I am astonished at all the children -- yes, CHILDREN -- who are VEGANS these days. Astonished. Especially because a child can't really successfully be a vegan unless his/her parents say, "OK, you can be a vegan; I'll help you with that."
Remember the 'old days?' Family dinner was basic meat and potatoes. Mom cooked, Dad carved, everybody had seconds. Remember?? Kids cleaned their plates or else. Lassie got the scraps. Remember?????
Today, Dad might have cooked or Mom ordered Chinese. The kids barely stopped texting to come to the table - actually, they continued texting while they were eating. Lassie's over there sitting in the 6th dining room chair with a bib on, tongue wagging. But of ALL the changes since the 1950s, the starkest change may be that what's on the kids' plates is meatless.
About 2 million children in the U.S. between the ages of 8 and 18 are vegetarians. Know how many were vegetarians 50 years ago? Zero. Not one kid in the whole U.S. of A. was a vegetarian. Some are vegetarians at the encouragement of their veggie parents - but more frequently these days, they are rejecting 'food with flesh' on their own. Girls, in particular.
But wait. Wasn't spinach getting all the bad press not that long ago?
Even Burger King offers a veggie patty these days. Shameful. It's just not the world it used to be -- not when your pre-schooler comes home singing, "We recycle, we recycle ... " to the tune of "Frere Jacques."
I guess the good news is: nutrionists insist that a veggie diet can be just as good for kids as a diet-with-meat. And instances of heart disease and even dementia are vastly reduced among those who don't eat meat. So say the stats.
I guess I'm just a little worried now though. We're having the pastors and all their families over tomorrow afternoon and -- um -- the menu is rib tips and chicken.
Oh well - more for me.
And be blessed.
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