My 11 year old daughter has decided to go vege. Shes been at it for about 6 months?

Question

Im a bit worried that shes not getting all the right nutrients, protein etc.

Whats a good way to make quick healthy vege food that gives a rounded healthy diet. Any good books for vege kids???

Answer 1

According to the latest science, if well planned, veggie diets are as good as, or better, than omnivorous diets. So long as it's well planned then, you and your daughter have nothing to worry about.

I'd check out the websites of the Vegetarian Society, and veganhealth.org, which have extensive info on nutrition for veggies, and talk through the findings of this with your daughter.

Oh, and  lastly, one of the biggest mistakes many veggies make is to OD on milk and cheese products in placement of meat. Not a good idea, health wise! A wide variety of fruit and vegetables is much better, as you'll see from the nutrition sources given.

Edit: Oh, and exercise some caution if asking doctors for nutritional advice. Unless they've received specialist training, most are not anywhere qualified to talk about nutrition, and will have as many preconceptions and bad ideas about it as your average joe. Better a qualified nutritionist or nutritionist authored sources.

Answer 2

I don't know about books, but protein is one of the most lacking things in a vegetarian diet. Make sure your daughter has beans, nuts, and other things with lots of protein.

Answer 3

Cheese, yoghurt and milk if she's not vegan.. Tell her she needs them for her bones anyway..

Answer 4

Do your research.  There is protein in all foods NOT just meat and dairy sources.  The World Health Organization recommends 25-35 grams of protein a day.  Which is VERY easy to get.

Try check out Dr. McDougall's website.  There's SO MUCH research on that site it will boggle your mind.  This doctor has done his research and it is solid.

You could also check out the book "Raising Vegetarian Children" by Joanne Stephaniak.

Answer 5

Talk to the doctor.

Answer 6

There are a lot of great books out there that can help you plan a well balanced diet for your daughter. Since she is only 11, and not quite old enough to research and plan her own diet properly, than you need to do the research for her. However, there is no reason that she cannot be involved in the planning a learning.

Some great books about vegetarian nutrition for children:

>Raising Vegetarian Children : A Guide to Good Health and Family Harmony  

by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina

>Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right

by Joel Fuhrman

>The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet  

by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis

> Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly: Quick Vegetarian Meals Your Kids Will Love! Revised Edition



>Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly: Quick Vegetarian Meals Your Kids Will Love!

by Marty Mattare and Wendy Muldawer

>Kids Can Cook: Vegetarian Recipes  

by Dorothy R. Bates and Suzanne Havala

Websites:

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/pregnancy.h...

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/veg_d...

http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/re...

http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=e6...

Answer 7

erm i cant rember wat the website is but just type in vegetarian in google and it should come up as freebie veggie pack it gives u all the stuff u need 2 no etc like touff quron (dont now how 2 spell lol) and it gives u some easy recipes 2

Answer 8

http://vegweb.com/

Answer 9

I recommend you secretly put meat in her food.Just tell her it's not "real" meat.She'll believe it.

Answer 10

Do you research into the vegan lifestyle. You might sit at the computer with her, and make it a family research project, and listen to what she has to say, you both may learn things about both sides that you did not know before.

Answer 11

did you know that the average vegan/vegetarian gets 2x the protein needed daily a meat eater gets 3x times as many  i wouldn't worry about it!

Answer 12

I went vege for 18 years! Now I am eating fish and some meats...

It's great that you are supporting her...it might be phase, it might not be...good job with helping her!

Answer 13

I wasn't going to answer this, but I'm sick of people thinking veggie diets are ''dangerous'' or they ''make you sick''.

I'm 19 and vegan and my sister is a vegetarian and she's 12. I have every confidence that my sister is ok as a veggie. As long as your daughter is eating a balanced diet, she should be fine. Encourage her to eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, wholegrains, veggiemeats, etc. A varied diet provides all the nutrients she needs to grow and thrive.

Info on Iron:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

''Good sources of iron for vegetarians include wholegrain cereals and flours, leafy green vegetables, blackstrap molasses, pulses such as lentils and kidney beans, and some dried fruits.''

Info on Protein:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html

''Most foods contain at least some protein. Good sources of protein for vegetarians include nuts and seeds, pulses, soya products (tofu, soya milk and textured soya protein such as soya mince), cereals (wheat, oats, and rice), free-range eggs and some dairy products (milk, cheese and yoghurt).''

There are 8 essential amino acids that the body needs every day. Meat supplies all 8 BUT so does soya. Soya is a complete protein. Most vegetarian foods have a few of the essential amino acids. HOWEVER, if your daughter eats a combination of protein rich veggie foods during the day, she will get adequate protein. You don't have to combine proteins at every meal. That's a myth. The body has a pool of aminos so provided your daughter eats a variety of foods, she should be ok.

Answer 14

Some books:

Authors:  John Robbins, Dr Neal Bernard, Dr Michael Klaper, Howard Lyman, ...

Books:  American Vegetarian Cookbook by Marylin Diamond, Becoming Vegetarian or Becoming Vegan by Vesanto Melina.

Answer 15

Hi, I went veggie around the same age and went back to meat when I was 18. My poor mum didn't have a clue what to provide for my meals. Great news there are millions of books and recipes available (type in vegetarian recipes to your search engine if you are in any doubt). The main thing is to make sure the vitamin and mineral content of your daughter's diet match recommended guidelines. Plenty of variety is usually the key. Protein, calcium and iron rich foods are the big boys but get advice on the finer points of nutrition from a nutrirtionist. I found a great falafel recipe on a website called video jug the other day (I'd cut down on the salt though), mmmm,

happy veggying, Clare.

Answer 16

I suggest you go see a dietician.

Many doctors (not all, but some) would just try to talk your daughter out of it, tell her she's foolish and have a blood test done. That only makes you feel bad, not good.

But dieticians have good advice about how to eat well and stick to your diet.

Is your daughter going vegetarian or vegan. If she's vegan then make sure she drinks plenty of calcium and B12 fortified soymilk or other non-dairy milk. For protein/iron make sure that she eats about a cup of legumes or tofu or something else high in iron/protein like a veggie burger. Walnuts are also a good source of omega3.

Veganomicon is a great vegan cookbook.

Answer 17

I think that is is great that you are supporting your daughter's decision. I think that you should buy some vegan cookbooks or other books about beggining vegetarianism.

Answer 18

I wish my mom were as awesome and supportive as you! Lol. I'm 12 and WANT to go veggie... She doesn't agree with it though and kept making my favorite meat dishes while I tried eating only vegetables, fruit, and nuts for a month.

Vegetarians are actually very healthy, slim people! I think It's great she's doing it. Just make sure she continues eating cheese, milk, and eggs... When she's older she may choose to be a COMPLETE veggie which means no eggs and nothing made from cows [People who do that take a vitamin everyday].

Answer 19

She's too young.

Answer 20

I'm went vegie at 11 and I'm now 28 and I've always been in perfect health. However it's just as easy to eat unhealthily on a vegetarian diet as on a meat eating one. You should follow the same basic rules of any diet, lot's of fresh fruit and veg, not too much fat or sugar etc. The only things your daughter may lack are protein, which can be found in dairy products, eggs, beans and pulses, tofu, quorn, mushrooms (in smaller amounts), TVP (textured vegetable protein - found in health food shops) and many other 'fake meat' products. The other thing is vitamin B12, which can only be found in animal products such as eggs and dairy products. However these are also high-fat products so go easy. Many people believe vegetarians lack iron, but infact iron can be found in large amounts in dark green leafy veg such as spinach.

A balanced vegetarian diet can provide your daughter with all her dietry needs but if you're really worried buy her some multi-vitamin tablets.

There are loads of good veggie recipe books out there, some specifically aimed at kids. However if she is mature enough to have come to this desicion, she should maybe start trying some of the recipes aimed at adults.

Answer 21

Personally, I didnt use a lot of books when I went vege.

Did she go vegan or vegetarian. There are differences:

An ovo-lacto vegetarian eats eggs and dairy, but no meat.

An ovo-vegetarian eats eggs, but no other meat.

A lacto vegetarian eats and drinks dairy, but no meat.

A vegetarian doesnt eat any animal products.

A vegan takes it a step further and will not buy animal products such as leather, suede, feathers, wool, etc.

There are vegetarians that eat fish and some that just eat chicken, they have different names, but I do not know them. A google search will answer what they are.

A well balanced diet gives us what we need. It is more about variety over the day though than a balance at every meal. As long as she is not eating pies, cheese, bread, and snacks, she will not be low on nutrients.

A good diet is not necessarily what the doctor says. You should look into a nutritionist with experience in raw/vegan diets.

Protien sources: Nuts and seeds, beans, tofu, fake meat products.

Good vegan websites:

http://www.pcrm.org/

http://www.vegcooking.com/

Vegan books website:

http://petacatalog.org/products.asp?dept...

I am actually a raw vegan, meaning I do not eat anything heated above 118 degrees. As long as the diet has variety, nutrition should not be a problem.

There are many vegan/ vegetarian books. Plan a day for book shopping and going to the library.

Look for these books:

How it all vegan, by tanya barnard and sarah kramer

The garden of vegan, by above authors

veganomicon by Isa chandra Moskowitz and Terry hope Romero.

Raw food: Real world, 100 recipes to get the glow by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngallis

Cafe sunflower by lin sun ( resturant in atlanta, ga.)

RAWvolution by matt amsden

Look into this book if you want to know a good reason people need to take control over their diet: Fast food Nation by eric schlosser, a book about the standard american diet(SAD) and how it is effecting america. It may help you realize how much we need to change.

It is not only humans that need to change their diet, it is effecting our pets too. Pet food didnt come around until the 1950's, which strangely enough was the time vets started to see more peridontial disease, and other issues with dogs.

Answer 22

sneak some meat into her food. you cant live without meat it is not human. we are built for eating meat.

Gabs how is eating meat bad for you??? meat is good, it proves meat must be good for you is you are a vege and are dumb enough to think it is bad for you

Answer 23

Check out your local book store, there are a few books for teenage vegetarians.

If she's including dairy and eggs in her diet she will easily get all she needs.

If she's going strict vegetarian or vegan she needs to be more careful that she gets enough: iron, B12 and calcium.

I know the Vegans on here will disagree with me, but until she starts cooking all her own food, and helping with the grochery bill, I'd insist on her eating some dairy and eggs.

Answer 24

whatever you do, don't sneak meat into her food.  There's proteins and stuff in veggies and other non-meat foods.  Peanut butter sandwiches are good.  And they have vitamins for vegetarians.

Answer 25

I'm a vegetarian too. It might seem to you that she's not getting everything she needs. But there are substitutes for those nutrients and proteins, etc. Meat is not good for you at all. As long as she's still eating eggs, milk and cheese then she'll be fine. Try to integrate seeds into her diet, and things like beans. The Quorn range has protein and nutrients, besides she'll have a wide choice of meals.

Answer 26

hmmm, im 14 and oveerwieght so i thought that someday soon ill be a vege, anywayzzz, if she wanna go vege atleast make sure that she get protien (if not from meat then from peanuts and things alike) if the body loses protien it will grow larger and larger guts to dissolve more protien which will give her a big tummy no one will be happy to see, thats all,

try to convince her to eat fish and eggs if she dsnt want meat and chicken

Answer 27

Surely, a child of THAT age needs all the help she can get food-wise whilst still growing. Try to knock that silliness out of her head before she starts suffering from vitamin and mineral deficiencies which could cause all sorts of problems for her in later life. Tell her if she MUST go veggie, wait until she's fully grown AND KNOWS what she's doing as opposed to what is obviously peer pressure right now.

Answer 28

Well Ive been a vegetarian since I was 13, and Im 28 now. The truth is meat eaters generally speaking have a lot more protein then they need in their diets. Personally I get most of my protein from Broccoli, Beans, Cheese, Milk, and Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). Broccoli is actually one of the best sources of protein around. Here is some info for you:

Two of the most pervasive myths about vegetarian diets concern protein:

    * Myth 1: It is hard to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet

    * Myth 2: Plant protein does not contain all essential amino acids and you have to carefully combine plant foods in your diet in order to get the "right" protein.

Both of these are false.

Protein Sources

So what are good sources of protein if you decide to eliminate all animal products from your diet?

While you get protein from just about all the foods you eat, legumes and grains can supply significant quantities of protein in the diet. Foods like TVP, tofu, seitan are concentrated sources of protein. TVP is almost all soy protein, and seitan is basically almost all wheat protein (gluten). Legumes, in general, supply large quantities of protein (12 - 15 grams/cup). Nuts and seeds also supply significant quantities of protein (like almonds or pumpkin seeds). Grains like quinoa, amaranth, oats, wheat, spelt are also very good sources of protein. Vegetables like brocolli and potatoes supply significant amounts of protein. Even a banana supplies a gram of protein.

Here are some links for you for kids vegetarian recipes:

http://kids-cooking.suite101.com/article...

http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/re...

I would recommend trying TVP as a meat supplement, it works great for tacos, chili, in spaghetti sauce, soups, etc. If you are still worried about nutrients you could always have her take vitamins, but I dont take them and never have, i feel that since I'm vegetarian and eat lots of fruits/veggies that have vitamins in them I don't need to take any supplements. But if shes only eating a few types of food you might want to get her going on daily vitamin.