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Australian actor Teresa Palmer has told Plant Based News that jokes about lying to her five-year-old reportedly ‘wannabe vegan son’ – with The NZ Herald reporting that ‘she feels forced to lie to him to ensure he eats meat and dairy’ – were taken out of context.
The thespian, whose credits include The Place of No Words and Hacksaw Ridge among others, made the jokes about during a radio interview on Australian radio show 2DayFM Breakfast.
Vegan friends
“All [of Isaac’s] friends have become a little vegan group at school in America,” . “They live in LA, there we go.”
The actor added that Bodhi won’t even eat birthday cake at his friends’ parties unless the parents tell him it’s vegan.
“I’m constantly lying,” she said.
‘Out of context’
Palmer has now revealed that she is transitioning back to veganism after eating a vegetarian diet during her pregnancy. She says her son Bodhi is vegetarian and being so young doesn’t really understand the difference between vegetarianism and veganism. She says she asks parents to say foods like birthday cake are vegan so Bodhi will eat them, and will feel confident they don’t contain meat.
She confirmed that her family does ‘not eat meat now and will never eat meat’.
Suitable at all stages
A vegetarian or vegan diet can be healthy for all ages – including for children.
The American Dietetic Association says: “Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.
“Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.”
*This article was update on June 4 to include Teresa Palmer’s comments.
