It’s been way too long since I’ve written a blog post… things have been so busy with a 2yr old and a new Kindergartener! But my heart is bursting at the seams with so many signs of hope for a vegan world (one that doesn’t view and treat animals as commodities) that I had to get it all out! I’ve been vegetarian for 27yrs, and vegan for almost 10yrs, but I’ve never experienced such a real feeling of hope than I have in the past few months. I try to make choices everyday based on what I hope for now, and the future, however sometimes that future I envision feels a little too distant, and even like a pipe dream that only a small minority believe in, and are working towards. Until now. I no longer have to imagine the future; I can see it forming before my eyes. Signs that a vegan world is near are everywhere! The tipping point for me was through this recent experience that I’d love to share.

(I saw this sign outside of a coffee shop in NYC this summer)

I’m the organizer of the NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families meetup group in NYC. It’s a dream to get together with other vegan parents, and for my kids to interact with other vegan kids. We have that “set of friends” and then we have other friends who aren’t vegan or vegetarian. Those two worlds were separate; living side by side. Until now... and this is what gives me the most hope.  

Charlotte’s assistant pre-school teacher last year was vegan. What a surprise, and a relief. As the year progressed, I found out that one of Charlotte’s classmates, Ahsha was transitioning to a vegan diet. I was starting to feel like her transition was a symbolic sign of the world’s transition. Fast forward to this year. Just before school started, we found out that another girl in Charlotte’s Kindergarten class, Mila was vegetarian, and she lived only a few blocks away (they’ve since become besties!). Then, a few weeks into school, my daughter came home one day and said that one of her classmates, Eva, told her she was vegan. She barely finished her sentence and I was already on the computer emailing Eva’s mom…. “Is this true?” She replied back, “YES, Eva’s vegan!” This was the tipping point. It now felt like our previously separate vegan and non-vegan worlds were merging. They physically came together recently at our Halloween veg meetup when Mila and Eva attended, and joined Charlotte and her other vegan friends. My heart was bursting that day. This was a big deal for me, for Charlotte, and most importantly, the future.

Here are a few more signs from just the last couple of months:
-- Charlotte’s Kindergarten teacher asked me to come into the classroom to talk about why we are vegan.  

-- At our class potluck, when one parent found out we were vegan, she sent an email saying she would “leave off the cheese” on the salad she was making. This doesn’t sound like a huge deal on its own, but I really feel like it represents what I’ve noticed more and more lately. It’s a positive shift in the way people interact with me as a vegan. Overall, people seem less threatened, confrontational and more accommodating and open, like it's no big deal.

-- We signed up for a few classes at Freshmade NYC cooking studio. Most of the recipes they do are vegetarian, and can be “veganized.” I was hesitant to join because I anticipated my daughter sitting there with a set of ingredients separate from the rest of the class, but when I told them we were vegan, they decided to use vegan ingredients for the whole class. So in the first class, all of the kids made vegan pot pies, and in the next class they made veggie sushi and dessert sushi. After the class, I talked to the teacher who told me she was vegan! Everywhere I turn, a vegan pops up!

-- I attended an event at the iconic ABC Carpet and Home to celebrate with Tracey and Jon Stewart (who just left the Daily Show). They will be opening a sanctuary for rescued farm animals.

-- The World Health Organization (WHO) just came out with a report stating that processed meats cause cancer. This puts it in the same category as tobacco smoking and asbestos.

-- Mark Bittman, renowned New York Times op-ed columnist and food writer just left his “dream” job to join The Purple Carrot, a company that sells vegan food kits.

-- Don Thompson, ex-CEO of McDonald’s (with McD’s for nearly 25yrs) just joined the board of plant-based meat company, Beyond Meat.

-- Major food chains all around the world are adding vegan options to their menus including the most recent: vegan ice-cream from Ben & Jerry’s, vegan burger at White Castle, and Taco Bell has over 26 vegan ingredients in their newly certified vegetarian menu. Guinness also just announced plans to make their beer vegan!
 
I see so many signs of hope that I couldn’t possibly list them all here, but they all point to a vegan world; a paradigm shift in the way we view and treat animals. The suffering of animals is now being recognized and considered in people’s food choices. When I became vegan even just 10yrs ago, and would mention it to a waiter/waitress or to other people, most of the time I’d get a blank stare in return, and have to explain what it meant. Nowadays it’s rare that I have to explain to anyone what a vegan is, especially in a restaurant. Everybody is familiar with the word vegan, and that’s the biggest sign of hope of all.

This is all part of the groundwork that needed to be laid in order for a vegan world to take hold.

Thanks to the many organizations and individuals who have worked tirelessly to lay this groundwork, the world now seems ready for a vegan shift. All of the pieces are falling into place for the next phase…which I feel is the adoption of plant-based meats (and even lab-grown meat). Companies such as Hampton Creek and Beyond Meat are leading the way. Even Bill Gates recognizes this as the future. In his own words from his blog...
“Like most people, I don’t think I can be easily fooled. But that’s just what happened when I was asked to taste a chicken taco and tell whether the meat inside was real or fake. The meat certainly had the look and the smell of chicken. I took a bite and it had the taste and texture of real chicken, too. But I was surprised to learn that there wasn’t an ounce of real chicken it. The “meat” was made entirely of plants. And yet, I couldn’t tell the difference. What I was experiencing was more than a clever meat substitute. It was a taste of the future of food.” - Bill Gates
 
Yes, the “future of food.” Food that doesn't come from lonely, scared, stressed-out animals who’ve been confined in tiny cages and dark, filthy sheds their entire lives. Food that doesn't come from mothers who’ve had their babies taken away from them. Food that doesn't come from animals who've lived and died in the most atrocious conditions imaginable. Food that doesn't wreak havoc on the environment. Food that is healthier, more sustainable, and that doesn't cause animals to suffer.
 
Soon we’ll be able to relegate eating animals to the history books. I truly feel like that time will be sooner, rather than later.

As parents, we're all extremely busy. If we can share ideas it will make our lives much easier, and we won't have to reinvent the wheel every time we do something like throw a birthday party. Let's work together to create a party that considers our kids, animals, other people, and the environment. I hope other parents are able to use some of these great ideas...

As a current student of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE), I recently attended residency in Maine. I gave a presentation about how to throw a MOGO (Most Good, Least Harm) birthday party. Together, with my peers, we came up with tons of creative ideas on how to do this. I was able to use many of these ideas for my daughter's party this past summer.

The venue was a pavillion at the beach. We covered the picnic tables with fabric tablecloths and scarves that my mom had in her closet, instead of using disposable, plastic tablecloths that would end up in a landfill after the party, not too mention which are full of potential nasty chemicals.

Decorations usually consist of balloons, streamers, and other one-time use items that are just thrown away at the end of the party. I used one of the many ideas from my IHE classmates, and decided to decorate with what was available in nature. With my parent's help, I gathered sticks and vines from their yard. I found an old bag of colorful pipe cleaners in my craft bin, and we twisted those around the branches. My daughter was able to help with this, which made it that much more special! We hung these one-of-a-kind pieces of art in the pavillion; they looked beautiful. We also had flowers on the tables. More ideas for decorating the space from my classmates include: having the guests at the party paint pictures to hang up (or having your child do this beforehand), create centerpieces using flowers from your yard, found objects, painted rocks, or recycled materials, and make confetti using a hole puncher and old wrapping paper or greeting cards. You can also use old wrapping paper for tablecloths. Hang kites, wind chimes, pinwheels, and shells and see them flutter in the wind . If you end up buying a set of decorations, reuse them again the following year.

The food at the party was all vegan. No animals harmed in the making of this party! We had chips, veggies, homemade hummus, and salsa. I just couldn't get my act together this year (1yr old at home!) to make everything homemade, so we ordered Chinese food for the main meal. In hindsight, it wasn't the most eco-friendly option. While the Chinese food was delicious, it came with a lot of plastic packaging, so next year we'll get back to the basics and make our own food. Live and learn. Now onto the birthday cake! We had a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting from Whole Foods; my daughter requested that Merida from the movie Brave be on it. It was delicious and everyone--vegan or not-- loved it! My Mom spoiled us with a homemade vegan peach and strawberry cobbler that we topped with soy whip cream. We also had vegan chocolate chip cookies and fruit.

For plates, cups and utensils we used the pink, non-toxic, compostable, renewable, and made in North America, Susty Party brand from Whole Foods. For an outside location, it's harder to use real silverware and plates, but of course if you're able to do that, it's the best option. 

Goodie bags and Party Favors are a staple of kids birthday parties. Most are filled with junky, fluorescent, toxic, plastic toys made in China that get used for about 10 minutes on the car ride home. After that, they end up in the landfill... along with the tablecloths and decorations! Just think about the amount of birthday parties per year, and how many goodie bags are given out. That's a lot of stuff! Such a waste. For my daughter's party, I combined the goodie bags and the activity, which was a great recommendation from my friends at my IHE residency. I reused brown paper bags from Whole Foods by cutting them down and attaching a handle made from the scraps of the bags. Each child was given a bag to collect whatever they could find in nature. The kids came back with grass, twigs, acorns, rocks, sand, and other interesting items. They used them to make a collage on construction paper covered cardboard. They took their finished masterpieces home with them; this served not only as an activity, but also as their goodie bag. Other ideas for party favors include thrift store toys, homemade vegan treats (kids can make them at the party), or any other craft made before or during the party. One of my classmates suggested decorating old oatmeal containers (or any type of round container), and using them  as drums. When finished, kids can have a drum circle. Another classmate suggested buying stuffed animals from a thrift store and playing a habitat station game at the party. At the end, each child gets to take home their animal. For the actual bag part of the goodie bag, you can use recycled paper bags, cloth bags, or even old t-shirts tied with shoestring or ribbon.

Charlotte had a wonderful birthday party this year-- and the guests did too! Having a birthday party that's fun for everyone, and good for the planet and those who inhabit it, is the birthday party of the future. Birthday parties are just one example of an ingrained system that we can change... family by family. Each year we can learn from the year before and find a way to do it even better. I hope you'll join me in helping align birthday parties with our values to create a more sustainable and compassionate world for all!

HAPPY birthday....for all!

If you have any more ideas, please share them in the comment section below...I'd love to hear them!

Sixth Annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale-- April 26 through May 4, 2014


GUEST POST by Gary Loewenthal from Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale
Vegan bake sales are a unique blend of fun, outreach, fundraising, and community:

• It's fun to see what everyone made, and to see customers enjoying your bake sale's tasty creations.
• Delicious vegan cookies, cupcakes, banana bread, and other baked goods can be a surprisingly effective outreach tool. Often one bite can change a skeptic's impression of vegan food, and melt away fears that it is boring or unsatisfying.
• Bake sales are a time-tested and popular fundraising technique.
• At a bake sale, you're likely to meet others in your community and swap recipes, and get a wonderful sense of community.

So what is the WVBS? It's almost too simple but maybe that's the key to its success over the last five years:

Each year, around the end of April and the beginning of May, groups all over the world hold vegan bake sales. Each participating group signs up on the WVBS web site, but has complete control over its bake sale, including what to sell and what to do with the proceeds. Anyone can participate. If you can't do it during the “official” week, you can do it as close that week as possible. That's it!

The WVBS provides great opportunities for family involvement. For example:

• You don't have to be an official group to hold a bake sale. Over the years, informal groups of friends, as well as kids on the front porch have organized successful bake sales as part of the WVBS.
• School clubs and classes have participated. One advantage of doing it this way is that you already have an excellent place to hold and advertise your bake sale- the school!
• Church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious groups can participate (and have participated) in the same fashion.
• Girl or boy scout troops- same deal!
• Moms and dads can help in all sorts of ways: serving food, decorating the bake sale table, handling the money at the bake sale, promoting, folding to-go boxes, taking pictures, and so forth.
• Family Meetup groups- for example, this year the NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families Meetup group will be hosting a family vegan bake sale on April 27. Location TBD. Join meetup to stay posted.
  

The WVBS web site has tons of tips on how to have a great bake sale, from finding locations to connecting with bakers to getting the word out to setting prices. You probably will not find a more complete reference for bake sales.

                                                    Photos above from Bianca Phillips at VeganCrunk.blogspot.com

If organizing your own bake sale isn't practical, you can check the WVBS schedule to see if there's a participating vegan bake sale near you, and if so, there are lots of opportunities for both kids and adults to help out with that event:

• Bake something for it.
• See if you can get a local bakery to donate items.
• Help promote the bake sale.
• Volunteer to help out at the table.

Note: If the sponsoring group is a registered charity, high school students may be able to receive community service credits by volunteering at the bake sale.

I want to suggest one last very simple but crucial thing you can do to help out vegan bake sales and the WVBS. But first...

Bake sales are a great way for families to have fun and do good at the same time. With vegan bake sales specifically, you're helping to create a more peaceful and compassionate world. Other articles on this web site talk about the cruelty of dairy and eggs, so there's no need to repeat that here. But one of the many disturbing aspects of dairy and egg production-- and this applies to organic, free-range, and small operations, too-- is that it destroys animals' families. Baby calves are torn from their mothers on dairy farms, and egg-laying hens are denied growing up with a mother (almost all come from industrial hatcheries and are shipped to their destinations). Cows and hens are often looked upon as the epitome of doting, tender mothers. By showing people the deliciousness of vegan baked goods, you're gently but perhaps quite convincingly opening their eyes to a kinder alternative. To a degree, vegan bake sales are families helping families.

And now for the final tip...if you don't have the time or other resources to organize or help out at a participating vegan bake sale, there is something else you can do, which is essential and very easy and enjoyable: Attend the nearest participating bake sale in your area, buy some tasty treats, contribute to a worthy cause, and support your local, talented, hard-working, creative vegan bakers!

BIG THANK YOU to Gary Loewenthal for organizing such an important worldwide event!

NOTE: If you are in the New York City area, the NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families Meetup group will be hosting a family vegan bake sale on April 27. Location TBD. Join meetup to stay posted.

As a mother, the new documentary Blackfish, about SeaWorld and the whales it confines, hit me especially hard. The film inspired me to write this post with the hope that after reading it, other parents might make the informed, compassionate decision to avoid SeaWorld and other places that house animals for entertainment purposes. So for all the whales living in these artificial facilities right now, please share this post far and wide.

Looking for a summer camp that gives kids the knowledge, motivation, confidence and skills they need to make a positive difference in the world? And that serves vegan food? Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp will teach kids to be leaders, activists, compassionate citizens, and solutionaries. Read on to learn more about the inspiring, life-changing YEA camp...

Guest Post by Nora Kramer, Executive Director of Youth Empowered Action Camp (YEA)
Many veg kids and their parents are accustomed to being one of a small minority not wanting to eat hot dogs, hamburgers, and other typical meat-based meals at school or camp, and perhaps tolerating some ignorant remarks from others, maybe about the food chain or a desert island.

But what about a summer camp that serves all vegan food, and has plenty of other campers and staff who also care about animals, the planet, and good health? Or a camp that is all about helping youth get more involved in community service, social justice, and activism for causes they care about? That is Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp, a week-long overnight camp with locations in northern California, Oregon, and Massachusetts. 

YEA Camp, which is prepping for its fifth summer of programs for youth 12-17, is first and foremost a leadership program for young people who want to make a difference in the world. YEA's purpose is to support youth in getting active on an issue they care about once camp is over. The curriculum -- designed to build campers' knowledge, skills, confidence, and community support -- is engaging and fun, tapping into and expanding campers' passions and interests while affirming their power to make an impact on social issues they care about. Campers choose issues such as factory farming, school bullying, environmental protection, gay marriage, and more. They learn skills like how to start a school club, fundraise, and use art and social media for social change. 

Alumni campers have done so many inspiring things after camp, it's hard to keep track or be surprised anymore. From launching school clubs, getting more vegan options in the school cafeteria, initiating school-wide anti-bullying programs, ending dissection in school biology classes, leading neighborhood clean-ups, holding fundraisers, and volunteering or interning with different nonprofit organizations, YEA Campers go home and make a difference on issues they care about for years to come.

While all of YEA Camp's food is vegan, being vegetarian or vegan is certainly not a requirement to attend, and in fact many campers have never given any more thought to going veg than the average teen. The vegan food is not the point of the camp -- changing the world is. YEA Camp seeks to bring our actions into alignment with our values and commitment to peace, compassion, equity, sustainability, and social justice. YEA Camp tries to model "being the change we wish to see in the world," as Gandhi said. Serving meat or dairy would undermine everything we are standing for.

At the beginning of camp, many non-veg campers are nervous about the food, while other campers who are vegan or vegetarian are beyond thrilled to be able to eat everything, and to not have to ask questions or eat the "alternative" or "special" meal at the side table, like at other camps. In the end, though, everyone is beyond impressed at the deliciousness of vegan cuisine, with kid-friendly meals such as French toast and pancakes for breakfast, mac n' cheeze and burritos for lunch, pizza with Daiya and veggie sushi for dinner, and chocolate chip cookies and brownies for dessert. Don't worry, there's also plenty of veggies and salads and gluten- and soy-free and other options too! 

YEA Camp is an opportunity for youth to meet like-minded peers and adults, to pursue a cause that really matters to them, to get encouragement and training on how to make a difference in ways that feel right for them, and to have what many campers describe as a life-changing and unforgettable experience. And to eat amazing vegan food for a week while having a great time. Not a bad way to answer the question "How did you spend your summer vacation?"

You can’t deny that kids and animals go together so don’t. Celebrate the season of renewal with a trip to an animal sanctuary or nature center, so your kids can see spring’s babies with their natural families. Or celebrate Easter at a local  park, watching ducks on the pond and learning about our magnificent natural  world. Visit or volunteer at your local animal shelter or humane society (find  yours at http://theshelterpetproject.org) and let your kids get up  close with the dogs, cats, puppies, kittens and even rabbits and ducks who were  cast-off by impulse buyers last year.

I shared personal experiences as well as ideas, tips and resources I've gained from researching and talking with other vegan/vegetarian parents.

Laying the Foundation Early to Raise a Compassionate, Healthy Child

Pregnancy
Research shows that what a woman eats during pregnancy may shape food preferences later in life. In the womb, the baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid a day and this fluid is flavored by the foods and beverages the mother has eaten. So what you eat in pregnancy can result in preferences for certain foods for a lifetime. In other words, if you eat broccoli while you're pregnant, there's a much better chance your baby will like broccoli. So for the sake of your baby, eat a varied, healthy diet and skip the soda, chips and ice cream! 

Research also shows that the foods our children eat in the first 15 years of their lives is critical and has more of an impact in determining later diseases and illnesses than the last 50yrs of your life.

Here are a few tips to help develop HEALTHY eating patterns in children:
Healthy eating is really 2 parts: It’s what we DON’T feed our kids (animal products), and its about what we DO and SHOULD feed our kids. Healthy eating is about adding nutrient-dense foods into your diet that fight cancer and other illnesses, and provide phytonutrients to keep us healthy. (Read: Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right by Dr. Joel Fuhrman)

Be Consistent: it can take up to 15 times exposure to a food before a child accepts/likes a food. Don't give up!

Be a good role model: you can’t snack on oreos and potato chips and expect your child to eat carrots and celery. Let your child see you eating healthy foods. Eat together.

Cook and bake with your kids: kids are more apt to try something that they’ve helped make. My daughter helps me by mixing and pouring ingredients, mashing up tofu in her hands for tofu scramble, ripping kale, and adding fruits to the blender for green smoothies. An added bonus is that she often eats half of it before the recipe is even finished! Buy kid-friendly baking tools, and a fun apron. This also reinforces science/math/motor skills!

Bring kids grocery shopping: let them pick out foods that they already like and also challenge them to find new foods that they want to try. Adults should do this too!

Grow vegetables in your backyard or windowsill if possible. Go to a farm to see vegetables growing in the ground. Also, pick-your-own fruits and veggies in season.

Remove the competition: just as you remove meat and dairy from your households, you should also remove the junk and processed foods. If kids are hungry and there isn't any junk food around, they'll be forced to grab something healthy to eat. Keep fruits and veggies visible out on the counter so when kids are hungry, that's the first thing they'll see/grab.

Redefine the word “snack” dessert” etc: snacks don’t have to be crackers, chips, ice cream, or sugary stuff, they can be what we typically view as breakfast, dinner, or side dishes. (Ex. pieces of roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, chunks of tofu). Dessert can be fruit, not ice cream. Try freezing 3 bananas and then blending them in a processor/vitamix, and you instantly have creamy banana ice cream using only one healthy ingredient (add peanut butter too)!

Be Creative: make art/faces out of fruits and veggies. Put food on a kabob. Use cookie cutters to make shapes. Tell a story about a bunny who loved carrots, or Mitch Spinach, etc. Kia Robertson from Today I Ate a Rainbow recommends making it fun!

Doctors- Dr’s receive little to no nutrition education (20hrs average, but some don't receive any training) in med school. Their courses have a heavy emphasis on treatment and pharmaceuticals, rather than prevention. It’s likely in regards to nutrition that you know more than them. Dr's always want to fatten up thin kids to get them on par with the rest of the kids in this country (obesity epidemic!), but because veg kids often eat more fruit, veggies and other lower calorie but higher nutrient-dense foods instead of high-calorie, high fat foods such as doritos, ice cream and mac & cheese, then it's common sense that they will be thinner.

Don’t worry about being perfect: the typical standard American toddler eats the same few foods over and over (chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, ice cream, pizza) so by not feeding these foods, you’re already ahead of the game! It's not about purity, it's about the overall picture.



SHOCKING STATS!

1)    Protein- if you’re eating a sufficient caloric diet, then it’s almost impossible to be deficient in protein. The protein myth in this country was created by meat industry, and we typically get 400x more protein that we need. Animal protein is what’s killing us! According to Forks Over Knives...“We’ve never treated a single patient with protein deficiency, yet the majority of patients we see are suffering from heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases resulting from trying to get enough protein”

2)    25% toddlers between 1-2yrs old eat no fruits/veggies at all!

3)    American kids eat less than 2% of their entire diet from fruits/veggies! They move into adulthood eating 90% of their calories from dairy products, white flour, sugar, and oil.

4)    Heart Disease risk factors are being seen in kids as young as 10yrs old.

5)    CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has predicted that this is the first generation of children that may NOT outlive their parents.

6)    By the time American children are 15 months old, French fries have become their most commonly consumed vegetable.



Social Side
Kids don't want to feel left out or different; they want to fit in with their peers. So it's our job as parents to help them with this. There are also ways for kids to gain a better understanding and appreciation for why their family is choosing a vegan diet. Here are a few suggestions: 

Visit a farm sanctuary- so kids can get up close and personal with rescued animals. These sanctuaries are very successful in creating a powerful, long-lasting connection to animals. Kids are less likely to want to eat animals after meeting them. Since most vegans don’t visit zoos, this can be a good replacement for that.

Make holidays and events extra special- you can come up with new  family traditions, but try to also include some classic traditions that other kids will be doing- just do it with a vegan twist. Nowadays almost everything can be "veganized." For example, you can make a vegan gingerbread house, color wooden or paper mache eggs instead of dying real eggs, snack on vegan jelly beans, and make vegan candy corn for Halloween.

Read kids books that affirm vegan values- where animals are respected and shown in a positive light, rather than being used by humans in exploitative situations such as in zoos, circuses, and horse-drawn carriages. Skip the books that show kids eating hot dogs, drinking milk, eating ice cream, fishing, etc. Vegbooks is the best online resource for finding veg-friendly books. Also read books about brave people throughout history who were once viewed as being different and in the minority such as those who worked for the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, and civil rights but were later viewed as heroes, who despite challenges, spoke up for what was right.

Find a vegetarian/vegan parenting group in your community, and if there isn’t one, start your own. It’s really important for kids to be around other veg kids, and it’s also a great resource for veg parents to get together with other like-minded parents to exchange advice, ideas/tips, recipes, etc. If you live in the NYC area, join the NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families Meetup.

Show your kids the power of activism. If they feel strongly about a specific animal or issue, encourage them to join a protest, write a letter to a newspaper, have a vegan bake sale, hand out literature, or create an art project. They’ll most likely have fun doing this, and it will teach them to be a voice for the voiceless.

Remember there are opportunities for teaching kindness and empathy all around us- here in NYC every time I step outside I come across pigeons, squirrels, and bugs such as spiders, ants and flies. Teach kids to respect these not so cute and cuddly creatures as well. Encourage your kids to stop and watch their behaviors. Instill curiosity and reverence. Model kindness by teaching them to never intentionally step on creatures/animals, chase them, or hit them.

Take advantage of social media to create a virtual support community. Ask questions, get advice and share some of your own tips and ideas with other vegetarian/vegan parents. Follow on Twitter & Pinterest and LIKE on Facebook any and all pages related to vegan kids/vegan parenting. You will be exposed to wonderful articles, recipes, ideas, and inspiration.