'Big Bang Theory' star Mayim Bialik shuts down common questions on raising vegan kids

Rasha Ali
Mayim Bialik addresses raising vegan kids in a YouTube video.
Mayim Bialik addresses raising vegan kids in a YouTube video.

Mayim Bialik has a public service announcement: You can raise vegan kids and they will survive.

"The Big Bang Theory" actress said she gets asked a lot of questions about how her vegan kids are fairing, so she addressed the ones she gets asked most in a YouTube video.

Yes, her kids "can live" and yes, they get enough protein.

"You can raise vegan children who are healthy children," Bialik said.

"Children can thrive without eating meat and without eating dairy. The only thing that vegans can't get from the foods that we eat is vitamin B12."

She said that she addresses that by giving her children vitamin supplements. Other than that, the mother of two says that her kids are happy, rosy-cheeked and have lots of endurance.

Bialik also noted that just because her kids don't eat meat doesn't mean they're not getting enough protein. They get it from other sources, such as quinoa and bread.

More: Mayim Bialik confesses: 'Most of the time, I assume that I’m annoying to most people'

But what about birthday parties?

The actress admitted that birthday parties were a little tricky to navigate for her kids at first, but they got the hang of it. To make up for the fact that they can't have the birthday cake being served, Bialik said she brings vegan treats for her kids to have instead.

"While some vegans are super health conscious and don't do processed sugar and don't allow their kids to have any sweets, we did allow our kids to have processed sugar after the first few years of their life," Bialik said. "So that made vegan treats a good compromise at birthday parties where they couldn't have the cake."

She notes that her kids still participate in singing "Happy Birthday" and enjoy being at the parties. Not being able to eat some of the treats served isn't really a big issue for her kids as long as she talks them through it.

'Make sacrifices for a greater good'

Bialik likened her kids being vegan to people having any other food restrictions, such as being kosher or having food allergies.

"I also tell my children that it is worthwhile to make sacrifices for a greater good," Bialik said. "I don't know if my children will always be vegan...but what I hope I have instilled in them is an appreciation for reflection, for sacrifice and for ethical standards above what's trendy or what's commonplace."

She adds: "I want to raise my children to be people who question things, people who do research, people who make decisions based on facts and feeling together."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mayim Bialik's children are vegan and, yes, thriving, she says