Dangers of Vegetarian Lifestyle

My young daughter (12 years old) recently decided to become vegetarian.  I am curious if anybody out there has personal stories of being a vegetarian, whether they be bad or good.  If there are words of wisdom I could pass on to her I'd appreciate it.  Thanks!

I think as long as your daughter eats well there is nothing wrong with being a vegetarian. I think it would be best to make an appointment with her doctor since she is young and have them talk with you and her about what developing children need to remain healthy while maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle. Make sure she takes a multivitamin which includes vitamin b12 which can sometimes be deficient in vegetarians. She also needs to learn how to read food labels real well since many products have things like chicken fat in them even if the name doesn't indicate that it would contain any animal product.

I have been a vegetarian for years and have no problem with it. Sometimes other people are the hardest part since they don't always understand. If she is comfortable with her decision however I think she should be encouraged.  

My number one advice? Don't try to discourage her. I really resented my dad when he gave me crap about turning vegetarian when I was 15. He thought I was doing it to lose weight, but that had not even crossed my mind. I had watched a documentary on slaughterhouses and I just couldn't look at meat after that. So you should really try to be supportive of your kid, even if it's not something you would do yourself.

It would also help if you look into a lot of vegetarian recipes and share them with her, don't make her feel isolated by cooking her meal and having her be the only one eating it. Try not to keep it repetitive. When I go home for the weekend, my mom never knows what to cook me and that bothers me sometimes because it's really not that hard to cook vegetarian food and it makes me feel like she doesn't care when she doesn't look into recipes.

Other than that, there isn't really anything else. It isn't that difficult to have balanced meals as a vegetarian.

Vegetarians are much healthier.   Maybe your daughter will wind up convincing you!

If you would like some suggestions about how to ensure you're meeting all her nutritional needs, the American Dietetic Association has issued a great guideline. 

if you are having trouble figuring out what to make for dinner (for your now blended family) you can check out my blog - www.cooking4carnivores.com

i agree you should be supportive...

One quick bit of advice, don't try to sabatoge her (not saying you would). My mother would put chicken stock in our dinner dishes when I was a teenager. I was very hurt and resentful when I found out. Be glad your daughter is making an effort to be health conscious and isn't planning to survive on pizza and junk food like a lot of teenagers.

Being vegetarian really doesn't have to be that difficult in a family. I don't eat meat but my husband still likes it, my three year old daughter doesn't like it but my two year old son does. THere are TONS of recipes out there that don't have meat and you wouldn't even notice it. Plus there are also just as many that you can make that half can include meat and the other half not. I do this like twice a week for my husband. I do personally think that it's better on your body and digestive system to not eat the meat that we have around today, but for people to say that vegetarians are healthier just cause they don't eat meat....They eat just as many deserts, probably more pasta dishes cause they are easy to leave the meat out. I mean people up here probably eat better cause they are watching their weight. I just don't like that argument.

The biggest thing I do is make sure my kids get protein and iron from other sources. There are lots of vegetables and nuts that can make up for that, and if you make dishes that combine rice and beans it has all the nutrients a piece of meat woulf have.

Did she see a documentary on how our meat is produced? If that's the case then yeah, she probably would be a little appalled with the thought of eating meat for a while. hahaha. it's pretty bad, and I'm certainly not an animal rights person, but those videos are just sick. Plus it's just "in" right now for people to be like this, so that could be a reason for her doing it too. Either way there's nothing wrong with it, and for you mom it won't be to hard to get around. If you need recipe ideas let me know. smiles2come@yahoo.com

I've got TONS! :) Good luck

At that age, the best advice has already been given = be supportative.

That said, since she's still so young and you'll probably be doing most of the cooking, be sure to include 'complete' proteins.  Soybeans have this, I believe, but not all meals with meat substitutes do - beans and rice together are a 'complete protein' but I don't know others off the top of my head.  I love lentils, they can be very delicious and a nice alternative to just 'beans'.  As long as she's not allergic to everything, make sure she gets enough fats too, by adding nuts to things, and eating peanut butter.  Cheese has a lot of options too, but since meat tends to have a good amount of calories, just make sure those calories are made up with enough of something else.

If she were older, I wouldn't worry, but if you're up for it, get a couple educational books on eating veg, and not just cookbooks, and get her involved in the meal planning process : )

Good luck!

My daughter decided to become a vegetarian around age 12 and I can say although it did take some initial getting used too (ordering veggie whoppers with cheese - no whoppers) and lots of beans and rice etc we felt she received a nutritious meal despite our initial challenges.  Now from her perspective she always felt others had a difficult time dealing with her new choices...asking them to hold the beef etc...giving her odd looks and even today (as it is growing in popularity) she still gets the odd look at age 29. 

Wow!  I really appreciate the positive feedback!

I do want her to be able to eat with us, whatever the rest of us are eating and not making a special meal just for her.  I made enchiladas the other day with a separate pan for her vegetarian enchiladas, so that worked out well, but I don't usually make enchiladas.  My family pretty much eats a lean protein, with beans or rice and a green veg for dinner.  So on nights when I cook that, she just gets some asparagus and rice.  That seems to me like it's not enough.  She still eats eggs (thank God since I own a chicken egg farm), so I'll make her an egg on the mornings when I wake up in time.  I've added a lot of salads to our dinners with nuts & cheese.  Again, that's something that when I'm counting calories I won't be eating.

I became vegetarian at age 12, too.  I just decided meat wasn't for me.  I was already able to do a lot of cooking myself, so it wasn't really that hard on my parents.  We would make side dishes that everyone could eat, and then I would make myself some kind of vegetarian main dish, either with eggs, tofu, beans or something else.  12 is a great age to really start working in the kitchen, and this would be a great opportunity for your daughter to learn to feed herself.  

Morningstar Farms makes a ton of great protein replacements.  The "chicken" can be a great addition to salads as well as adding things like soynuts and kidney beans or chickpeas.  This can be done w/out having to make a separate meal for the rest of the family.    Otherwise, keep a good supply of veggie burgers and dogs on hand to help replace any meat item the rest of the family may be eating on any particular night.  These are wonderful because she can make them herself.

I understand the challenge acutely as I am a vegetarian and my 12 year old daughter, who is also a vegetarian, is an extremely picky eater.   Finding things that she'll eat in order to get enough of the proper nutrients requires a little extra effort. 

Congratulations to your daughter for choosing a healthier lifestyle! 

I would suggest doing a Google search for 'vegetarian recipes'.  There are TONS of sites on the internet to get some really delicious recipes.

It might help her if you had a vegetarian night once a week (or more often) where everyone in the family eats what she's eating.  I've had so many omnivore friends eat some of my dishes and absolutely rave about them & ask for the recipe.  Vegetarian food is about so much more than just 'vegetables'.

You might also want to go to the library and look at some nutrition books and cookbooks.  One of my favorites is 'Laurel's Kitchen', which has quite a bit of background information on nutrition.  Also, get her in the kitchen with you to do some of her own cooking.  It's a skill all kids should have.

There is a relatively new cookbook out called The Flexitarian Table that might be a great help to keep everyone eating the "same" meal.  The author and his wife are occasional meat-eaters, one daughter is vegetarian, and the other loves meat, yet they sit down together to eat every day.  You could get if from the library to make sure you like it before buying it.

Hi, I understand your concerns and as an older vegetarian, I am 55, and having cooked for a family of non-vegetarians for years, it can be a quite difficult adjustment. But it shouldnt be difficult for you adjust your families menu to suit your daughter. From what you said of your present menu, its really just a matter of finding a lean protein for her in that meal. So that could mean eggs, low fat cheese, tofu or tofu products, beans or lentils, or probably the easiest is one of the meat substitutes readily available, honestly they make fake sausage, chicken, turkey and beef today you can barely tell from meat. Check out your stores, especially the refrigerated section. Just add that to her meal instead of your families meat and it should be easy for you.

Aside from getting enough lean protein from vegetable sources (above) the only concern is enough Iron and B12. Eating eggs is a big plus in this, but an Iron/B12 supplement twice a week wouldnt go astray. 

I'd be supporting her in her choice, eating meat to a vegetarian is kind of repulsive. But she could also support her Mom too with a helping out with meal preparation, because asking you take over this in food prep. is an added strain on you as well. I encourage my meat eaters here to cook their own meat, otherwise I have to cook 2 meals each time instead of just one, so I think she could help you out too.

But there is nothing unhealthy in a vegetarian diet, quite the contrary!

Just don't harrass her about it. That's the main thing. I was vegetarian for a while and my mum was always on my case about how I wasn't getting enough protein (I was getting tons). 

Lots of teens when they go vegetarian just cut out meat and don't anything back in. I knew a kid in high school who lived off french fries. As long as she eats beans and yogourt and stuff she should be ok. :)

My daughter became a vegetarian at the age of 10 and a vegan at 14. I recommend vegetarianism for dummies, ( no kidding) it talks about complete proteins, and vit b supplements.  Its been very healthy for her and she is healthy as a horse (no pun intended), and most importantly I am respecting her conscious choice to not eat animals. For some it is a stage, for others it is a lifestyle choice.

As a mom get educated, dont worry, and teach her the responsibilities of good nutrition and you both win!

Gail

I decided to become vegetarian at 11. My mom was totally supportive and I have always been extremely grateful and appreciative of it. She was truly wonderful, doing the research on how to be a healthy vegetarian and finding new cookbooks. It has actually ended up being a bonding experience for the two of us, trying out new recipes, shopping, and cooking together.

It was a challenge at first to adjust our normal meals to be healthy for a vegetarian. My mom started by making the same thing for me as for everyone else, and just separating my food out before she added meat. She would often do what you did with enchiladas, simply make a smaller pan/dish for me. This wasn't always the healthiest, though, because I ended up eating a lot of pasta and cheese but not as much veggies as I needed.

I think the best thing you can do is take this as an opportunity for BOTH of you to learn more about nutrition and how vegetarianism can fit into your life. :)

It's good that you are seeking to support your daughter, my mom was the same way when I became one.  (After she realized it wasn't a "stage") :)

She changed her cooking style in some ways to accommodate me, but I always made it clear she didn't HAVE to.  I was 14 when I became a vegetarian and could cook moderately well for myself.  Something she does that I really appreciate is putting in the meat last in dishes and giving me some before she puts it in- Like in homemade chili, spaghetti, soups and things of that nature.  She also stopped putting meat in things like green beans, and gravy-using margarine as alternative to meat grease.  I think she secretly likes to find ways to cook things without meat,  she loves to cook.  If you like to cook and don't mind, show your daughter how you make things- I know it helps me a lot.

I'm in college now, but mom is still very supportive and thinks about me when she cooks when I'm back home.  Funny, that we also own a chicken egg farm.  (I don't like eggs by themselves, but I eat things with eggs in them.)