Do vegans allow their children to breast feed?

Question

I'm pretty ignorant on a lot of vegan beliefs. All I've heard/know is that vegans don't consume and/or use any kind of animal product. However, humans are technically animals aren't we? If they can't/won't drink cow's/goat's/sheep's milk does "people" milk go into that category as well?

Answer 1

Ofcourse they do my friend. All the animals produce milk just for the one and only simple reason of feeding their babies. Milk is the only diet for all the little ones (I guess mammals). I am a vegan and the concept behind Veganism is that we (the supposedly highly evolved, super intelligent) need not depend on other animals (for meat and byproducts) for our own selfish reasons - our survival and growth.

We can do very well without consuming any of the animal products including meat, eggs and even milk. This has been proved beyond doubt by many who are very healthy vegans. This does not mean that vegans do not feed their little ones their own milk - it is being produced for the very reason of feeding the babies.. hope got the gist..

Answer 2

You think a vegetarian/vegan diet is unhealthy for growing children? If anything a high supply, and diet rich in vegetables, and fruits, and nuts, grains would be best for a child. Rather than the processed crap and food the rest of the population feeds their children. Unless a parent has their own chicken farm, or animal farm - and kill and chop the meat themselves - No meat is good. Meat sold in stores is full of hormones, and pesticides, and crap that was force feed to the animals --- how can that be healthy for anyone? If someone is Vegan/Vegetarian, they are for certain reasons, whether heath reasons or concerned about the treatment of animals... whatever the reason, being vegan/vegetarian is a lifestyle, if a parent doesn't like meat (or view it as unhealthy) why would they feed it to their children?? What sense would that make? People think of vegan/vegetarians as something odd and crazy. As if it's wrong for a Veg*n parent to raise their children as veg*n Do religious people let their children pick their own religion or have lack of religion as (children)? Of course NOT. They pass their values onto their children, and hope they adapt them as adults. Same with Vegan/Vegetarians -- we have values, and ideas about what foods are best. We want to pass that on to our children -- but ultimately once they become old enough they will have to choose the lifestyles they want. But to answer the question: NO, it isn't unhealthy. You can find many, many vegan/vegetarians families with healthy child -- just like any other meat-eating family

Answer 3

Some vegan's do breast feed depending on the person. Breast milk is the most nourishing of all forms of feeding. The technicality of a human being as an animal has no relevance here, if that were the case then sexual contact would not be allowed due the exchange of body fluids, kissing included.

Answer 4

Sounds like most people don't understand vegans very well, Let me explain this to you... vegans just want things to be natural and try their best to fit in with how nature works. Cows milk is for calves not humans. You don't see other animals drink the milk of another species, so why do humans? Human milk is for babies, cows milk is for calves, dog milk is for puppies, sheeps milk is for lambs and so on. So of course Vegans feed their babies breast milk! its the best thing for them, its what nature designed for them!

Answer 5

Of course.

Breast milk is the best food for an infant of any species. Human breast milk for a human infant, tiger breast milk for a tiger cub, cow's breast milk for a calf, etc.

Did you know that humans are the only species that routinely feeds their young the milk of another species? And then we wonder why they get sick.

Answer 6

For me, being ‘vegan’ is not about avoiding animal products, but eating as humans were designed to eat. Sure, we are capable of digesting meat, but not very well. We're much better adapted for raw vegetation and fruit. Once cooked, other foods such as tubers grains beans legumes etc. digest well also. Animals designed to eat raw meat have a very different digestive system (see biology 101). In difficult time humans can survive on pretty much anything, but we really thrive on the first above mentioned foods.

We, as all mammals, were designed to consume mother’s milk. We are born with the ability to digest mother's milk. Mother's milk is for babies. Human milk if for human babies. Goat milk is for baby goats and so forth.

Once mammals stop suckling, slowly the enzyme stops being produced, and one can never consume milk again because that ability never comes back; it's not needed anylonger (propagandists like to call that "lactose intolerance" and hint that it's unnatural and a problem, but it's natural).

Someone mentioned B12 deficiency and side effects to babies of vegan mothers, but that’s silly. Very ignorant. How can you avoid B12? How can you avoid any vitamin or nutrient if you are eating food on a regular basis? It’s impossible. You’d have to be on some kind of crazy diet or something where you only eat potato chips or perhaps only eat watermelon.

All of the vegan children I know of have all been breastfed and are healthy, smart, and so forth. No illnesses, no deficiencies, and very rarely sick at all, perhaps once every few years, if that.

Answer 7

Yes, Vegans will allow their children to breast feed. Humans are not exploited when brest feeding takes place.

Answer 8

I used to babysit for a vegan family and they breast fed.

Answer 9

Thats a really interesting question. I honestly don't think so, even if that makes sense. Its not really harming the people. And cows give milk to their young, so it probably doesn't matter if humans give milk to their young. I've actually never thought about that before, though. Nice question.

Answer 10

Only if human milk were to be given to other animals, that would be wrong.

Human milk is meant for human babies, just like cow's milk was made for baby cows.