This story was told by the mother of two children. Her experience seemed entertaining, so we decided to share it with our readers: "I have always been a natural vegetarian, I just do not like the taste of meat. I was even going to become a vegan, but I did not dare. Especially since I was born twins three years ago. And then I decided - I'll try it myself, and experiment with the boys. I'll see how they like the vegetarian lifestyle. The health of my children is the most important for me. Recently we visited our pediatrician, so I was sure that everything was fine with them. I decided to give them an additional daily dose of vitamin B12, we get it only from products of animal origin. In addition, I gave my sons multivitamins containing omega-3 fatty acids.
A photo: GettyImagesIn what an experiment During the week I fed the children with plant food. I explained to them that we are trying to abandon products of animal origin. No, I did not tell the boys about the killing and exploitation of animals for food. There is no reason to frighten them. If they refused to eat what I gave them, I fed them with the usual food - non-vegetarian. I'm not Cruella De Ville. To be honest, I did not think it would be so difficult. It seemed that it was difficult - just feeding children with pies, not nuggets. No matter how it is. Day 1: Not all milk is the same. The first day, 5:45 in the morning. Time of the first cup of milk. Lolo had seen me drink soy milk before, and asked me to try it. Usually I refused: it's expensive, I would not want to translate it in vain. Suddenly spit it out? He was glad that he would finally get what his mother drinks, and he liked it! But Remi did not impress the soy milk. So much that it puked them. And it all morning. Almond milk to him also did not go. Even with chocolate syrup. Day 2: fall in love with fruit - or it will be worse. What does it mean to be a vegan? If you do not want to eat refined food, convenience foods and the like, you should really like fruits and vegetables. Especially if you are raw. Otherwise, every meal will turn into torture. I tried to cook vegetables for my sons. "Mom, can I better eat a cracker? .." asked the son, looking at Hummus in disbelief. But crackers for our vegan diet were not good. I barely managed to find vegan bread. Uff ... Day 3: I'm a kitchen slave. A week before the experiment, I cooked homemade sausage and soup with cabbage. Decided to try to build their vegan copies - sausage from tofu, and soup on vegetable broth instead of chicken. I managed! God, this is my first success. Children dared all for the sweet soul. Success inspires, of course, but I understood: you want to do something tasty and vegan at the same time - be ready to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. No, I like to cook, I even wanted to go to the pastry school. But when you MUST do something every day and for a long time, it's not a hobby, it's a job. But children need not only food, but attention! In the vegan period, I could have fried roast with rice for 20 minutes. And now ... Perhaps there are quick vegan recipes. But I did not have them. Imagine what I felt: killing half a day in the kitchen, and the children are nuzzling from what I have prepared, and asking for pasta or cereal.
Photo: GettyImagesDate 4: test cheese. If in truth, I completely flew out of my head that the cheese - it is also not vegan. I was hoping to just abandon hot dogs and nuggets. But precious pasta with cheese - it was too ... My children just adore this dish. So much so that they choose which form of pasta to cook today and what will be the sauce: white, yellow or cheddar. And watch how I cook it all. I tried to build a semblance of cheese sauce from cashew nuts, coconut milk and cereal. My husband said that it was very tasty. The children said tactfully that this, of course, was not a complete rubbish. But not macaroni with cheese. Day 5: hungry games My children always had a great appetite. They can grind a plate of pasta, a huge sandwich or scrambled eggs in the morning without any problems. But when I started to introduce them to all the new vegetables and fruits, such as pea pudding or zucchini pancakes, I noticed that the boys began eating much less than usual. I try my best to invent for them snacks that they can eat on the go. But if you consider that they can not tolerate nuts and peanut butter, there are few options. Maybe I imagined it, but I seriously began to think that the boys were much more vigorous when I gave them cheese sticks and yoghurts. I felt great, I ate a bunch of different vegetables and fruits of all the colors of the rainbow. But they are not. At their young age they were not so fond of vegetables to eat a ton of vegetation every day. Day 6: vegan baking is awesome! On Tuesdays I usually bake different buns with the children. This time I decided to try to bake a vegan chocolate biscuit with almonds, brown sugar and coconut oil. Perhaps I forgot to see if all my chocolate chips were vegan for 100 percent. But the result turned out - mmm ... In general, they were gorgeous. Up to this point I did not realize how much in my life and life children revolve around eating: to cook, eat, clean. It was nice that this our weekly ritual with baking was preserved. Day 7: Battle for eggs This morning I woke up with an eerie desire to eat an egg. The night before, I had a training session in the gym, and I was terribly hungry for protein food instead of oatmeal, which I ate for breakfast all week. I decided to slowly eat the egg while everyone was asleep. But Lolo heard me put the frying pan on the stove, and immediately rushed to the kitchen. "Eggs! Do you make eggs? Can I have an egg? "- he jumped around me. Damn, I was discovered. At first I thought of offering him oatmeal. But then I thought that the fresh egg from the farm is still more useful than the processed grain. So, we ate fried eggs, and she was delicious.
Photo:GettyImagesInstead of a MoralWhen our vegan week was over, I realized that it was entirely possible to transition my children to a plant-based diet. But until they discovered the full variety of vegetables and fruits, I would have to include animal products in their diet – at least a little.Besides, I felt like Cinderella in my own house. And not at all when she dances at the ball in a beautiful dress. Maybe it makes sense to make one day a week vegetarian? I’ll have to think about it. But I’ll definitely keep the cheese.
