5 yo won't eat meat anymore:(

[KidsHappen]

That is about the time my children gave up meat and they are still vegetarians about 10 years later. The do eat eggs, cheese, drink milk. They also drink protein smoothies and protein bars. Since there are more veggies in my house than meat eaters (mostly me), we eat mostly veggie and I get meat whenever I can. I would never force a child who has moral objections to eat meat.

[nmoira]

My youngest eats meat but has some texture issues. I up the protein in her lunch and have a set number of choices for her at dinners she doesn't eat (though on these days I almost always give her a small portion of what everyone else is having). These include yogurt with healthy granola, cheese and fruit, w/w French Toast, pb&j, stuffed turkey roll-ups, and noodles with parmesan cheese.

 

I'd certainly respect the food wishes of a child with respect to ethical issues, as long as they don't demand the rest of the family follow suit (though awareness raising is permissable).

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

As long as your child will eat a variety of vegan friendly foods, I'd accommodate it. Chances are if you go along with it nicely it'll pass and you'll be back to serving meat to everyone. Well if not, then everyone will learn many new recipes to cook along the way! With our food allergies we use vegan cookbooks often so recipes don't include egg or milk. We discovered some yummy foods!

[Audrey]

My ds did the same thing around that age. I didn't make separate meals, but I did pick the meat out right in front of him so he could see there wasn't any in there. I refuse to make separate meals, though, and I told him that it wasn't fair to the rest of the family, nor to me -- the one who has to do ALL the cooking -- to ask me to make special meals for everyone. I stuck to that, too. This isn't some kind of disease or allergy. He just didn't want meat. So, I didn't make him eat it, but I didn't change anything about the rest of the meals either.

 

Actually, truthfully, I did make sure there was some alternate protein sources in his meals and we had grilled cheese for lunch an awful lot more than we would have otherwise, but my point was that I wasn't going to make everyone else go off of meat to cater to his whims. And, much as I love Joanne and her parenting advice, I did feel that this was my 5yo's whim manifesting itself. I wasn't going to engage him in prepping meals or planning meals because that would have signaled to him that he could manipulate meals to suit him and him alone. At 5yo, he was exploring that boundary, and there were limits that had to be set on how far I was going to let him go. With your (or anyone else's) 5yo YMMV.

 

In the end, he grew out of it, which I kind of thought he would. I did continue to offer him meat and I did pick it out when he refused. I also admit that I did purposefully cook things that I knew he'd previously loved. Yes, I admit to my own agenda(s) and that I actively expose my kid to them constantly. I'm sure I'll get flack for that, but I can take it. ;)

[tex-mex]

Hm. I am not sure I'd approach it or frame it this way. She's made a sophisticated, mature, heartfelt decision. I would not patronize it with the idea that I am "catering" to her. I'd honor the decision by involving her in her meal planning. I'd give HER responsibility for making healthy choices within her boundaries of not eating meat. I'd drop the "confict" and "battle" mentality altogether.

 

"Hon, you don't want to eat meat, and I will respect that. I won't hide meat in your food and I will make it possible for you to be a vegetarian in this family. You can't insist any of the rest of us eat the same way, but we will back off your choices. Here's the thing, though, baby. You still need to eat and eat healthy. So, from now on, Mom is going to tell you the meal plan and together we'll figure out what of that plan you can eat."

 

You may have to make MORE of the side items. You may have to add that since she's not eating meat, she can't fill up on junk, but has to get full on fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and eggs (if she does them, or dairy).

:iagree:

Before ds was in a coma and dx'ed with a rare liver disease, he would NEVER eat any form of protein or meat. It used to panic us. But the pediatrician told us not to wage a war over his "picky" meals. My MIL would force him to eat proteins -- which eventually led to his coma while visiting her at holiday time -- but I digress. ;)

 

Once ds was dx'ed with the rare disease and we discovered it was normal for all of those with this disease to avoid protein or be a vegetarian... we thanked God we did not go into battle with him over this issue.

 

Now, I have to cook for our rare liver disease (low protein/vegetarian/dairy free) and for my husband who needs protein/dairy as he is hypoglycemic. It is tricky. But can be done.

[Guest CharmingKQ]

I was that kid. At 8 yo, I stopped eating meat. Parents just kept the side dishes meat free, and got cheese pizza. Nearly 25 years later and 3 healthy pregnancies later, I have yet to change my rebellous ways :001_smile:

I am so thankful that my parents gave me space to make that decision. They never nagged me.

The only problem I ever encountered was from my in-laws (rural ranchers). After 10 yrs of marriage, they still 'don't get it'.

[swellmomma]

Ihave not read all the posts yet. But From the age of about 7 or so until I was close to 26 I did not eat most meat. It wasn't because meat came from animals for me, it was purely a taste and texture thing.

 

If your dd wants to go meatless, get her meat alternatives, or find other ways to increase her protein without preparing 2 completely different meals. Most meals the meat is not mixed with the rest of the food right? so just don't put it on her plate. You can always offer beans, or a boiled egg, or tofu etc in place of the meat if you want to be sure she has a protein on her plate.

 

It really isn't hard to give her an alternative and allow her time to either come around to meat or not, without creating tension and stress around meal times for everyone.

[Arcadia]

We cook more tofu and drink soy milk to up the protein intake from reducing meat intake. At one point we went vegetarian because hubby was worried about antibiotics in meat.

 

We have vegan friends and are used to vegan meals so avoiding was not as difficult for us.

[Guest AstoriaAnn]

My son stopped eating meat at 6. I didn't argue with him, or comment on his decision. In one brief conversation, I let him know what foods contained protein and recommended that he try to get some of those foods in his body each day. (I didn't force or push that either, just let him know.) He got on a huge black beans and rice kick that lasted a year, a big nut butter (almond, cashew) kick after that. Last year, at 8, he chose to start eating meat again, and currently at 9 he eats chicken soup with lots of chicken in it, meatballs (beef), and pepperoni pizza. I didn't draw attention to his decision to start eating meat again. If there's lots of healthy food around, kids will eat foods they need. My daughter will pretty much only eat meat! I suspect they have different bodies with different dietary needs.