How young is to young to start this life style

My 12 almost 13 year old has decided to become a Vegitarien. Could anyone tell me if letting her try to exspress herself this way is safe at this age. Not knowing anything about this is tuff. I have bought Veggie burgers and Veggie chicken pattys ect. I make her eat raw fruits and Veggies for lunch and dinner. I fix her Baked potatos with cheese and veggies on them. I thought this was a phase she would go through and stop but so far she has not had any desire to stop. Being a very over weight person my self i just want to be careful. Any kind of help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I did not deal with any of this until I was an adult myself, so I can not aid on the perspective questions you have about age.

But I have a suggestion I hope helps.  How about very actively engaging her in researching vegetarian ways?  Searching for recipes?  Figuring out the difference between Fructous and Glucose?  Learning there is a greater variety to veggies than just canned corn and apples?  Figuring out how one does eat a papaya or mango? Knowing what foods are rich in Protein?  

Just an idea for you both to dive in on together.  I do not know either of you so I cant guess the possible results, but to me education is always a step in the right direction.  If she understands the different types of fats and why some are so desparately needed, and how to get them from plants instead, and she is still into it, then great. 

Being a vegetarian myself I am definitely not trying to talk you into tempting her to break her present eating habit.  Far from it.  But if she is going to make a food choice this big, then she sounds smart and aware enough to me to learn more details on it. 

Everything we do in life has consequences.  maybe she is telling you she is ready to really learn about nutrition?  One can always hope!  ::big smile::  Good luck to you both ~ Lost Artist
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I think children can be perfectly healthy on a vegetarian diet, but it may require a little more planning to make sure she is getting enough calories and other nutrients.  This website has some good information:  http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/vege tarian_diets.html

Because it is her dietary choice, in my opinion it should be her responsibility to educate herself about nutrition.  Learning now will only help her in the long run.  Perhaps she should plan out a week's menu to calculate whether she is meeting her nutritional needs.  It's a great thing for everybody to do, vegetarian or not.

After weaning from breast feeding there is no "too young" to start a healthy vegetarian diet.

You might want to read Disease Proof your Child for some additional information and reassurance that your daughter can be healthy and vegetarian.

I became a vegetarian when I was about 12. My mom and dad both became vegetarian for health reasons. They never forced it on me, but I was extremely interested. It was the best thing I did for my body. After the first two weeks, I noticed my mood was better, my skin was healthier (acne cleared up), and I was able to think more clearly in school. It was even better when I switched to being vegan (no animal product: ex: no cheese, milk, etc.). This is great for your daughter. She can easily get all the nutrients she needs.

Good job on encouraging her! I think that is great! Continue helping her out, and learn a little bit about it so you can help her to make educated choices!

A great website is vegweb.org for recipes, or goveg.com. Hope this helps =).

I became a vegetarian at the same age as your daughter :)  My mother also thought it was just a phase - 11 years later, I am still a vegetarian. :D

I have been perfectly healthy the whole time and it is safe for her to be a vegetarian.  I did know another girl who suffered health problems as a vegetarian, but she didn't eat a balanced diet and her diet mostly consisted of cookies, chips, and alcohol.  As long as she eats a relatively healthy diet (and it sounds like she does), she should be fine :)  You can also ask her doctor about it next time she has an appointment for additional reassurance.  Vegetarians are usually healthier than the general public and have lower rates of cancers and heart disease (among other things). 

I think it would be helpful for you to learn about vegetarian cooking/nutrition together.  I always liked to go to the public library and look through the vegetarian cookbooks (many ethnic cuisines have lots of veggie choices as well, like Italian, Mexican, Indian, & Chinese).  There are tons of things she can eat, and the longer she is a vegetarian the easier it will get.

Whole Foods has a pretty good recipes site:  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/index .html

I also had a subscription to Vegetarian Times as a teenager.  Not the best magazine, but I liked reading it:  http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

The Mayo Clinic is also a great resource for vegetarian info.  Here is one link (includes a vegetarian food pyramid), but there is tons of other information on their website:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-d iet/HQ01596

I became veg at 12. Just make sure shes making up for the protein and perhaps see if B12 supplements are necessary. I'd definately bring her to a nutritionalist just top be on the safe side.

Make sure she understands about beans, lentils etc. Cheese is not a great substitute for protein.

I live with 3 vegetarians, and recently became one myself. They all made the decision around the age of 12. They aren't calorie deficient, but they are definitely nutrient deficient. It's like they live off of pasta, rice, and vegetables with the occasional bout of tofu when they need a kick of energy.

I agree with the first post made. It's a big/mature decision and your daughter should take a proactive/mature approach to it. It would even be an excellent way to teach her some culinary skills. Cooking can be a ton of fun. Especially if it's presented as an exploration etc.

Good Luck!

I went veg around 16, which I know is slightly older, but I definitely agree with what everyone is saying about getting the right nutrients.  I didn't know what I was doing when I switched to being veg as a teenager, and I basically lived off pizza, ice cream, and anything with cheese.  Not exactly the healthiest route.  Try to steer her toward unprocessed foods rather than packaged stuff.  Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc.  and easy on the cheese.  Even the "fake meats" aren't that great for you if eaten excessively.

Keep in mind that millions of Hindus and Buddists world wide eat no meat in their entire lives.  They grow up to be healthy adults. 

I just want to point out that "Vegetarians are usually healthier than the general public and have lower rates of cancers and heart disease (among other things)" is likely only true because vegetarians, on average, are much more conscious of overall nutrition than the general public, not because of anything inherently "more healthy" about being vegetarian.  Balance of nutrients, limiting of bad cholestorol and trans fats, and monitoring of caloric intake can produce an equally healthy individual regardless of vegetarianism, veganism, or any other food related -ism you can think of.  This is effective no matter who you are, although crossing the line to vegetarianism can make all of these processes easier for people who love meat a little too much.

An important issue to work out is why she's made this decision - is it because she doesn't think eating meat is morally right, because she's trying to lose weight (which could be dangerous at that age, depending on her current weight), or something else?

All you guys have really opend my eyes and have been very helpful. Thanks so much because you even got me thinking more about my choices. We are checking out all the sites and learning together. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you , Wendy

i've been vegetarian since i was 11.

so its perfectly accpetable!!

mom2mh- i think it's great you're seeking advice. however, since she's just having raw fruits and veggies for 2 meanls a day, it would probably be a ggod idea to check if she's getting enough calories and protein. A baked potato is good, but there are a lot of options. It all depends on what she likes to eat and what you like to make.

Good luck! :-D

I have been a vegetarian all my life? and I have no problems getting enough healthy protein in my diet.. .since Indian food is rich in proteins? I eat a lot of lentils, mature beans, tofu? an Indian version of cottage cheese? eggs too? and that?s a lot?