Going vegetarian for an almost 11yo girl?

[No More Perfect]

My tender-hearted, loves-animals-so-very-much daughter, who will be 11 in December, has approached me to say that she would like to become vegetarian. She is very uncomfortable eating meat.

 

We do actually do many meatless meals so I am familiar with the cooking aspect. My main concern is that she is at the beginning of puberty and I'm not sure that she will not be getting the nutrition she needs from a vegetarian diet. I will be speaking with her pediatrician about it in the next couple of weeks. 

 

Obviously, it can be done safely because I know of young girls who are vegetarian and are quite healthy and strong. But what do I give her for protein and iron beside beans and eggs and?? I really need ideas and advice. I'm probably going to go very slowly with her, weaning out her meals that contain meat and poultry a bit at a time.

 

Thanks in advance.

[maize]

Will she be eating dairy? Greek yogurt and cheese sticks can be good for protein.

 

If she ends up not eating a lot of dairy/eggs she will need a vitamin B12 supplement.

 

Encourage a variety of vegetables, I have known some vegetarian teens who were mostly subsisting on grain based carbs.

 

Would she consider eating fish?

[No More Perfect]

Will she be eating dairy? Greek yogurt and cheese sticks can be good for protein.

 

If she ends up not eating a lot of dairy/eggs she will need a vitamin B12 supplement.

 

Encourage a variety of vegetables, I have known some vegetarian teens who were mostly subsisting on grain based carbs.

 

Would she consider eating fish?

 

Yes, she will be eating dairy. She is pretty good about eating a variety of veggies and loves fruit.

 

Hmmm. . . fish. I'm not sure about that. I'll have to ask her.

[No More Perfect]

I do want to add that I will more than likely go vegetarian along with her so that she has support. She feels different from the rest of the family sometimes (she was the only blonde in our family until my youngest was born, she is the only one that loves animals/insects/etc) so this would be another way she would feel alienated. If she and I do it together it might alleviate that feeling. I was planning on trying a vegetarian diet at some point anyway.

[Carrie12345]

No vegetarians here, though my dds have dabbled.  When we go light on meat, I usually go heavy on quinoa.  The 4yo is particularly pleased with the tri-colored, lol.

[Kristie in Florida]

There is lots of iron in spinach. I gave away all my eating vegan books because I had to quit (wasn't doing it healthy and got sick) but I know that vegans are able to get enough protein. If they weren't like me and actually ate an awesome variety of vegan foods.

 

Hit send too early.

 

If she eats dairy, I think she'll be fine. But if my daughter wanted to eat vegetarian I'd talk to her dr too. And do lots of research.

[Pam in CT]

When my tender-hearted animal-loving daughter was 7, she made a similar request.  We negotiated a program, but at the time in my heart of hearts I did not believe it would stick.  She's 12.5 now, past puberty, and still going strong as a vegetarian... and has evolved as a change agent in the family for our purchasing and consumption patterns.  

 

She eats dairy and eggs.  When she started at 7, she also (as per our agreement: I wanted us all to be able to have the same meal for Sabbath dinner) ate fish as well.  A year or two in, she told me she was getting uncomfortable with the fish, so we renegotiated again.

 

Sufficient protein really isn't a big deal, particularly if your daughter is willing to continue dairy and eggs.  We don't need nearly as much as most Americans get, and it's quite easy to get in the habit of throwing a handful of lentils into the rice or cous-cous, a handful of nuts into the stir-fry or salad, a bit of bean puree into the tomato sauce, etc... and she'll be fine.  I successfully added quinoa into our rotation; I've been less successful in switching over to whole grain pasta (I can get away with it when I can disguise it into something like sesame noodles or stir fry, but if they SEE that it's brown I have a riot on my hands...), both of which have a bit of protein as well.  Really, she'll be fine on protein.

 

The bigger challenge *for her* to eat a wide range of good vegetables.  I have a non-meat-eating nephew who describes himself as Pastafarian... and that's the risk, that kids think that "vegetarian" means "pasta + pizza + chips."  We have a refrain, if you're going to be vegetarian, you have to eat vegetables.  I've gotten much better at cooking a wider range of vegetables in better / simpler / tastier ways.

 

And the other challenge *for me* was to figure out how to cook for one vegetarian among a houseful of omnivores without going all  :willy_nilly: .  It took a while but we got into a rhythm which is now so second nature that I don't even register it.  

 

My daughter's concern for animal welfare has turned out to be one of those "change for good" gifts -- the vegetarian thing was a bit of a PITA at first, but I'm truly glad for it now -- the whole family has nudged towards better/healthier eating habits because of it, and there's been a spillover effect onto household / cosmetic products etc as well.  

[mamaraby]

There's protein in just about everything - broccoli, noodles, rice, potatoes, beans, corn, green peppers, leafy greens, etc. If she subsists only on fruit, fat, and sugar you should be concerned about protein. Otherwsie, she'll be fine. Lots of plant foods also have iron in them. Non-heme iron isn't as available, but pair it with vitamin c rich foods and absorption goes up significantly.

 

Really, though, eat a varied diet and she'll be fine. Then again, that same rule, "eat a varied diet" goes for everyone regardless of whether or not they eat meat. So does, eat lots of leafy greens and maintain an active lifestyle. Being vegetarian is really not that different. Everyone should eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Being a meat eater doesn't exempt people from that.

 

Yes, if she does not eat lots of eggs and dairy she should take a B12 supplement (as should all adults over 60 regardless of diet). B12 supplements are cheap, too.

 

I have three vegan kids - healthy, tall, active. Basically the same as they were before we became vegans. Granted, it's easier for them because we're all vegan together, but food-wise it isn't any more complicated than it was before. :)

 

https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/teennutrition.htm

[Jenny in Florida]

Our situation was different, because both of my kids were vegetarian/vegan from birth, but I wanted tor reassure you that this really doesn't have to be a big thing. My daughter is now 20, vegetarian from birth, vegan from about age two. (She hadn't had much dairy prior to that, because at the time doctors were advocating holding off on introducing dairy in order to avoid potential allergies later. But that was the point at which we decided we'd go officially vegan.) She's been ridiculously healthy for her whole life, even during the teen years when it seemed like she survived on rice, popcorn and chocolate soymilk.

 

My son is 17 and a dancer, vegan from birth. Very active, extremely healthy.

 

I was also vegetarian/vegan through both pregnancies, by the way. I discussed it with my OB during one of my early prenatal appointments, and he basically said not to worry about it. I was a healthy vegetarian before getting pregnant. As long as I kept eating as well as I had been and adjusted my caloric intake appropriately, both the baby and I would be fine. We were. 

 

When they were little, I did some research and made little charts of how many servings of what kinds of foods they were supposed to eat each day. Once or twice a year, I'd print out a copy of the chart and track their intake for a week or two, just to make sure we were on the right path. If it looked like they/we had fallen into any bad habits, I'd make adjustments and get more intentional for a bit, and then just go on autopilot until the next time I printed out a chart.

 

Both of mine were picky to some degree when younger -- my daughter very much so and my son a bit less. So, neither ate as broad a range of veggies or certain other foods as some folks will begin telling you are necessary. Eventually, I decided that, as long as most of what they were eating was healthy and included a reasonable variety of foods, I wasn't going to stress about it. The approach doesn't seem to have done either of them any harm.

 

In terms of your specific questions:

 

1. Most people in the U.S. actually eat far more protein than our bodies need. Many new vegetarians seem to begin with the presumption that they must find ways to achieve the same protein intake they've been getting by regularly eating meat, but it seems to me that the more sensible thing is to find out how much protein a body actually needs and use that as a base.

 

2. There is protein in all kinds of foods that most people don't think of as being "protein foods." A healthy diet with a decent variety of foods is likely to provide the protein your daughter needs, anyway.

 

3. In addition to beans and eggs, nuts are a good source of concentrated protein.

 

Best of luck to you and your daughter! And, from one animal lover to another, please congratulate her on taking this step to make the world a kinder place.

[lailasmum]

If she eats a good range of stuff then the only thing I'd worry about is iron and I think whether you do well on a vegetarian diet is quite individual. I suspect my eldest will become vegetarian at some point in her teens, she's always leaned to liking meat less than everything else for a host of reasons, it just troubles her. She was vegetarian until about 3. I worry about iron intake because I have really struggled with iron deficiency and it's been really bad during the times I was eating less meat (my husband was vegetarian for about 25 years). 

[mamaraby]

I forgot to mention, and it's probably obvious, but we vegetarians eat more than salad. ;) If you're hungry it's probably because you aren't eating enough (and green and yellow veggies have a high water content so they're pretty low on the calorie density scale). Fiber is your friend.

 

Our library has a good selection of cookbooks so maybe yours does as well. Also, lots of vegetarian/vegan blogs with recipes and pictures so definitely check those out of you're needing inspiration.

[Bluegoat]

I wouldn't be worried about diet too much, with a child that would eat eggs or cheese, but I would be interested in why she would be willing to eat those things.   I would be more concerned about  cooking an environmentally responsible diet while being a vegetarian, and whether or not my child really understood the implications of that in terms of being tender-hearted towards animals.  Tender sentiments are nice, but I think clear thinking about what the result of them should be is important to help a child explore, because they probably don't have the background information to do so alone.

[Tanaqui]

Americans are a little obsessed with protein consumption, have you noticed? Protein is not so scary!

 

I found something by accident last year that has rocked my little world: Scrambled tofu with nutritional yeast. (I use the red star brand, which you can get at whole foods. It's very mild, not very yeasty at all.) We're not vegetarian, I just don't like the taste of eggs that much. I was simply trying to find something that was sorta the same as scrambled eggs without being very eggy, and that fits the bill perfectly. Plus, it IS a good source of protein and, so long as you add the nooch after you take it off the heat, b vitamins... and fiber as well, which eggs don't have. And since I've discovered that, I've been adding nutritional yeast to all sorts of things. Most recently, chili.

 

I'm also a fan of cooking quinoa with my rice at a 1:2 quinoa:rice ratio. Quinoa and rice with beans IS a complete protein, and cheaper than meat, so I try to do that a few dinners a week.

 

If you're really worried about low iron and low B-12, you can always have her take a multivitamin. Those are fairly inexpensive for a little bit of peace of mind.

[Joyofsixreboot]

This is anecdotal but my beautiful 5'9" 23 year old became a vegetarian at 12(pre-puberty for her). She doesn't eat beans or drink milk because she dislikes them. I made sure to have fortified cereal and pasta and she ate eggs a couple times a week, peanut butter and a little cheese. She never needed iron but we did have it checked a couple times during her growing years when she was at the doc for other things. Protein is everywhere, I wouldn't worry about that. A vitamin daily with iron is easy if that concerns you.

[RKWAcademy]

I think many young kids go through this.  I did for many years including through college.  I think talking to her doctor just to reassure yourself is a good idea.  How about checking out or buying some good vegetarian cookbooks?  You two could page through them for great ideas.  I know that helped me as a young adult/teen coming from a meat and potatoes family.  Little things like what to substitute for chicken stock (veggie broth!) in soups.  Don't forget nuts have some good protein, too.  A lot of veggies have good protein.  I am almost 40 and still don't like much meat, although a few times per year I crave a good steak.  I managed as a mostly vegetarian without ever eating tofu or soy.

[Alice]

My now almost 9 year old son decided to become a vegetarian about 3 years ago because of loving animals. It was a bit gradual at first. He started with not eating turkey at Thanksgiving because he really loves birds. And then that expanded to chicken. And then he gave up all other meat but he would eat bacon beause he was 6 and liked bacon. But he's been completely vegetarian for about 2 1/2 years. He's very committed and will read labels on his own and won't eat if we are out and he can't be assured that there is no meat in something. We do on occasion have the "vegetarians actually eat vegetables" conversation but I don't worry about the protein. He does dairy, eggs, tofu, beans, lentils, quinoa, spinach, and nuts.

 

It's been overall good for out family. We've gotten into a routine of figuring out what to do with meals when 4 of us eat meat and one doesn't and it's become fairly easy. We have basically four options:

-Vegetarian meal for everyone

-Meal that is mostly vegetarian but that I can add meat for us (like white chili where I will make it and then add chicken after separating his out)

-Meal where we eat meat but he likes all the sides and eats those as his main meal and just leaves out the meat. So we have chicken, rice and green beans. He eats the rice and green beans and generally will open a can of beans or have some leftover lentils with the rice.

-Meal where there is nothing for him to eat. That's fairly rare now but when it happens he makes his own dinner. He's gotten pretty good at that. His favorite concocation is "cheesy delight" which is basically rice, beans, cheese, whatever veggies are in the fridge and toppings like salsa or guacamole or whatever else we have. 

 

 

[Farrar]

If she's going to eat eggs, dairy, beans and at least some variety of veggies, then I really don't think you need to worry. I think the bigger thinking has to be done for kids who are going to try to go without eggs or dairy or kids who want to go veg but refuse to eat a variety of stuff. Eggs themselves are hugely healthy and compensate for no meat really well.

[No More Perfect]

Thank you all for reassuring me. My main concern is iron as she enters puberty, but since her cycles haven't started yet, it isn't an immediate concern. I did put some books on hold at the library to look at. This is just going to have to be gradual and I told her that. She was okay with taking it slow and she is putting together questions to ask her doctor when we go.

 

Someone mentioned upthread that eating vegetarian shouldn't mean eating heavily on grains/pastas/etc. That is exactly what I'm afraid of it becoming so I'll definitely have to continue to plan our menus so that I don't end up reaching for too many boxes of pasta. Now if I could only prepare for the lovely remarks I'm sure the grandparents will make. ;-)

[No More Perfect]

I wouldn't be worried about diet too much, with a child that would eat eggs or cheese, but I would be interested in why she would be willing to eat those things.   I would be more concerned about  cooking an environmentally responsible diet while being a vegetarian, and whether or not my child really understood the implications of that in terms of being tender-hearted towards animals.  Tender sentiments are nice, but I think clear thinking about what the result of them should be is important to help a child explore, because they probably don't have the background information to do so alone.

 

Hi Bluegoat! I'm not too sure what you mean by this? Are you asking why she has no problem forgoing meat but will drink milk and eat eggs? If yes, then *I* am aware of the way animals are treated for both dairy milk and eggs but *she* is not and frankly, she is not ready to know that. With her, she can only take sad news a bit at a time. She lost her sweet crested gecko in February/March and she is still grieving that and to educate her on what they do to calves and chickens in the process of providing our society with eggs and milk is not something I want to load her with right now. Next year, maybe. Or maybe the year after that when she has matured a bit. But, like I said, baby steps is how we are going to work here.

 

Of course, I could be reading your comments completely wrong, as I have been known to do before. ;-) Please feel free to correct me and/or add more comments. I do appreciate them!

[livetoread]

We dislike whole grain pastas, but we all like Barilla's Protein Plus. It isn't as brown either, so you might be able to get away with just serving it without a heads up.