Vegan from birth

Kaya explores being raised vegan from birth. 

Some people are lucky enough to have never eaten an animal product. I was raised vegan from birth and have often been under the impression that there aren’t many others like me. However, when we posted a call-out on social media asking for lifelong vegans to share their stories, I was pleasantly surprised to receive so many responses.  

To begin with, I spoke to Danielle Saunders, who was our Communications Manager here at The Vegan Society. Danielle and her partner Adam are raising their little boy Jonah as a vegan. At one year old he has never consumed any animal products. 

Favourite foods  

Danielle and her partner own a vegan soul food restaurant in Coventry (Dirty Kitch), so Jonah has had lots of opportunities to try an exciting range of food. Danielle explained that he already has a mature palate. She says, “I don’t think we’ve come across a food Jonah doesn’t like yet. If I had to name a favourite, it would probably be something with lots of flavour and spices like a curry or chilli. He takes after us when it comes to his love of punchy flavours!” She also explains that cultural dishes are important to their family. “I try to make sure that Jonah is familiar with food that reflects his Caribbean heritage, like ackee served with greens or rice and peas.” 

Emily and her husband Kevin live in Hong Kong with their sons Henry, five, and Oscar who is 21 months old. Henry’s favourite meal is red lentil coconut dhal and rice. Oscar loves avocado, pasta and fruit. Emily frequently cooks refried bean quesadillas, mushroom lasagne, sushi, pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese, Pad Thai and pizza for the boys. Emily says, “We are lucky in Hong Kong to have lots of little Buddhist vegetarian Chinese shops and restaurants, so we eat a lot of noodles, dumplings and spring rolls from there too.” 

Early conversations 

I wanted to know about what sort of conversations Danielle and Adam imagine having with Jonah about veganism when he is older. As a vegan child I remember struggling with the way other children perceived animals. I loved them and my friends ate them. It was confusing.  

Danielle explains that Jonah is currently too young to understand concepts such as animal rights and environmental protection. “Until he’s old enough to understand, we will do our best to demonstrate that we live this way because it’s important to be kind. Most parents teach their children to be kind, so extending it to what we eat feels natural.”  

Danielle added that she wants Jonah to look at other beings (human and non-human) and respect their inherent right to live happily. “I hope by raising our child vegan, we manage to preserve the innocence and compassion he came into the world with.” 

For Emily, veganism feels very natural to her family. Since her children have been vegan since birth, veganism is normal to them. “When we talk about animals, we talk about taking care of them and letting them live instead of hurting them or killing them for food.” Emily echoed Danielle’s belief that loving animals comes naturally to children and that it is society that teaches them to suppress this, by telling them that eating animals is necessary. She adds, “My children find it strange that people would want to hurt or kill animals just to eat them – that is the difficult thing to explain. Not why we don't eat animals, but why others do.”  

From the perspective of a vegan parent, it may be that there is something more wholesome about seeing their vegan child interact with other animals. Emily tells me how her children love to pat dogs they see outside and watch birds, wild boars, turtles and frogs they see on family hikes. “I love to see their compassion towards all creatures. Oscar kisses all of the pictures of cats in his books and waves to birds out of our 20th floor window!” 

Friendships  

Those who are opposed to raising children in this way often argue that a vegan lifestyle will limit them socially. We know that a well-planned vegan diet is suitable for people of all ages, a fact that is supported by the British Dietetic Association, but what about friendships, school and social activities? 

From personal experience, I know that being vegan from birth can be socially isolating. You have a different world view from your peers, but you might not have the vocabulary or intellect to articulate or justify it. How can this be handled to ensure that vegan children feel able to continue with their lifestyle while participating in the same activities as their non-vegan peers?  

When I asked Danielle about her feelings on this topic, she explained that she is conscious of how Jonah’s perception of those around him will be shaped by his being vegan. “I honestly don’t know how I’d answer a four-year-old if he were to ask why his school friend eats animals. I don’t want my child to carry the burden or frustration of feeling like the world doesn’t care.” 

Holly, a 34-year-old GP, her sister Wanda and brother Jasper were all raised vegan from birth and have been vegan all their lives. Between them, they have three vegan children. Holly says that when she and her siblings were younger, being vegan was unusual, but not challenging. She attributes this to her parents, who made a special effort to help their children fit in with their peers. Holly says, “My mum would find out what the other children were eating at parties and send us along with a box of our own version.”  

Holly explains that although she has come across those who have made fun of her diet, she has always been willing to answer their questions and has not pushed her point of view or given advice unless she was asked. She says, “I feel this is the best way to make a difference as people learn to respect me for who I am, and then start to take an interest over time.” This approach appears to have worked, as she comments that many of her friends have now become vegan or reduced their consumption of animal products. “I think there are lots of reason for this, but I like to think that seeing me lead a normal and happy life as a vegan could be a part of it.” 

Emily’s experience of being a vegan parent in the present day is an example of the progress that has been made since Holly was a child. Her family have many vegan friends and so their children are often around people who also share the same beliefs. Although at school they may be the only ones who don’t eat meat, they have a positive experience there too. “Henry attends a local kindergarten and they provide lunch and snacks. They also have ‘Green Mondays’ where the whole school eats vegetarian.” Emily started her own Facebook group for vegan parents, which now has over 1000 members. She and the other parents find this a useful space to discuss recipes, restaurants and parenting tips. 

Changing attitudes 

Holly echoes this experience of changing attitudes. Since qualifying as a GP, she has seen the perception of a vegan diet shift towards a more positive and accurate public view. “I would never have had the confidence to recommend a vegan diet to a patient a few years ago. But the evidence now is so positive that now I feel able to do so. I feel privileged to be vegan from birth and in my line of work. I'm in a position to help people improve their health drastically while also reducing the slaughter of animals and impact on our planet.” 

To be vegan from birth is a unique experience. For me, it has meant never having to go through the consciousness shift of viewing animals as my food to seeing them as sentient beings. However, just like any other belief system in which children are raised, there will still come a point in each child’s life where they will have to decide for themselves if they are going to maintain this belief. For those of us who reaffirm the decision to be vegan when we are older it can feel like we have an even more meaningful conviction. 

By Kaya Gromocki. This article was first publsihed in our membership magazine The Vegan, Issue 1 2021

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