Family wants to go vegetarian - HELP!

[dawn1620]

My nine year old has decided she can no longer eat meat.

So my husband and myself are trying to go vegetarian for the most part (after much resistance from me).

I am at a loss on what to pack DD for her for lunch besides PB&J - she is not a big salad eater. I'm also concerned about her not getting enough protein.

We bought some of the Morning Star products to try them out so I'm hoping we like them but they are not cheap.

Can you give me some recipes, list any recipe websites, products that are liked, ect. I am at a total loss so I appreciate any help.

 

[mamacatnv]

I guess I am not understanding why if that is what your DD wants the whole family had to jump on the veggie train

A friend of DD's at about the same age announced the same thing. The Mothers way to deal with it was to tell her DD if that is what she wanted then she needed to get herself educated and learn guidelines etc. for her new choice of eating styles. The Mom did do some research on her own but as a family they made it the DD's issue not the whole families burden.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would recommend seeing her doctor or visiting a dietician/nutricionist. It may not be that safe to go vegetarian at that age without some guidance.
BD

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I went vegitarian for awile. Lunch was a banana, tofu sandwhich, and a yogurt. I woud reccomend finding a book at the libary or visiting the PETA site.

 

[taitai]

I stopped eating meat when I was 12. So, a LONG time now.

I second the suggestion of getting a couple vegetarian cook books and going over them together. Will she eat tuna? That is a great idea. Carrots and hummus? Yogurts with granola and fruit. Cheese and apples. Bean, corn, cheese burrito. Couscous with garbonzo beans and tomatoes. There are many, many options for the non-meat eating child. I think it is wonderful that you are trying to support her in this.

 

[Arielle22]

My now 14 yr old was vegetarian for about 3 yrs from 9 through 11 yrs old.

She liked the morning star products. I would make her the same meal as we were having but substitute morning star for meat.

I personally hate veggies. DH and I had an agreement with our DD that we would support her choice as long as she didn't preach to us and she could not be a "junkatarian" (just junk food).

She also got a couple of vegetarian cook books from my sister (who is vegan).

She decided to switch back and now eats meat. However she does eat a lot of veggies still.

I always joke with her that I don't know where I got her from and that she can eat all the veggies and I will eat the meat.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I would recommend seeing her doctor or visiting a dietician/nutricionist. It may not be that safe to go vegetarian at that age without some guidance.
BD

My one DSD wanted to go vegetarian. We told her that she needed to figure out how to do it and see get her vitamins and nutrients, etc. She decided to wait until she moved back to her mother's house (she was 15). She existed on a vanilla milkshakes and french fries from McDonalds. It lasted a total of 2 years. She put on an obscene amount of weight. She is now back to eating meat and on a healthy diet plan. Last time I saw her she was down over 50 pounds and feeling much better.

I strongly endorse consulting a nutritionist to do it correctly and safely for a growing child.

 

[dawn1620]

She just refuses to eat meat now because she said she can't eat animals anymore and I won't force her to. I'm doing my research to find other ways to get protein in her. She already takes a vitamin daily.

The husband and I are trying to eat healthier so we're adopting it for the most part but not 100% - DD understands we're not totally jumping ship on the meat issue. I'm hoping she'll cave but it does not look like it's going to happen.

The dietician was a good suggestion - I'll give her doctor a call for a recommendation.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I also think it's a good idea to check with the pediatrician for some guidelines but if everyone's ok then go for it.

Egg salad and tuna salad are good choices, and so is a cheese sandwich or hummus and pita chips. Also, Target sells a wide mouthed thermos perfect for soups such as minestrone ect. Personally, I happen to think a good thick regular everything (No reduced fat or reduced sugar) PB&J is an almost perfect kid lunch. It's got carbs, fat, protein and sugars, all of which are necessary for young minds to develop normally. I would think adding a good brand kid vitamin to her diet would smooth out the rough spots but otherwise, as long as you're doing fish or other high protein dishes for dinner to make up for the loss at lunch you should all be fine.

 

[tzolkin]

Does she eat beans?

My DD5 is not a vegetarian, but doesn't eat much meat. She likes to take homemade bean salad and hummus in her lunches. They both take about 5 minutes to make and you will have several servings.

We also eat a lot of nuts/seeds, yogurt, and cheese.

This DD also likes lentil and other soups. My picky DD will eat any soup as long as I blend it up, so I will often make tomato soup with tons of veggies and add a can of beans before blending it up. If you get a good thermos and heat it with boiling water, you can easily send send soup/hot foods. Both girls like to take pesto pasta (lots of nuts and cheese in the sauce)-- one hot, one cold.


DD5 loves to eat salad/raw veggies, and will often eat them as snacks or in addition to /instead of dinner.
DD11 would eat steak for every meal if she could

 

[busyshrew]

Going vegetarian can mean many things. It sounds like your daughter technically wants to be a ovo-lactarian (willing to eat eggs and milk / milk products). If she is willing to be a piscetarian (willing to eat fish), then it's even easier for you.

We North Americans eat far too much meat. Cutting back is certainly very good for you, but everyone else is absolutely right. It has to be done correctly. "Vegetarian" shouldn't mean eating french fries for every meal .

If DD is serious, she has to be willing to eat a wide range of vegetables, grains and fruits. Otherwise she is setting herself up for possible nutritional deficiencies (anemia is the first one that usually pops up).

Here are some immediate suggestions of meatless dishes we eat at home:

baked beans
lasagna
mac 'n cheese
quesadillas / enchiladas / nachos (with beans)
fish 'n chips
pita chips w. hummus & tabouleh
veggie omlettes & quiches
crepes w. veggie fillings like broccoli, or fresh fruit & nutella
stuffed baked potatoes (sweet ones are even better)
creamy soups like chowders, cream of broccoli, etc.
asian stirfrys (with tempeh or tofu, you don't even miss the meat)
indian curries (usually I am too busy drinking lots of water to miss the meat!)

Some lunch ideas we do for our DD:
crackers & cheese & hardboiled egg
veggie hot dogs & baked beans
pasta in a thermos
veggie fried rice & a little baked spring roll

Another idea is for vegetarian lunches is to google "bento lunch" - you'll be amazed at how many sites there are with moms making really neat, yummy lunches for their kids. You might not go to the lengths they do (I don't!) but they give you lots of ideas. You could check out "Lunch in a Box" and "Just Bento" to start if you are curious.

Good luck, and I applaud your efforts to support your daughter's eating choices, especially since going meatless is really better for your body and for the environment too.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

She just refuses to eat meat now because she said she can't eat animals anymore and I won't force her to. I'm doing my research to find other ways to get protein in her. She already takes a vitamin daily.

The husband and I are trying to eat healthier so we're adopting it for the most part but not 100% - DD understands we're not totally jumping ship on the meat issue. I'm hoping she'll cave but it does not look like it's going to happen.

The dietician was a good suggestion - I'll give her doctor a call for a recommendation.

BEANS! They are chock full of low fat protein. I see the PP says the same thing.

It does not take much to get in your protein with beans. So much so I have been looking how to incorporate them into our diets here.

I want to use beans & lentils and then you have quinoa.

And then you have nuts as well.

 

[Pigeon]

When my dds bring this up occasionally, I cook bacon for breakfast the following morning. I don't hear about it again for at least six months.

 

[m&m's mom]

MY DD decided this too at 9. It lasted about 6 months. I should have tried the bacon trick- woulda shrunk it to 1 month.

 

[jsmith]

We North Americans eat far too much meat.

Actually we eat far to much high fat meat-and way to many processed carbs-humans are evolved to be omnivorous-but with a lot of meat in the diet. Its grain fed cattle and processed flour-and believe it or not soy that are not so hot for you.
I concur with seeing a dietician-a child this age can safely go vegitarian if they are getting enough protiens from other sources. i would not personally rely heavily on soy other than tofu as a protien source-its a very very double edged sword that there is not enough nutritional information out there about. As someone else said ovo-lacto or pecitarian would be the easiest for you -and the healthiest for her.

 

[chisnpeke]

Morningstar makes great products. I just had a regular veggie burger (grillers) and a spicy black bean burger.

Get her to eat beans, fruits and vegetables and nuts.

Honestly, cutting out red meat is better for you health wise. Poultry is good for you but red meat isn't the healthiest thing and has been linked to cancers.

I used to go between eating meat and not eating meat when I was young. I haven't had any meat since summer 2008. Sometimes I think I occasionally eat food that has meat stock in it (soups) but other than that no meat.

 

[VBsHustla]

I became a vegetarian when I was 11 (a little over 11 years ago), and became vegan a few months ago after reading the book Eating Animals.

If you're concerned about protein, I recommend reading the book The China Study. Your daughter will be getting enough protein as long as she eats a variety of things every day. If she's willing to eat a lot of different vegetables, grains, nuts, beans, then she'll get plenty of protein. And if she's still eating eggs and cheese, then it'll be even easier. I'm allergic to nuts and soy, and even I apparently get enough protein.

As for meal ideas, I eat a lot of vegetable soups and always throw some beans in. I eat pasta a lot, and I always make it with tomato sauce and a bunch of sauteed vegetables and usually white beans. I also eat sandwiches made like grilled cheese but with avocados (good if you want to add some more fat in her diet.) Like some other posters said, I would try not to rely too much on overly processed soy. If you want to try some more pre-packaged products, when I still ate dairy/egg, I used to eat these things that looked kind of like chicken nuggets. They're called Spinach Littles by the company Dr. Praeger's. They were pretty adorable.

Hope that helps. I can suggest more meals if you'd like some more ideas. I think it's awesome that you're being so supportive!

 

[NHdisneylover]

I have a DS who simply does not like meat other than chicken. He NEVER has--not even meat baby food as an infant. I work harder on making sure dinner is truly balanced but here are some entree ideas for packed lunches that DSlikes (he also has a handful of some type of nut nearly every day at snack time--no allergy isssues at his school):

boild egg and whole grain crakers

wraps with cream cheese and:
cucumbers and cheddar
salsa, black beans and montery jack
diced apple, raisins and cinnamon
diced pears and honey with granola
sliced bananas and minichocolate chips

Peanut butter sandwhiches with:
jelly
brown sugar
banana
nutella
diced apple

ants on a log (celery stickes filled with peanut butter and topped with raisens)

egg salad sandwhiches (great in pita bread)

veggies, cheese cubes and crackers with hummus dip

fruit,cheese cubes and graham crackers with peanut butter or nutella dip

 

[battricia]

i wouldn't worry about her getting enough protein. I'm a vegetarian (have been since i was 15) and I don't really 'count' proteins. there are also varying opinions of recommended daily allowances in the medical community. There are a ton of protein sources from plants and vegetables and dairy products. i would be more worried about iron intake, as that is more of a problem for me. i supplement iron but you need to talk to a dr. before you or your family do that.

As for lunches, do a google search for 'vegan lunchbox' - i know they're vegan but you can add cheese or dairy, i just find it really good for ideas. when i was working, for lunch i would often take a little of left over dinner, like a taco, some soup, lasagna, whatever. you could also do simple things like hummus and pita bread, cheese and crackers, cheese sandwiches (i am a big fan ) you could also do beans and rice (a good source of protein!) or those fake chicken nuggets. I will say while I do love the morningstar farms fake meat products, i try to limit them as i do worry about too much soy intake.

hth!

 

[bicker]

We've been vegetarians nine months now. We haven't missed meat at all, and I've seen my cholesterol drop from 273 to 230 without medication.

We Americans do eat a lot of saturated fat, and saturated fat is found mostly (but not exclusively) in animal products: beef, pork, poultry (especially the skin), dairy products, etc.

And many folks feel that eating animals, itself, is something that we should avoid, if practicable.

Lunch today was low-fat ricotta tortellini. Last Friday, I had a Tex-Mex pinto bean soup. I think last Thursday's lunch was a curried egg salad sandwich. (Seasonings, like curry, help some of us get over the change in taste from lots of full-fat to just a little bit of low-fat mayonnaise, for example.) I believe it was last Wednesday that I last had nut butter and jam. (My preferred nut butter is almond, but I'm a guy, and we guys, older guys especially, need our almonds.) Tomorrow is probably going to be a ratatouille with some feta cheese in it. (The biggest challenge is avoiding going overboard with cheese.)

We make our own hummus. I was blown away how incredibly easy it is, and how much better it is, when you have totally control over what goes in it. Hummus and carrots, or hummus and snap peas, are a favorite snack food. In a pinch, I can make a lunch out of it.

For dinner ideas, see our Meal Plan Swap thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2190346

As a matter of fact, I have a few new recipes to post there right now.