What do children think?

I often comment on what a bad memory I have. I don’t recall a lot about my early years. I have recently wondered how I easily accepted that eating animals was the right way to behave. I know people go to a lot of trouble to disguise what is being eaten and here are a few examples...


- Most people refer to meat so it bears little similarity to the animal being eaten e.g fillet steak, bacon, chops, mince.... No-one wants to say the name of the animal (notice ‘veal’ instead of ‘calf’). There are exceptions e.g. lamb, chicken wings but people are so desensitised it just passes them by. *
*On a side note I watched a tv program yesterday and a couple were having a first date. The man had cooked and when the girl asked what she was eating the guy replied ‘pigs hooves’ and ‘tortoise’. The girl was horrified only to be reassured that it was only ‘pork dim sum’ and ‘chicken wings’, whereby she hungrily tucked in.... Is it just me?
- Advertisements mislead us – see the happy dairy cows tucking into the grass that most real dairy cows never see, see the happy bouncing lambs in the fields. These creatures obviously live happy and full lives.
- Money. The amount poured into governments by the meat and dairy industries reminds me of the tobacco industries some years ago. We pay you, you promote us. Telling everyone something is good for us doesn’t make it so.


So back to my point. When did I discover that what was on my plate was a piece of rotting animal corpse? The answer is I have no idea. Have I always loved animals? Yes. I used to be a member of all sorts of charities and refused to go to the circus. I even refused to go to Spain on holiday due to the bullfighting culture. Yet all this I did whilst eating meat. I first became aware that I had a choice in my eating habits when I was around 12 and momentarily turned vegetarian, until my mum gave me a beef and tomato cup-a-soup by ‘accident’, then I somehow fell back into the routine. It’s hard trying something like that when you cannot eat with your family as they are all having beef stroganoff and you are having beans on toast. My family were big meat eaters when I was young. Every meal had meat in it or my dad wouldn’t be full. Now they are following a more healthy diet. Infact last time they visited here for a holiday both my parents lost a lot of weight and are trying to keep it off! My dad is constantly surprised when we make a vegetarian meal that is worth seconds! We’ve not seen the folks since turning vegan so keep your eyes out for my New Year posts from the UK!

I wish as a child I had more awareness of the suffering of animals for humans to gobble up their bodies without a thought, I wish I had a stronger character that had stood up for myself in many ways back then but most of all I feel sorry for the animals I ate, whose lives I took. I am truly sorry. Maybe I can make up for it a little by telling my children what the red lumps on the supermarket shelves, why we don’t have animals milk in the fridge and why we feel it is not our right to harm other beings for our selfish habits. Maybe if someone reads this blog and makes a change, making 99 less dead animals per year then my conscience will be lighter.

I believe children should have access to the truth, it’s unfair to them and to the animals to feed them food so far removed from its origin that they have no idea what they are eating. I’m sure fish fingers, sausages and beef paste would lose their appeal if the disguise was removed.

Take care of yourself and those you share the planet with x

Frustration

I am frustrated today as I have just received a letter from Norwegian customs, telling me that I cannot have a parcel which has been sent to me. It is an order from abroad for a multivitamin with vitamin b12 included for my 2 year old and a multivitamin for Matthew and I. The only ones I can find in Norway have animal products in - you don't realize until you start looking how much animal products are used where you would least expect them. These vitamins are not allowed past customs and they are now sending them back. So what do I do? The only b12 supplement I can find for Heidi is not suitable until 3 years and the multivitamins for children I have found contain no b12. So, I try and get fortified soya for her which she has in her porridge but I do not think it is enough.

I will say a little about what I know regarding vitamin b12. It is a vitamin only found in animal products and therefore used as an argument by meat eaters as to why they need meat. However, the fact is that b12 grows on the bacteria contained in meat, not in the meat itself, not that nice a thought after all. It is able to be produced cruelty free as a supplement but every vegan needs it. So I now have to think about this and fairly soon! If you live almost anywhere else in the world I am sure it is very easy to get.

It is frustrating when people do not understand why you have made this choice. To me it is obvious, to others I am simply strange. Norway is a society addicted to meat products, they are everywhere. Even at a petrol station, the smell of hot dogs hits you as soon as you arrive and the sight of all that animal flesh everywhere is quite upsetting to someone who tries to raise awareness of what that animal went through to get there for someone to eat without any thought.

Anyway, onto a more positive note, I am glad to see the traffic coming to the site and it is encouraging me to write often. Today I would like to touch on some recipes for kids. In the last post I looked at some of my favourites but children are fussy and although Heidi eats most of the food we eat there are some things she just adores and here they are:

Pasta and Mediterranean veg:


Rice or egg free pasta
Mushrooms
Squash
Mixed Peppers
Tomatoes
Garlic

Cook pasta al dente, lightly fry the veg, adding the tomatoes and garlic last, let simmer for 10 minutes, then serve.

No cheese pizza:

*Of course, if you live somewhere you can get vegan cheese then you can use this as a topping, I find it's just as good without

Pizza base (home made or bought)
Tomato sauce (bought or home made from fresh tomatoes and herbs, simmer for 20 minutes to reduce, then strain or blend to desired consistency)
Selection of toppings
Olive or rapeseed oil

Roll out base, add tomato topping place veggies on pizza and drizzle with oil. Cook for around 10 minutes on 200 and serve.

Other great choices for vegan kids are peanut butter and other nut spreads, seed rolls, fruit cocktails and nut burgers/cutlets. You can also make patties up of varying ingredients for meals eg lentils and carrots, beans and oats, just experiment with different things (you can also go to fatfreerecipes.com for more info on good dishes). My daughter loves crackers, almonds and rice chips for snacks. I am proud that she dislike sweets and gives them back when given to her and although before becoming vegan she used to love crisps and milk chocolate she has not made any complaint about the change. She is also less manic and grumpy! I try my best to give her a wholesome diet with little additives but it is important that toddlers still get some fat content so don't worry about giving high calorie food.

Now I must get back to my day, I have both children at home today, Miller is taking a nap and Heidi is driving around on a toy truck but her attention is waning so I think we need an interactive task - it's either sorting out the washing or doing a jigsaw...I think the jigsaw might win!

Have a good day x