   
• ¼ cup tomato puree

For the Vegan Meat Balls:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (or less)
   
• 1 cup soy granules, soaked and drained
   
• 1 tsp dried sweet basil flakes
   
• 5 – 6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
   
• ¼ cup lemon juice
   
• ½ a red bell pepper, finely chopped
   
• 1 tsp unrefined salt (or to taste)
   
• 1 tsp onion powder
   
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
   
• 1 cup water

Method:

For the Marinara Sauce

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, fry garlic and onion without oil, over medium heat. Stirring continuously, cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, balsamic vinegar, pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a  boil. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer on low heat, until the gravy thickens. Keep stirring occasionally. When well done, turn the heat off.

For the Vegan Meat Balls

Combine soy granules, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the wheat flour and water. Now, add the wheat flour and water, a little at a time, and mix until the mixture is thick enough and binds well to make the balls.

Form meatballs using a cookie scoop or with hands. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 35 minutes at 350 °F (175 °C), in a pre-heated oven. Place the meatballs on spaghetti and serve topped with the marinara sauce.

Serves 4

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Meat for Kids

Mother Nature knows what is best for us. Like every parent, she wants to provide each of her children with the highest quality of food for their body. So is meat good for us or our children? Every animal eats by instinct. We are the only species that eats according to our culture, our society and advertisements.

One of the best gifts we can give to our children is a healthy foundation. Is giving them meat, strengthening that foundation or weakening it? Read on to find out why meat may be detrimental to health.

1. Excess protein is detrimental While our body does need protein for growth and repair, the quality and quantity also matter. Though animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids, they don’t contain any fibre. This enables us to eat them in excess. Plant proteins, such as beans, legumes, leafy greens etc contain good quality proteins and can easily provide the essential amino acids.

2. Meat is high in fat Animal based foods are rich in fat, causing younger people to get health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure and even heart attacks.

3. Meat contains cholesterol Only animals produce cholesterol. We are animals, and so we, too, both need and produce cholesterol. Excess cholesterol comes from animal products, including dairy in our diet. Cutting out all animal products will naturally bring down the cholesterol levels.

4. Meat lacks fibre Fibre forms the bulk of our stools. It helps to cleanse the gut and to remove the toxins that have been collected. There is no fibre in any animal products but all plants are rich in fibre.

5. Animal foods are acidic Our body is alkaline and thrives on alkaline foods such as fruits and vegetables. Meat is acid yielding in our body (proteins break down into amino acids) and this results in leaching of calcium from our bones and also increasing the risk of cancers.

6. Meat causes lethargy Since our digestive tract is designed for plants, meat is hard to digest. When we eat animal products, the body’s energy goes to the digestive system, leaving us feeling heavy and lethargic.

7. Meat can cause hormonal imbalances Since animals produce hormones, just like we do, and also since they’re often given hormones in order to grow bigger, faster, these hormones are transferred over to us when we eat meat, causing hormonal imbalances in our body. Diseases like hypothyroidism, PCOD, premature puberty, menstrual, irregularities, and even hormone dependant cancers can be linked to meat.

8. Meat is cancer causing Heme iron found in meat increases the risk of cancers, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are the carcinogenic and mutagenic chemicals formed from cooking meat, nitrites added to processed meats promote cancer, and toxins resulting from meat cause colon cancers.

9. Meat contains antibiotics While most parents avoid giving antibiotics as much as possible to their children, they don’t realise how much of this they may get from the animal products they consume. Animals produced for consumption are treated with antibiotics, to avoid the spread of disease, due to the inhumane conditions they live in.

10. Meat causes stress When an animal is being slaughtered, their stress hormones are at their peak. When we consume that dead body, we are also consuming the stress hormones, resulting in us feeling irritated, angry, anxious or frustrated.