A vegan mum feels giving her kids red meat would be borderline “abuse”.
Kerry Messenger has raised Isla Messenger, 10 and Morgan Messenger, 9 on a plant based diet their entire lives.
The 44-year-old, from Glasgow’s Southside but now lives in East Kilbride, explained how her family “respect everything that lives”, and enjoys the health benefits as a result.
Kerry explained: “We know red meat is a carcinogen, like alcohol and smoking, and can cause diseases like cancer.
“I don’t want to give that to my kids. It would almost feel like abuse, they have never even tried it.
“I have been asked if I force my beliefs on my kids by raising them vegan. I don't, I just explain to them the reality, animals just aren’t a food group to us.
“If they grow up and decide to eat meat that would be their choice, I don’t think they will because they are very emotionally mature.
“They understand we respect everything that lives, we don’t eat one animal and pet another.
“They think the idea of drinking a cow's milk is weird because we are the only species in the world that would take another animal's milk.
“I think my 10-year-old daughter Isla could be the next Greta Thunberg, she is such an activist.”
Kerry "felt like a leper" when she became vegan 20 years ago and “survived on rolls and bananas” at university due to lack of lunch options at the shop.
She has since noticed a recent surge in popularity for a plant-based lifestyle as more people switch to a meat and dairy free diet.
The mum-of-two is now hopeful for the future and explained how a Glasgow Asda first proved there was “real progress”.
Kerry said: “I felt like a leper when I started out as a vegan, I didn’t know any others.
“When eating on the go to survive on rolls with bananas, you didn’t have lots of options in supermarkets like now.
“It has become much more popular in recent years, I think people are more aware than ever.
“I first noticed a change when I walked into Asda in Toryglen four years ago and was shocked to see they had given us an entire vegan aisle.
“I actually shed a tear when I saw it, it was amazing and felt like we were making real progress.”
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