We believe the vegan lifestyle is for everyone. However, for many people the topic of bringing up children vegan (or even vegetarian!) is one of controversy. From the frequency of stories about vegan mums abandoning veganism during pregnancy (looking at you, Natalie Portman) to prevalent myths about the necessity of cow’s milk for children’s bones, it can be hard to feel supported when entering parenthood as a vegan family. Our new monthly column shows us how one delightful family are overcoming the challenges and embracing the joy of veganism with their adorable infant.
Hello! We’re Rebekah and Gavriel Wershbale, and Isobel is our 9 month old daughter. We reside in Macclesfield, which has yet to catch up with most urban centres in terms of dietary choices but we make do, necessity being the mother of invention. More on the challenges of veganism in non vegan friendly environments will follow we’re sure!
Prior to Isobel’s birth, I (Rebekah) worked in nutrition and managed a small health food shop. I plan to spend at least the next few years being a full time mum and hope to home school Isobel (and perhaps another? We shall see!) whilst working on my first love; writing. I (Gavriel) work in Marketing. I am originally from America, born in Israel.
I (R) have been vegan for about 12 years after having a difficult relationship with food during my teenage years. My family are quite traditional in their approach to meals and I was consequently raised in a ‘meat and 2 veg’ clean-your-plate environment that never suited me and lead eventually to disordered eating and poor health. I studied nutrition to try to understand the dynamic between health and lifestyle and, combined with a deep need to live harmoniously and respectfully with our planet, veganism quickly emerged as the only option to fulfil my health and ethical requirements. I made the transition within a month and have never looked back.
I (G) have been vegan for a year. My main inspiration was my wife. I’ve always tried to keep an eye on what I eat and make sure I was doing what I could to be healthy after seeing too many Americans, and people in my family, suffer unnecessarily from health complications related to poor diet. In the end, veganism is the most straightforward way to maintain an ideal diet and in addition is an ethical position from which I am happy to set an example to my daughter
The decision to raise Isobel vegan was really not something that was ever up for debate. Having a background in nutrition has certainly been helpful and has come into play more than once when we’ve been questioned or challenged about why we’re taking this path, and opposition has come from many angles. The best argument we can make now is Isobel herself – she’s happy, healthy and thriving and has no hang ups about food since starting baby led weaning at 6 months (I am still planning to breastfeed full term). Of course in the future when she can weigh up the options and make her own informed decisions we won’t stop her from finding out for herself what suits her, but from a health and wellbeing standpoint we’re giving her what we feel is the best possible start, as well as a respect for nature that will hopefully last her lifetime.
Also, she’s the only baby we know that will happily eat a fistful of Vegemite followed by a pickle. Happy days!