Family wants to go vegetarian - HELP!

[sbell111]

I am with the poster who stated that it's 'nuts' for a child to make such a decision and it result in the entire family having to go veggie.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

I would suggest taking her to a nutritionist too.

I am all for healthy diets but I see a lot of vegetarians eat tons of carbs which isn't healthy. Does your daughter even like some of the vegetarian protein products that are out there?

 

[Vegcentric]

Hi all! Just found this topic now. First off, I would like to applaud the OP for being supportive of their child for what I believe is a wonderful life choice. Good for animals, good for human beings, good for the planet. I'm currently taking a holistic nutrition course (no, this does not mean I am a hippie that wears hemp clothing and survives on granola every day, lol!) so I like to think that I know a thing or two about this subject (I'm also a vegetarian).

First off, there are a lot of misconceptions on this board here, as well as some positive remarks. The misconceptions that are here are the more common ones. The protein thing...protein is actually the easy one to tackle. There are numerous sources of plant-based protein out there. The more difficult nutrients would be B12 (take a supplement) and Omega-3. I would suggest keeping walnuts in your home (this is what I do) to cut back on expensive supplements that you just won't necessarily need. Ground up flax seeds (not whole) and flax seed oil is also a good source of omega-3.

Yes, going vegetarian is healthy at all stages of life. This is fact, but the reason why people assume it isn't healthy is because people in general have a hard time finding a healthy diet. An omnivore is no more guaranteed to get all their necessary nutrients more than a vegetarian. With that said, being vegetarian or vegan is not instant health. You need to get educated on what you put into your body. This goes for omnivores as well.

I see a lot of people here recommending Vegan Lunch Box. This is a blog as well as a book that's available at your local book store. I definitely suggest reading this if you have vegetarian (or vegan) children.

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone is also very helpful. I read the book cover to cover and found her explanations on veg nutrition very helpful and easy to follow.

Often times doctors do not recommend a vegetarian diet because they know so little about nutrition to begin with. If you really want to, you can take them to a nutritionist because there is countless information available on the internet and at the library. Dr. Weil's website www.drweil.com also has quite a bit of information available about a vegetarian lifestyle. All you really need to do is get informed and do the research about the vegetarian lifestyle. Remember to respect others in their decisions. Just because they're children doesn't mean they can't make sensible decisions. In fact, children are often times more "connected" and compassionate towards animals, which is why so many kids switch to vegetarianism in the first place.

I don't get that either. Last year dd (9 at the time) decided she wanted to be a vegetarian. I was very supportive, but told her the rest of us were going to still eat meat, so she would have to be understanding. She had no problem with that. So some days I would just make extra vegetarian sides for her, some days I would make her meal with Morningstar "meat" and other days I would make a meatless meal for all of us.

This makes me happy, I'm glad to see other supportive parents out there!

Well, becoming vegetarian is often very different from being a picky eater. In such cases, facilitating that choice is not the same as "caving into" picky eating habits.

Exactly. It really made me sad to read some of the remarks here that vegetarianism is the same as being a picky eater. Vegetarianism also is not a "phase" though some kids may decide later on that it isn't for them.

Right there with you. 9 year old children should not make this sort of decision...

I would like to hear the reasons why you don't think they should. 9 year olds should not make a decision to start up smoking. Being vegetarian is not a bad thing, in fact it is the complete opposite.

It isn't a matter of being a short-order cook; it is a matter of respecting considered intentions of children. If we treat our children as slaves until the day that they leave home, then they will never learn respect for themselves. That doesn't mean you have to turn over your life, and your suggestion that the child do the extra work is fair, but what isn't fair is your earlier categorical disparagement of the decision to eat vegetarian as being a "picky eater". That was uncalled-for.

I agree with this completely.

Like I mentioned before, there's lots of information out there on the internet to help debunk many of the popular myths out there, all you need to do us look it up or visit the library. A woman that I know is actually a vegan dietitian. She has a blog, which you can visit here:

http://veganrd.blogspot.com/

My favorite cookbooks include The Kind Diet, Vegenomicon and Vegan Brunch. The recipes in these books are easy to execute and inexpensive. I agree that no one can force you to make a lifestyle decision. Your 9 year old can certainly encourage a more plant-based diet, but she'll eventually grow to understand that many people are not willing to do it.
In order to make sure your child is getting their nutrients, you need to plan ahead and get educated yourself and it's becoming so much easier to do so now. My parents, who are both in their 60s have recently gone the vegetarian route on their own free will and are enjoying every minute of it. You don't necessarily have to agree with it, but it is important to at least respect it.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I was a vegetarian for 9 years many many years ago. ( a pepperoni pizza did me in!) I remember that just eating a lot of veggies is not going to give you your proper nutrition. You have to have COMPLETE proteins to get your amino acids. A complete protein would be cheese, or eggs, or milk. If you want to cut those products out of your diet or meal, you need to combine certain grains/veggies in order to make up complete proteins. Like a corn taco with beans. Or rice and beans. In other words, you can't just eat a plate of green veggies and hope that will be nutritious.

Education is the key! If she is cutting out meat for animal rights purposes, she may start looking at other things she uses like leather products.

Also she may want to prepare herself for the extra after effects of eating so many beans and legumes. I can't believe I am saying this. I avoid that kind of subject like the plague!

 

[Vegcentric]

I was a vegetarian for 9 years many many years ago. ( a pepperoni pizza did me in!) I remember that just eating a lot of veggies is not going to give you your proper nutrition. You have to have COMPLETE proteins to get your amino acids. A complete protein would be cheese, or eggs, or milk. If you want to cut those products out of your diet or meal, you need to combine certain grains/veggies in order to make up complete proteins. Like a corn taco with beans. Or rice and beans. In other words, you can't just eat a plate of green veggies and hope that will be nutritious.

Education is the key! If she is cutting out meat for animal rights purposes, she may start looking at other things she uses like leather products.

Also she may want to prepare herself for the extra after effects of eating so many beans and legumes. I can't believe I am saying this. I avoid that kind of subject like the plague!

You just made me hungry for a taco, now.

You are absolutely right - education is the key! You learn things as you go along, too. I'm always learning something new, and I love that. What the above poster mentioned is actually covered in the Kind Diet. I know I keep pushing this book but both my mother and sister loved it, as well as my sister's boyfriend (rofl). It might just be a good starting point for you.

I also forgot to mention that I keep a bag of nutritional yeast in my home all the time. I use it mainly as condiment - I sprinkle it on top of stir fries and other things. I'll pretty much just put it on anything. Nutritional yeast is full of vitamins including B-12, if yours is fortified with B-12. Not all of them are. Bob's Red Mill brand is, I believe. It tastes pretty decent...kind of nutty or cheesy. I recommend at least trying it out to see if your child likes it.

 

[Disneyrsh]

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