Actually, humans are animals.

Humans are omnivores. Omnivores are creatures capable of consuming both meat and vegetation. We have sharp canines for a reason.

Vegetarianism is a purely ethical decision, and its not a bad decision, I'm not saying that at all. But there is no physical reason that humans cannot consume moderate amounts of meat.

I do agree that there is no need to be a glutton and eat three megawhoppers for dinner. I personally don't eat a lot of meat, but I know that it can be a viable source of minerals and protein, and I do enjoy the taste of it.

I am also anti-abuse, so my consumption of meat is reserved mostly for seafood and other animals that must be caught, giving them a fighting chance. Pork, chicken and beef all suffer horribly before they are finally released from torture, and I can't support that at all.

As for when to feed your child meat... whenever they are capable of eating it. I'm sure there's a resource for that, but I'd say once they can handle semi-solid foods like fruits and vegetables and pastas, then start them on a little meat every now and then.

Proportions are what is important. Also, if you are vegetarian or vegan, you absolutely must make sure that your child is receiving enough protein. Children need more protein than adults, as they are growing and developing. What is healthy for an adult vegetarian could very well starve or cause developmental issues in a child.

this seems more of a debate on vegetarianism.

most pediatricians suggest introducing meat around 7 months, but that's baby food meat (whether jarred or pureeing it yourself). then when you introduce finger foods you can start giving them real pieces of meat.

i'm not a vegetarian. i love chicken and beef. my children will eat meat because that's what i'll be serving for their meals. i make dinner 7 nights a week, 5 of them include some sort of animal.

Whatever age is recommended is when they should start. If their parents happen to be vegetarians, and they know enough about it to give their child nutritious meals that don't include meat, than obviously the child should not eat meat.
The day that the child says, ".I want a big fat steak" or if the child chooses not to be a vegetarian while under the care of his/her parents, the parents should respect his/her decision and allow it. imo

why not feed a kid meat? it won't hurt them, & when they're older if they decide they don't want to eat it because of what they do to animals to get it then they don't have to eat it i guess.

My mother raised me vegan. I can honestly say that I didn't mind. She did feed us the meat when we were younger and if we were at a family function or a friend's house she had no problem with us eating meat. I think that she stopped serving us meat whenever we turned 5 or something. She always bought us organic though and she started out with the meat a little later (I think that she waited until we were around 2 to start). We only had a few years of meat eating but I never felt left out. We found other sources of protein and our dr was always super amazed at how healthy we were.

Would I raise my child vegan? No, but I don't think it's wrong to. My mom is left over hippy and she felt that was what was right for her children. Mothers know best

BTW, we almost never, ever even got the flu!

if someone feels strongly against eating meat and is educated enough in nutrition to provide their children with a healthy diet with enough protein then more power to you in not feeding your child meat. personally, in our household we love a good steak and my dad had us eating it by the time we could chew. its a favorite of both of my nieces at ages 4 and 18 months.

I was raised eating meat because that's how my parents were raised and my mum didn't really think it was a good idea to deprive our diets of any nutrients while we're so young. When i was ten i asked to become a vegetarian, my mum was a bit reluctant because i was still growing but i refused to eat it. Even though i'm veggie i'm going to be giving .Mika meat

I grew up in the heartland of america eating meat pretty much 2-3 meals a day. my dh grew up on a farm and his dad raised livestock. We went veggie (although we eat fish sometimes) and my kids are veggie too. I think it's healthier and environmentally conscious. I by no means expect others to follow my lead. I do take issue with parents who feed their kids .Mc.Death burgers every day. That's just plain not helthy. All things (almost!) in moderation. But I wouldn't crucify someone for making their kids meatloaf, by any means.

unless it's medically impossible, i plan on raising my child as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. eggs, milk, and fish, but no red meat or poultry. I'm an ovo-vegetarian, but that's only because i'm seriously lactose intolerant, and so i use soy products instead.
I have no problem with marrying someone who eats meat; i would even go so far as to prepare it for him. i just won't eat it myself. i've been a vegetarian since i was 9. seven years later i'm just great, and my mom and brother are actually considering following in my footsteps.

There are many great things about vegetarianism; and as long as the parents are informed and are capable of providing enough nutrients to the child in an appropriately modified diet, then all is good.

it's not the kind of food you eat, it's not quantity. it's quality.

There is a persistent myth that meat is essential for growing children - perhaps more so than for adults. In reality, children of all ages can thrive on a lower concentration of protein in their diets than adults!

One of the main causes of death in children in developing countries is from something called protein-energy malnutrition. It usually develops in those who get too little protein and energy - and these deficiencies tend to go hand-in-hand. Diets that contain enough energy (calories) typically contain plenty of protein. The real problem is usually quantity rather than quality - not usually a problem in the West!

Wartime studies in the UK found that orphanage children grew faster than the general population when they ate a bread-based diet with only a small fraction (14 per cent) of their protein coming from milk products. These children grew no faster when nearly half their protein was from milk! Bread provided the children with plenty of energy to support their growth, whilst meeting more than double their protein needs.

Good sources of protein are pulses (peas, all types of beans, lentils), nuts, seeds, cereals and grains (bread, pasta, rice). Soya beans - in the form of soya milk, tofu (soya bean curd), imitation meats and soya sausages - are equivalent to meat in the amount and type of protein they provide. They also have the advantage of containing strong antioxidant (disease-busting) properties, are rich in fibre and phytoestrogens - chemicals that are thought to have anti-cancer properties - and are high in the essential fats lacking in many people's diets.