In Defense of our Wacky Diet

I love my grandpa like crazy so what I'm about to share is in no way intended to disrespect him, only to serve as an example of dialogues that I, as a green parent, am faced with on a daily basis:

A few weeks ago, Goose and I spent some time visiting with my 91 year old grandfather.  At mealtime, he sat in his chair and lined up his medications.  All 21 capsules and washed them down with a tall glass of Metamucil.  He then ate a simple starch- and protein-heavy meal made of mainstream-brand products found in the dry goods and frozen aisles of the grocery store.  At that same table, I sat down with my daughter and we shared a plate of steamed spinach, coconut yogurt and a variety of sliced fruits.

After a few pleasantries, my grandpa asked me, "are you planning to raise this child on your wacky diet?"  

Deep breath.  

"In what way is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and lean on fats and animal products wacky?" I replied.

He quickly responded, "well, you know, eating all these bizarre foods (pointing to the coconut milk yogurt). Are you going to let her be normal like her friends when she attends school?"  

Another deep breath.

I then asked him, "what's more bizarre, eating an orange plucked straight from the tree, or drinking a glass of artificially orange-flavored fiber product manufactured in a laboratory?  All I'm trying to teach her is that God created humans to be omnivores so we don't NEED meat to thrive (and there's plenty of evidence out there now that shows meat is to blame for a lot of health problems), and He provided us with a massive variety of delicious and healthy foods that each benefit us in different ways.  I want her to be a healthy, adventurous eater that doesn't need a handful of medications to pull her through old age.  I'd hope that she can find friends that are the same way."

He seemed to understand my position and moved the conversation on to other topics.  But, once again, I felt like I had just survived a green parenting hot seat.  Then again, I have the best defense of my argument:  Goose, herself.

I just recently discovered the term "leaning vegan" which describes our diet to a T.  Most of our meals (probably 95%) are vegan, with the remaining 5%  being organic eggs and sheep or goat cheese.  They are 100% gluten free and about 50% raw.  When people question how we feed our baby, I say, "look at her."  She's an adventurous eater and a happy, smart, well-behaved, CHUBBY baby.  

People often comment that she is so well-behaved for her age.  While she loves to talk and squeal, she also has control enough to sit quietly through church services and meals out. I'd like to think it is because her brain isn't short circuiting from being hopped up on processed sugars.  I'm sure there are other factors that contribute to her awesomeness, but diet is for sure on the top of the list.   

So, what I have here is a happy, healthy, smart, chubby baby.  If that's wacky, then so be it.