Uprooted!

“There is one thing I would let myself have: gravy. I cannot abandon poutine; I’m sorry, I cannot do that.” These are the words of an evolving vegan. My 10-year-old daughter is abandoning meat. For the moment, she considers herself a pescatarian, although considering the devotion she demonstrates toward her five pet fish (in four separate tanks), I can’t imagine she’ll be able to stomach a plateful of wild salmon for much longer. At 10 years old, I quickly developed a taste for porterhouse; she, instead, developed a conscience. Her reasoning is similar to many who adopt vegetarian and vegan diets: a deep sympathy for animals who, even in the hands of the most well-intentioned hunter-gatherers, meet a frightful demise. For her, the issue is black and white—exactly what I see when drooling over a well-marbled New York strip fresh off the grill. “I just don’t like how it tastes, and I sort of feel bad for the animals. Imagine you were an animal and you couldn’t go live at all. It was just like, ‘I’m going to die, now.’” I can’t blame her. She takes after her father, an animal lover. Although, while her compassion has bloomed into a willingness to act, mine has remained medium-rare. Her diet exploration has forced me to examine my own eating habits. It has also triggered that bizarre phenomenon of suddenly feeling as though I am the last person being let in on a secret. It seems vegetarians and vegans are everywhere, and I was out in left field with the Herefords. My teenage neighbour Oliver considers himself a “strict vegetarian, mostly vegan.” He says he became a vegan “for environmental and political reasons. It’s basically a middle finger to the environmentally destructive farm factory system.” Gulp. I don’t feel necessarily targeted, although this weekend I think I will be burying my meat freezer under my garden shed to be accessed only through a secret door under the tomato vines. My tween little girl expressing a desire to restrict her diet triggered in me a sense of foreboding. I have written often on the topics of eating disorders, teen peer pressure, and body image issues. These challenges can be devastating, especially for young women. Was my daughter’s new regimen a red flag? Did I have the knowledge to be able to guide a 10-year-old and, given her level of devotion, eventually a teenager through the minefield of vegetarianism and veganism? I got some impartial advice for my budding vegan. Kim Arrey is an author and registered dietitian. She says there are plenty of resources available to parents and kids interested in exploring alternative food options.

One author Arrey recommends is Vesanto Melina, who is the lead author of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper on vegetarian diets. Melina has written a variety of books, including Raising Vegetarian Children (McGraw-Hill Education, 2002). I have no trouble imagining my daughter sitting at the table—her spoon firmly entrenched in her homemade bean and apple salad—quoting to me the benefits of veganism, thanks to excerpts from the book I recommended to her. The hunter has become the hunted.