A WORKSHOP for vegan parents took place, led by an author of cookbooks who works to support those wanting to raise their children on a plant based diet.

Marixsa Watson has a degree in Ecology and Environmental Science and has completed a vegetarian/vegan nutritional course. Mrs Watson led a work shop at Be The Change, a vegan restaurant in the Cornmarket, Worcester yesterday. Mrs Watson said: "I have been vegan for six years, when I had my son I found that there wasn't much support for parents so then I started looking into it and searching for other like minded people."

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Mrs Watson, who lives in Badsey then wrote her first book for vegan parents, More Fruit and Veg, Please. "It's about what to feed their kids, which is easy and fast and doesn't use one hundred ingredients, because no one has time for that with a baby."

"I also found that there wasn't a lot of support for parents in the vegan community, not in a bad way, but the focus is mainly on animal rights which is great but it's not just about that, it's about living healthily and raising healthy, compassionate children. We think a certain way, veganism is a life style, when people say 'it's a diet', it isn't. We try to be as compassionate as possible."

Mrs Watson has two groups for vegan families, one in Malvern and Worcester who meet once a month.

"I'm trying to gain some positive publicity for veganism. It's often confused with bad parenting,"

"I think it (the media) makes people weary and scared. I know some vegans that are raising their children vegetarian because they think 'what will my family think' and they don't want arguments. It is a shame, that's why I found the group."

Mrs Watson told the Worcester News: "People raise eyebrows sometimes when I say I raise my son vegan, but he is healthy, he loves broccoli, he loves his vegetables, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. He doesn't have sweets but when he wants a snack he has some fruit or some vegan cream cheese, or one of the many other sweet foods we have."

Mrs Watson, from Badsey near Evesham said: "Not a lot of people are supportive, as all they see and hear in the papers is 'bad parents, and pressing charges on bad mum.'

"Weather you eat meat or not you still need to learn to feed your kids healthily. It is a very healthy life style if you know what to eat"