features
Slaying the ‘meat myth’
Vitamin B12
Dairy products, eggs and vitamin-
fortified products such as cereals,
breads, soy and rice drinks, and
nutritional yeast.
Connie’s children, Alex and Claire, are
healthy and happy according to recent
blood reports, which goes to show that
child-vegetarians can thrive if they include
the right food sources in their diet.
“Our family doctor made a point of
checking their levels of Vitamin B and its
family, Vitamin D, iron, zinc, magnesium,
calcium and potassium levels. The
results were very promising! Everything
was at the peak of the ‘good’ range. My
kids are active and happy, they perform
well in school and sports, they have very
healthy immune systems and they don’t
get sick too often,” says Connie.
The same can be said for Emily Sim’s
two-year-old son, Henry, who is on a
vegan diet. “When I became a parent, I
read a lot about nutrition, so I could do
the best for my child. My son and I eat
a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits,
beans and lentils, tofu and tempeh,
bread, rice, pasta, nuts and seeds. My
son drinks breast milk and calcium-
fortified soy milk. We see a dietician
regularly to check everything is fine
and they are happy with his growth
and development,” says the full-time
mother who runs the Facebook group
“Veg parents Hong Kong” and hopes to
campaign for vegan options in schools.
Easy-peasy
Vitamin D
Milk, vitamin D-fortified orange juice,
other vitamin D-fortified products and
plenty of sunshine.
42
www.playtimes.com.hk
Contrary to what some might believe, it’s
not difficult to follow a vegetarian diet.
“Fresh fruits, vegetables, and tofu are
abundant and affordable at the many
wet markets. Indonesian, Thai and Indian
grocery shops are also great places to
buy fresh tempeh, dried beans and lentils,
and herbs and spices. There are over 200
vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong and
there is growing availability of specialty-
vegan products such as cheeses,
yoghurts, ice creams, and mock meats,
etc. We eat a lot of Indian, Thai, Mexican,
Italian, Vietnamese, and Ethiopian as well
as Chinese and Western food,” Emily
says. This is great news for Hong Kong’s
200,000 vegetarian residents.
Connie says it’s easy to source
vegetarian food for her adventurous
children though – whilst many
restaurants now offer a good vegetarian
menu – some Chinese restaurants don’t
have a proper selection of vegetarian
dishes. “They simply omit the meat in
a dish and call it vegetarian when it’s
cooked with chicken broth!”.
Parents provide; kids decide
Finding good vegetarian food outside
of Hong Kong remains a challenge, says
Deepti Ramachandran, who originates
from India where vegetarianism is
common practice. Often on her travels,
she has had to go without a proper meal.
“I wish I had been allowed to
choose for myself when I was a kid.
I was raised to believe meat is a
religious sin. Today, I am vegetarian for
compassionate reasons, not religious
beliefs. I want my son, now nine-years-
old, to make his own decisions about
food. He eats meat when he travels or
when he is at a friend’s place if there’s
nothing else for him to eat. Given the
choice, he still prefers vegetarian food,”
Deepti comments.
Like all parents, Connie, Emily and
Deepti raise their children in line with
their own values. They recognise their
children will make their own choices
when they’re older. “John and I discuss
our choices with our children. We teach
them about what they’re eating, the
impact on the health and the world we
live in. I can’t guarantee my kids will be
vegetarians when they grow up, but I’m
pretty sure they’ll make wise choices
for themselves when it comes to food,”
says Connie.
For now, Alex, is more than content
with his parents’ decision to go meat-
free. “I don’t like the way cows, pigs and
other animals are treated and I certainly
don’t feel good eating their meat!”